arXiv subjects

Cassandra Paul

Publications and source records attributed to Cassandra Paul.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Development of the RIOT 2 for use in LA-supported classrooms

This paper describes the development of the RIOT 2, an observational tool that can be used to study classrooms in which there are multiple members of an instructional team. The RIOT 2 is based on the Real-time Instructor Observational Tool (RIOT), which characterizes the behavior of an instructor over time. While the RIOT was previously developed for classrooms with only one instructor, our team has developed a version to observe classrooms supported by Learning Assistants (LAs). LA are undergraduate peer educators who facilitate discussions in active-learning classrooms. Unlike the RIOT, the RIOT 2 allows for the categorization of LA-instructor interactions. In this paper, we describe the development of RIOT 2 and present some initial data collected using the RIOT 2. While our data are preliminary, they illustrate how the RIOT 2 may be useful for future research and practice. This work is part of a broader research effort to understand how LA-faculty partnerships impact what LAs and instructors do in the classroom.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2026

Grades, equity and graduation rates: a quantitative analysis of the association of learning assistants with improved student outcomes

In this paper we use multilevel modeling of 10 introductory courses from four STEM disciplines to quantify associations of Learning Assistants (LAs) with the student-level outcomes, pass-rates, and retention. Overall we find that having an LA in a class is associated with improvement of these metrics for all students. Fur- thermore, along with all students showing improvement, we find noticeable demographic differences in the amount of improvement. For instance, LAs seem to be associated with larger improvements in pass-rates for historically marginalized groups, and larger increases in graduation rates for women identifying as belonging to historically marginalized races and ethnicities when compared to students from the same group but with class sections without LAs. This indicates that Learning Assistant programs may be an excellent investment for diverse institutions.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2026

Missing Data on Physics Exams: Demographic Patterns, Course-Level Predictions, and Implications for Equity

In a previous quantitative retrospective study we showed that different demographic groups of students leave different numbers of problems blank on physics exams, leading to inequities in course outcomes. In that work we argued that there were good reasons to treat these blanks as missing data, rather than indicators of a lack of understanding. In this paper, we refine this analysis and show more detailed breakdowns uncollected test item responses by race/ethnicity and first generation college student status, coming to the same conclusion: test item responses are uncollected for students with different ethnic and racial backgrounds at different rates, and these patterns exist even for high-performing students. We also correct an error from our previous work, finding here that there is no significant gender difference in uncollected test item responses. Finally, we provide a more robust analysis of course level data illustrating that blanks are a variable controlled at the course level rather than the student level, providing more evidence for the use of a course deficit model (rather than a student deficit model) when examining equity disparities, and also suggesting that there are plausible means for instructors to minimize uncollected test item responses, and therefore eliminate the bias associated with this missing data. We provide some suggestions for faculty who want to have more equitable course outcomes.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2018

Pondering zeros: analysis of a decade of blanks and missed quizzes

When assessing student work, graders will often find that some students will leave one or more problems blank on assessments. Since there is no work shown, the grader has no means to evaluate the student's understanding of a particular problem, and thus awards 'zero' points. This practice punishes the student behavior of leaving a problem blank, but this zero is not necessarily an accurate assessment of student understanding of a particular topic. While some might argue that this practice is 'fair' in that students are aware that they can't receive points for problems they don't attempt, we share evidence that this practice unequally impacts different student groups. We analyze 10 years of UC Davis introductory physics course databases to show that different groups of students (by gender, racial/ethnic group, first generation, etc.) skip problems, and entire exams at different rates. We also share some implications for grading and teaching practices.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2013

Sixteen years of Collaborative Learning through Active Sense-making in Physics (CLASP) at UC Davis

This paper describes our large reformed introductory physics course at UC Davis, which bioscience students have been taking since 1996. The central feature of this course is a focus on sense-making by the students during the five hours per week discussion/labs in which the students take part in activities emphasizing peer-peer discussions, argumentation, and presentations of ideas. The course differs in many fundamental ways from traditionally taught introductory physics courses. After discussing the unique features of CLASP and its implementation at UC Davis, various student outcome measures are presented showing increased performance by students who took the CLASP course compared to students who took a traditionally taught introductory physics course. Measures we use include upper-division GPAs, MCAT scores, FCI gains, and MPEX-II scores.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2013

Grading by Category: A simple method for providing students with meaningful feedback on exams in large courses

Many instructors choose to assess their students using open-ended written exam items that require students to show their understanding of physics by solving a problem and/or explaining a concept. Grading these items is fairly time consuming, and in large courses time constraints prohibit providing significant individualized feedback on students' exams. Instructors typically cross out areas of the response that are incorrect and write the total points awarded or subtracted. Sometimes, instructors will also write a word or two to indicate the error. This paper describes a grading method that provides greater individualized feedback, clearly communicates to students expected performance levels, takes no more time than traditional grading methods for open-ended responses, and seems to encourage more students to take advantage of the feedback provided.

physics.ed-ph↗