Searcharxiv⌕ Search

SEARCH · Searcharxiv

Results for “physics.ed-ph”

Search indexed arXiv papers on artificial intelligence, large language models, computer vision and robotics. Read source abstracts and follow links to arXiv.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 847 records · Page 47Linked to original sources
arXiv2023

Presentation of the electromagnetic field in introductory physics textbooks and consequences for its teaching

Textbooks play a fundamental role in teaching and learning in school science classrooms. In this paper we investigate the presentation of the nature of the electromagnetic field in a dozen of the world's most popular introductory university physics textbooks. We analyse, from an epistemologically based teaching approach, the didactic treatment of the electromagnetic field in relation to its sources, Maxwell's laws and electromagnetic waves. With this objective, we elaborate a rational reconstruction of the developments that led to the formulation of the nature of the electromagnetic field, Maxwell's laws and their meaning, as well as electromagnetic waves. Next, we formulate criteria based on the key aspects derived from the reconstruction that are useful in the evaluation of electromagnetism textbooks at the introductory level and apply them to the sample of selected books. In light of the results, we reflect on their consequences for teaching. Our analysis indicates the existence of certain inconsistencies in the approach to the electromagnetic field and its relationship with its sources, Maxwell's laws and electromagnetic waves in many of the books analysed.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Motivation, inclusivity, and realism should drive data science education

Data science education provides tremendous opportunities but remains inaccessible to many communities. Increasing the accessibility of data science to these communities not only benefits the individuals entering data science, but also increases the field's innovation and potential impact as a whole. Education is the most scalable solution to meet these needs, but many data science educators lack formal training in education. Our group has led education efforts for a variety of audiences: from professional scientists to high school students to lay audiences. These experiences have helped form our teaching philosophy which we have summarized into three main ideals: 1) motivation, 2) inclusivity, and 3) realism. To put these ideals better into practice, we also aim to iteratively update our teaching approaches and curriculum as we find ways to better reach these ideals. In this manuscript we discuss these ideals as well practical ideas for how to implement these philosophies in the classroom.

cs.CY↗
arXiv2023

Smartphone experiments in Undergraduate Research

Smartphones and tablets are an integral part of our daily lives, and their capabilities extend well beyond communication and entertainment. With a broad choice of built-in sensors, using these mobile devices as experimental tools (MDETs) allows for a many different measurements, covering several fields of physics (mechanics, acoustics and waves, magnetism, optics, etc.). Building on this development, the present contribution is about exploring the potential of MDETs in physics undergraduate research. Two examples related to acoustics (bottle Helmholtz resonator, singing glasses) will be discussed in detail, and four further possibilities are referred to as perspectives. Results of these student research projects are encouraging throughout (accuracy, agreement with theory), in many cases providing a basis for further improvements and insight. Additionally, it is argued that these examples provide a "proof of concept" that the use of smartphones for experimental projects can mobilize and stimulate among students the educational potential of "higher order thinking skills" (HOTs) widely discussed in the literature on undergraduate research, such as autonomy, curiosity, creativity, and others.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Using math in physics: 7. Telling the story

Even if students can make the blend, interpret physics correctly in mathematical symbology and graphs, they still need to be able to apply that knowledge in productive and coherent ways. As instructors, we can show our solutions to complex problems in class. We can give complex problems to students as homework. But our students are likely to still have trouble because they are missing a key element of making sense of how we think about physics: How to tell the story of what's happening.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Introducing an Instructional Model for Teaching Blended Math-Science Sensemaking in Undergraduate STEM Courses Using Computer Simulations

The ability to express scientific concepts in mathematical terms and integrate scientific and mathematical reasoning about a phenomenon is a foundational cognitive process involved in scientific thinking. This process called blended math-science sensemaking (blended MSS) is a desired skill for all STEM students, but few students are learning it, and there is little research on how to teach it. In this work we introduce the development and testing of a novel instructional method for teaching blended (MSS) that is suitable for use in STEM courses in undergraduate and K-12 educational settings. This study builds on our past work on developing and validating a framework for characterizing in detail the cognitive levels involved in such sensemaking. This work uses the unique power of interactive simulations for assessing and developing blended MSS. We designed instructional activities to help students use blended MSS in the contexts of heat capacity and Coulombs law. The Heat Capacity activity was piloted in a freshmen Chemistry course and the Coulombs law activity was piloted in a freshmen Physics course. The results indicate that for students who came in with no knowledge of the relevant equation the activity supported the development of both the equation, and their understanding of the mathematical relationships of the equation. These results indicate that the teaching approach helps students engage in blended MSS at higher levels of cognitive complexity.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Comment on "Examining the effect of counter-narratives about physics on women's physics career intentions"

A paper evaluating the effects of lessons intended to encourage high school students to continue physics studies made some important errors. One was to underestimate the width of confidence intervals by failing to use standard cluster randomization analysis. Another was to use a missing-data imputation program that inappropriately assumes that data are missing at random, leading to potential bias in estimating the effect. The last was to omit discussion of how the treatment used was likely to produce substantial social desirability survey response bias, eroding external validity.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Statistical causal inference methods for observational research in PER: a primer

Recent critiques of Physics Education Research (PER) studies have revoiced the critical issues when drawing causal inferences from observational data where no intervention is present. In response to a call for a "causal reasoning primer", this paper discusses some of the fundamental issues underlying statistical causal inference. In reviewing these issues, we discuss well-established causal inference methods commonly applied in other fields and discuss their application to PER. Using simulated data sets, we illustrate (i) why analysis for causal inference should control for confounders but not control for mediators and colliders and (ii) that multiple proposed causal models can fit a highly correlated data set. Finally, we discuss how these causal inference methods can be used to represent and explain existing issues in quantitative PER. Throughout, we discuss a central issue: quantitative results from observational studies cannot support a researcher's proposed causal model over other alternative models. To address this issue, we propose an explicit role for observational studies in PER that draw statistical causal inferences: proposing future intervention studies and predicting their outcomes. Mirroring a broader connection between theoretical motivating experiments in physics, observational studies in PER can make quantitative predictions of the causal effects of interventions, and future intervention studies can test those predictions directly.

stat.ME↗
arXiv2023

Taking introductory physics in studio, lecture, or online format: what difference does it make in subsequent courses, and for whom?

At large institutions of higher education, students frequently have a choice whether to attend the introductory physics sequence asynchronously online, on-site in a traditional lecture-setting, or in a reformed studio setting. In this study, we investigate how these different settings are correlated with measures of self-efficacy, interest in physics, and success in subsequent physics and engineering courses, which have the introductory physics sequence as prerequisites. As previous research indicates, some of these measures may depend on gender. We found that the course setting had no significant correlation with the grade in subsequent courses, but that studio-settings gave students the feeling of being better prepared, particularly for subsequent courses that included laboratory or recitation components. We also found that gender was correlated with measures of interest in physics, where female students expressed significantly less interest in the subject, regardless of course setting.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

A Universal Quantum Technology Education Program

Quantum technology is an emerging cutting-edge field which offers a new paradigm for computation and research in the field of physics, mathematics and other scientific disciplines. This technology is of strategic importance to governments globally and heavy investments and budgets are being sanctioned to gain competitive advantage in terms of military, space and education. Due to this, it is important to understand the educational and research needs required to implement this technology at a large scale. Here, we propose a novel universal quantum technology master's curriculum which comprises a balance between quantum hardware and software skills to enhance the employability of professionals thereby reducing the skill shortage faced by the academic institutions and organizations today. The proposed curriculum holds the potential to revolutionize the quantum education ecosystem by reducing the pressure of hiring PhDs faced by startups and promoting the growth of a balanced scientific mindset in quantum research.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Motivation and needs of informal physics practitioners

Physicists engage with the public to varying degrees at different stages of their careers. However, their public engagement covers many activities, events, and audiences, making their motivations and professional development needs not well understood. As part of ongoing efforts to build and support community in the informal physics space, we conducted interviews with physicists with a range of different experiences in public engagement. We use personas methodology and self-determination theory to articulate their public engagement motivation, challenges, and needs. We present our set of three personas: the physicist who engages in informal physics for self-reflection, the physicist who wants to spark interest and understanding in physics, and the physicist who wants to provide diverse role models to younger students and inspire them to pursue a STEM career. Needs covered a range of resources including science communication training, community building among informal physics practitioners, and mechanisms to recognize, elevate and value informal physics. By bringing user-centered design methodology to a new topical area of physics education research, we expand our understanding of motivations and needs of practitioners in physics public engagement. Therefore, departments, organizations and institutions could draw upon the personas developed to consider the ways to better support physicists in their respective environment.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Enhancing Physics Learning with ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and Bard as Agents-to-Think-With: A Comparative Case Study

The rise of AI has brought remarkable advancements in education, with AI models demonstrating their ability to analyse and provide instructive solutions to complex problems. This study compared and analysed the responses of four Generative AI-powered chatbots (GenAIbots) - ChatGPT-3.5, ChatGPT-4, Bing Chat, and Bard - within the constructivist theoretical framework. Using a single-case study methodology, interaction logs between the GenAIbots and a simulated student in Physics learning scenarios were analysed. The GenAIbots were presented with conceptually dense Physics problems to promote deep understanding. The qualitative analysis focused on tutor traits such as subject-matter knowledge, empathy, assessment emphasis, facilitation skills, and comprehension of the learning process. Findings showed that all GenAIbots functioned as agents-to-think-with, fostering critical thinking, problem-solving, and subject-matter knowledge. ChatGPT-4 stood out for demonstrating empathy and a deep understanding of the learning process. However, inconsistencies and shortcomings were observed, highlighting the need for human intervention in AI-assisted learning. In conclusion, while GenAIbots have limitations, their potential as agents-to-think-with in Physics education offers promising prospects for revolutionising instruction.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2024

Expert covariational reasoning resources in physics graphing tasks

Developing and making sense of quantitative models is a core practice of physics. Covariational reasoning -- considering how the changes in one quantity affect changes in another, related quantity -- is an essential part of modeling quantitatively. Covariational reasoning has been studied widely in mathematics education research, but has only begun to be used in physics education research. We present evidence from three studies of 25 individual interviews with physics experts, in which the experts were asked to reason out loud while generating graphical models. We analyze the studies through the lens of covariational reasoning frameworks from mathematics education research, and determine that the frameworks are useful but do not completely describe the covariational reasoning of the physics experts we interviewed. From our data, we identified reasoning patterns that are not described in the mathematics education research that, together with the mathematics covariational reasoning frameworks, begin to characterize physics covariational reasoning.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Befriending ChatGPT and other superchatbots: An AI-integrated take-home assessment preserving integrity

With the launch of ChatGPT, serious concerns have reasonably been raised of its ill-effect on the integrity of remote take-home exams. By way of mitigating the concern, in this study, a rather straightforward Artificial-Intelligence (AI)-integrated take-home assessment technique is proposed, and the outcome of its practice is discussed. Despite involving AI, in the form of ChatGPT, the assessment adheres to the convention of posing questions invoking critical thinking and problem solving skills. However, AI is characteristically integrated in this assessment by instructing the learners to employ ChatGPT as one of the primary sources. The learners are directed to report the use of ChatGPT by including both the prompts and its responses, before expressing their thoughts on AI-generated answers and their own concluding statement. These three characteristic components of the present techniques -- the handling of ChatGPT through the prompts, comments on the AI-responses and the concluding thoughts -- are evaluated to gauge the learning. The proposed assessment was assigned as a take-home group activity for a batch of seventy eight students, divided into thirteen groups. Despite addressing the same questions, there was no significant overlap in the answers. Moreover, a wide range of approaches were adopted by the groups in handling ChatGPT, which in-turn rendered different responses, ultimately drawing distinct answers. Besides preventing the undesired use of ChatGPT by explicitly integrating it, the proposed assessment seemingly helped the learners question the accuracy of its responses. This self-realised skepticism can be expected to curtail blatant malpractices involving ChatGPT in the long run.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Teaching Physics in the Woods

We developed a two-day physics class that uses a nearby forest as a teaching location. Using low-cost material, students design and carry out physics projects outside of the usual controlled environment that is a classroom. In this way they come to realize that physics can be used to understand the real world. They organize and present their results in an original format, an exhibit they collectively build. This project is an introduction to the role physics can play in exploring environmental issues, incorporating a sensitive and positive aspect which is important in this time of environmental crisis.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Evaluation of ChatGPT and Microsoft Bing AI Chat Performances on Physics Exams of Vietnamese National High School Graduation Examination

The promise and difficulties of language model-based approaches for physics teaching were assessed in this study. This study evaluates how well ChatGPT and BingChat, two state-of-the-art (SOTA) large language models (LLMs), perform when answering high school physics questions on Vietnamese exams from 2019 to 2023. When we compared the results of the LLMs with the scores of Vietnamese students, we discovered that ChatGPT and BingChat both perform worse than Vietnamese students, proving that LLMs are not yet capable of fully replacing human intellect in the field of physics teaching. The outcomes also showed that neither LLM is capable of responding to questions at the high application levels. In terms of accuracy, BingChat typically surpassed ChatGPT, although ChatGPT showed more stability. Our research suggests that LLMs can help students and teachers during learning and teaching activities, particularly by offering immediate feedback and individualized learning experiences.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

How Informal Science Education Influences Elementary Students' Perceptions of Science and Themselves

Underrepresentation in STEM fields starts early, with elementary students already showing differences based on gender and race in their interest in science, belief in their ability to do science, and belief that their personal identity aligns with being a scientist. Here we discuss an out-of-school time astronomy program that focuses on enriching science education in under-served school systems to promote students' excitement about science and help them see scientists as people just like them. Before, after, and throughout the program, we survey students on their perceptions of science, themselves, and their activities. We find that over the course of our program, students become more confident in their science abilities. Student ideas about science remain unchanged, but largely align with Nature of Science ideals. We also find that on days that students report they were creative and asked questions, they were more likely to say they felt like a scientist and were interested in the day's topic. Our results suggest that incorporating creativity and opportunities to ask questions can be just as important as doing experiments for generating interest in and a sense of participating in science.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Use of Tracker software for teaching distance physics laboratories: Demonstration of error reduction in the simple pendulum

This study focuses on evaluating three methods used to determine the theoretical gravity in the city of Cusco and their importance in distance education. The first method is based on Newton's law of universal gravitation, obtaining a theoretical gravity value of 9.7836 m/s^2. The second method employs a simple pendulum, which provides an estimation close to the theoretical value. The third method uses the Tracker software to analyze the pendulum's motion, offering higher precision in measurements. The significance of this research in distance education lies in the need for effective tools and strategies to teach practical subjects like physics. Both the simple pendulum and Tracker software provide viable solutions for conducting experiments and data analysis remotely. These tools allow students to acquire theoretical and practical knowledge, develop measurement and data analysis skills to promote more meaningful learning.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2023

Learning digital signal processing using an interactive Jupyter notebook and smartphone accelerometer data

Digital signal processing is a valuable practical skill for the contemporary physicist, yet in physics curricula its central concepts are often introduced either in method courses in a highly abstract and mathematics-oriented manner or in lab work with little explicit attention. In this paper, we present an experimental task in which we focus on a practical implementation of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) in an everyday context of vibration analysis using data collected by a smartphone accelerometer. Students are accompanied in the experiment by a Jupyter notebook companion, which serves as an interactive instruction sheet and a tool for data analysis. The task is suitable for beyond-first-year university physics students with some prior experience in uncertainty analysis, data representation, and data analysis. Based on our observations the experiment is very engaging. Students have consistently reported interest in the experiment and they have found it a good demonstration of the DFT method

physics.ed-ph↗