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arXiv2023

Protoplanet Express, a video game based on numerical simulations

Astronomical images can be fascinating to the general public, but the interaction is typically limited to contemplation. Numerical simulations of astronomical systems do permit a closer interaction, but are generally unknown outside the research community. We are developing "Protoplanet Express", a video game based on hydrodynamical simulations of protoplanetary discs. In the game, the player visits several discs, finds its relevant features and learns about them. Here we present the current version of the game, discuss its reception, and consider its further development.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

La inserción de la Astronomía Cultural en la educación formal: fundamentos y propósitos

There are vast educational research works that highlight the serious difficulties that students present in learning astronomical subjects, as well as the prevalence of a traditional education distanced from the observational and experiential, thus accentuating the difficulties detected. We argue that progressive teaching with a topocentric and contextualized approach would favor the motivation of the students, the construction of a more real view of current science and a more active role in the learning process. Cultural Astronomy (CA) is an academic discipline that seeks to understand the multiple ways in which societies relate to celestial objects and phenomena. For this reason, we consider that it would be a powerful resource for teaching, since it provides tools for contextualization and allows working with sky experiences linked to "naked eye astronomy", which requires little or no instruments. It should be noted that CA involves aspects of archaeoastronomy, ethnoastronomy and the history of astronomy, thus offering multiple dimensions to take into account. The present work seeks to base the incorporation of CA studies for astronomy teaching in secondary and tertiary education.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Nuevas estrategias de enseñanza: unidades didácticas basadas en temas de la Astronomía Cultural

One of the main difficulties that students have in learning astronomy topics is that they fail to relate theoretical information with what they experience in the world around them. The construction by students of a conceptual framework in accordance with the astronomical scientific model demands changes in the current teaching approach. Within this framework, Cultural Astronomy (CA) is a discipline that we can use to rethink new didactic strategies. This paper presents two contextualized proposals from CA. In the first one, the teaching of space and time concepts is approached through traditional examples of orientation by the stars and the use of the calendar, using the case of historical ocean navigation without advanced instruments already highlighted in ethnoastronomical studies. In the second, these concepts are worked on from a case study, this time archaeoastronomical: the monumental horizon calendar of the Chankillo archaeological site, and then continue with the local identification of horizon markers that allow students to build their own calendars. The aim is to illustrate ways of introducing CA elements in didactic units that have as one of their main objectives that the students manage to establish correspondences between constructions of the micro to the mega-space that surrounds them.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Next-Level, Robotic Telescope-Based Observing Experiences to Boost STEM Enrollments and Majors on a National Scale: Year 1 Report

Funded by a $3M Department of Defense (DoD) National Defense Education Program (NDEP) award, we are developing and deploying on a national scale a follow-up curriculum to "Our Place In Space!", or OPIS!, in which approx. 3,500 survey-level astronomy students are using our global network of "Skynet" robotic telescopes each year. The goal of this new curriculum, called "Astrophotography of the Multi-Wavelength Universe!", or MWU!, is to boost the number of these students who choose STEM majors. During Y1, our participating educators have developed MWU!'s (now renumbered) 2nd and 4th modules, and are in the process of developing its 3rd and 7th modules (out of 7). Solid progress has also been made on the software front, (1) where we have developed new graphing/analysis/modeling interfaces in support of Modules 2 and 4, and in response to feedback from the participating educators; and (2) where we are in the process of developing and adding astrophotography capabilities to Afterglow Access (AgA), our student-level, web-based, image processing and analysis application, in support of Modules 1 - 3 and 5 - 7. On the hardware front, development of our first four signal-processing units proceeds on schedule; these are key to Skynet's integration of a global network of radio telescopes, capable of exploring the invisible universe. Preparations have also been made on the evaluation and accessibility fronts, for when the first MWU! modules are deployed in Spring 2023.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2023

Report of the Notre Dame Contribution to the African School of Fundamental Physics and Applications 2022 in Gqeberha, South Africa

From November 26 to December 12, 2022, Shane Wood and Kenneth Cecire, QuarkNet staff members under the University of Notre Dame, traveled to South Africa as Lecturers in the African School of Fundamental Physics and Applications (ASP) 2022, held at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) within the same calendar period. ASP is held every other year in a different African country for two or three weeks for African graduate and advanced undergraduate physics students to expose them to cutting-edge physics content and analysis techniques that may not be as available in their home institutions. Since 2016, there has been an outreach component consisting of the High School Teachers and Learners Programs. Cecire and Wood were facilitators of these programs and also acted as lecturers for two regular ASP classes. (We will use the term "student" to refer to these university students and "learners" to refer to high school students, following the practice of ASP.) They played a very active role and were quite busy during their two-week involvement. The mission was successful in terms of reaching teachers, learners, and students with new and exciting ideas and in terms of building strong collaborative relationships.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Virtual Scanner Games: expanding access to Magnetic Resonance (MR) education through interactive web tutorials

Background: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique that combines principles of physics, math, and engineering to look inside humans and animals, hence delivering a lifesaving technology. However, resource-poor regions aiming to expand access to MRI suffer from a lack of imaging expertise. Education of a new generation of MRI technicians and researchers in these regions is needed to make this technology more equitable and sustainable around the world. Results: We developed Virtual Scanner Games, an open-source web application that allows students to explore fundamental concepts in MRI. Four modules illustrated imaging basics, imaging biology, imaging physics, and imaging design. Feedback was collected from high school and early college students along with faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and doctoral students working in the field of MRI. Conclusions: We have shown a collection of games that can be used independently by high school students and people with no imaging background; they could also be used as demonstration tools in formal courses. Further assessment of their educational value through longer term usage is needed.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Effect of pure dephasing quantum noise in the quantum search algorithm: an undergraduate approach using Atos Quantum Assembly

Quantum computing is tipped to lead the future of global technological progress. However, the obstacles related to quantum software development are an actual challenge to overcome. In particular, there is a discrepant lack of trained and skilled workforce to implement new quantum software on the recent quantum hardware. In this scenario, this work presents a didactic implementation of the quantum search algorithm in Atos Quantum Assembly Language (AQASM). In addition, we present the creation of a virtual quantum processor whose configurable architecture allows the analysis of induced quantum noise effects on the quantum algorithms. The codes are available throughout the manuscript so that readers, even those with little scientific computing experience, can replicate them and apply the methods discussed in this article to solve their own quantum computing projects. The presented results are consistent with theoretical predictions and demonstrate that AQASM and myQLM are powerful tools for teaching quantum computing and building, implementing, and simulating quantum hardware.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Multi-Contact Force-Sensing Guitar for Training and Therapy

Hand injuries from repetitive high-strain and physical overload can hamper or even end a musician's career. To help musicians develop safer playing habits, we developed a multiplecontact force-sensing array that can substitute as a guitar fretboard. The system consists of 72 individual force sensing modules, each containing a flexure and a photointerrupter that measures the corresponding deflection when forces are applied. The system is capable of measuring forces between 0-25 N applied anywhere within the first 12 frets at a rate of 20 Hz with an average accuracy of 0.4 N and a resolution of 0.1 N. Accompanied with a GUI, the resulting prototype was received positively as a useful tool for learning and injury prevention by novice and expert musicians.

eess.SP↗
arXiv2023

Using multilevel modeling to evaluate science literacy and technology course of the Indonesian non-science students

Science literacy is being fostered by science education community including the Indonesian education system. Science literacy and technology course has been designed and implemented to strengthen the national initiative empowering scientifically literate Indonesian society. This paper is intended to evaluate to what degree this course can be performed by non-science undergraduate students (N = 160) considering the nested structure of students' department and faculty setting. Multilevel modeling thus was employed to conduct the analysis dealing with this nature. The first level analysis involved students' performance and affective attribute measured using demonstrated science literacy assessment (SLA-D) and motivational beliefs (SLA-MB) respectively. The subsequent level analysis comprised demographic factors gathered from institutional record. Findings demonstrated that the impact of demographic factor to the students' performance on science literacy was not substantial. Different setting of students' department and faculty level drove the association between affective factor and learning process toward science literacy course substantially. Multilevel approach has controlled the equitable student assessment within the nature of students' data structure. This paper suggests many implications to open ideas regarding educational data analysis and to examine the effectiveness of science literacy course for the higher institution specifically for non-science majors.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Newspaper Story Problems and Other Tasks for Context Based Physics Education: A Research Based report on classroom practice

Background: Context Based Science Education (CBSE) has a long-standing tradition and is discussed as a highly promising approach in science education. It is supposed that CBSE can foster pupils engagement and learning. However, classroom implementations of CBSE based on solid empirical evidence are surprisingly scarce. Purpose: The present research-based report of practice seeks to bridge this theory practice gap for some specific forms of CBSE. We examine the use of science problems based on newspaper articles and the real-life contexts they provide (newspaper story problems, NSP). Design and Methods: While the research background has been reported elsewhere, the main objective of the present contribution is to provide a detailed account of the practical aspects of the approach. Two concrete, curriculum-relevant classroom teaching experiments based on newspaper story problems are reported, combined with a quasi-experimental study comparing NSPs against conventional textbook problems. The implementation of the teaching learning sequence in classroom practice is described in detail. Additionally, tasks types similar to NSPs, but using other ways of contextualisation (e.g. advertisements) will be discussed as perspective. Results: A considerable improvement in motivation was found, which proved stable at least in the medium term. Learning turned out to also be fostered to a sizeable extent, including the educationally important issue of transfer. Conclusions: The use of NSPs as a form of CBSE can have large positive, robust, and sustainable effects of both motivation and learning. Being flexible and practical to implement, they appear thus highly suited to classroom application. In perspective, a series of similar forms of tasks implementing CBSE is presented, such as by experimental of aesthetic contexts.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Video analysis of the damped oscillations of Pohl's pendulum

In this paper problems that arose with the introduction of distance learning in physics at the Technical University of Sofia due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the imposition of video recording of laboratory exercises are indicated. It was found that the video for the ''Damped Mechanical Oscillations'' exercise provides enough information for a more detailed and in-depth analysis of the studied phenomenon compared to the standard way of capturing the data. The Video Editor program was used to view the video frame by frame and statistical processing - non-linear regression - was performed with the recorded data. The laboratory results are compared with the theoretical function, the parameters of which are optimized as a result of the specified processing. A theoretical model of the damped oscillation is described and the dependence of the damping coefficient on the current through the electromagnetic brake is theoretically investigated.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Queered Science & Technology Center: Volume 1

Through the Fiat Lux seminar series at the University of California, Los Angeles, Volume 1 presents the first pedagogical and academic plans to destabilize hegemonic logics and hierarchies in STEM studies and knowledge production.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Beyond The Big Bang Theory: Revealing the everyday research lives of theoretical physics faculty

"So what do you do? I mean, what do you actually do?" This is one of the most common questions one theoretical physicist receives from her students, and is representative of a common curiosity among aspiring physicists. Students often misunderstand what different types of physicists actually do. For many, the term "theoretical physicist" likely conjures mental images of Einstein, Feynman, or Sheldon Cooper discerning the underlying operating principles of the universe, armed with only pencil and paper. Such imagery is representative of the "lone genius" stereotype many students ascribe to physicists. However, this common perception of physicists is known to discourage students, particularly underrepresented gender and racial groups, from pursuing it as a career. Moreover, students of all demographic backgrounds may avoid physics if they feel they do not understand what different kinds of physicists do on a daily basis. Therefore, providing students with an accurate depiction of the skills, practices, motivations, and daily routines in different types physics careers is essential for helping them make decisions about their future. In this article, we offer students a glimpse into what a career in theoretical physics is like. Through interviews with 11 practicing theoretical physics faculty, we reveal a variety of misconceptions theorists believe students hold about their work. Addressing these misconceptions will provide students with important details to consider as they navigate their career decision process.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

The development of free-response questions to assess learning assistants PCK in the context of questioning

We designed and developed a set of free-response questions to assess learning assistants pedagogical content knowledge in the context of questioning (PCK-Q). Our goal was to develop a set of written free-response questions that would be representative of the LAs PCK-Q observed in the classroom. In this paper we discuss the design, development and validation processes. These include videotaping and analysis of classroom interactions, development of a coding rubric, and development, administration, and validation of written free-response questions.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Should we trade off higher-level mathematics for abstraction to improve student understanding of quantum mechanics?

Undergraduate quantum mechanics focuses on teaching through a wavefunction approach in the position-space representation. This leads to a differential equation perspective for teaching the material. However, we know that abstract representation-independent approaches often work better with students, by comparing student reactions to learning the series solution of the harmonic oscillator versus the abstract operator method. Because one can teach all of the solvable quantum problems using a similar abstract method, it brings up the question, which is likely to lead to a better student understanding? In work at Georgetown University and with edX, we have been teaching a class focused on an operator-forward viewpoint, which we like to call operator mechanics. It teaches quantum mechanics in a representation-independent fashion and allows for most of the math to be algebraic, rather than based on differential equations. It relies on four fundamental operator identities -- (i) the Leibniz rule for commutators; (ii) the Hadamard lemma; (iii) the Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff formula; and (iv) the exponential disentangling identity. These identities allow one to solve eigenvalues, eigenstates and wavefunctions for all analytically solvable problems (including some not often included in undergraduate curricula, such as the Morse potential or the Poschl-Teller potential). It also allows for more advanced concepts relevant for quantum sensing, such as squeezed states, to be introduced in a simpler format than is conventionally done. In this paper, we illustrate the three approaches of matrix mechanics, wave mechanics, and operator mechanics, we show how one organizes a class in this new format, we summarize the experiences we have had with teaching quantum mechanics in this fashion and we describe how it allows us to focus the quantum curriculum on more modern 21st century topics appropriate for the

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2024

Group Dynamics in Inquiry-based Labs: Gender Inequities and the Efficacy of Partner Agreements

Recent studies provide evidence that social constructivist pedagogical methods such as active learning, interactive engagement, and inquiry-based learning, while pedagogically more effective, can enable inequities in the classroom. By conducting a quantitative empirical examination of gender-inequitable group dynamics in two inquiry-based physics labs, we extend results of previous work. Using a survey on group work preferences and video recordings of lab sessions, we find similar patterns of gendered role-taking noted in prior studies. These results are not reducible to differences in students' preferences. We find that an intervention which employed partner agreement forms, with the goal of reducing inequities, had a positive impact on students' engagement with equipment during a first-semester lab course. Our work will inform implementation of more effective interventions in the future and emphasizes challenges faced by instructors who are dedicated to both research-based pedagogical practices and efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in their classrooms.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

More than technical support: the professional contexts of physics instructional labs

Most, if not all, physics undergraduate degree programs include instructional lab experiences. Physics lab instructors, both faculty and staff, are instrumental to student learning in instructional physics labs. However, the faculty-staff dichotomy belies the complex, varied, and multifaceted landscape of positions that lab instructors hold in the fabrics of physics departments. Here we present the results of a mixed methods study of the people who teach instructional labs and their professional contexts. Recruiting physics lab instructors across the US, we collected 84 survey responses and conducted 12 in-depth interviews about their job characteristics, professional identities, resources, and experiences. Our investigation reveals that lab instructors vary in terms of their official titles, job descriptions, formal duties, personal agency, and access to resources. We also identified common themes around the value of instructional labs, mismatched job descriptions, and a broad set of necessary skills and expertise. Our results suggest that instructors often occupy overlapping roles that fall in between more canonical jobs in physics departments. By understanding the professional contexts of physics lab instructors, the rest of the physics community can better promote and engage with their critical work, improving laboratory learning both for students and for the lab instructors who teach and support them.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Retrospectively Diagnosing Einstein with Asperger's Syndrome and the Dismal Failure of Debunking Myths

In 2003, Simon Baron-Cohen, a world expert on autism, diagnosed Einstein posthumously with Asperger's syndrome. I think we cannot diagnose a dead person. Historians of science have fiercely objected to this trend of diagnosing deceased scientists by reconstructing from scant evidence, calling these diagnoses myths. Despite the historians' efforts at demolishing myths, Einstein has been constantly diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. I will stick my neck out and suggest in this paper that although historians' critique of Baron-Cohen and others includes debunking myths, it piggybacks on another myth that uses the following metaphors: a dull and socially adept Einstein who worked at Zurich, Prague, Berlin, and Princeton, an industrious scientist who earned his living through his work as a professor at the university; he had a special gift of friendship and collegiality, and he was deeply embedded in the academic community. These explanations do not make sense from the perspective of Einstein sitting in his office at Princeton, let alone Einstein sitting in the patent office. This perhaps explains the tendency of people to find counterclaims and myths more persuasive than historians' explanations which seem deeply problematic.

physics.hist-ph↗