In active engagement physics classrooms, students get opportunities to make sense of physics together through discussion. They do not always take up these opportunities, in part because of the risk of sharing their ideas and having them rejected by their classmates or the instructors. In this case study, I analyze videotaped discourse of a tutorial group’s early discussions to investigate how students manage these risks in creating a safe space to sensemake. I find that the students rely on a discursive resource – epistemic distancing – to share their ideas while protecting themselves affectively if others disagree. Epistemic distancing includes hedging, joking, deferring, and other discourse moves used to soften one’s stance in conversation. I use video analysis to illustrate the effects of these moves on one tutorial group’s initial sensemaking discussions. I then discuss implications for instructors wishing to encourage sensemaking discussions in their physics classrooms.

L. D. Conlin, The use of epistemic distancing to create a safe space to sensemake in introductory physics tutorials, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.juried.001.

While the physics community has made significant strides to go beyond traditional conceptual and content mastery by focusing on student epistemologies, examinations of domain-specific epistemology have been less common in physics. This paper examines how students think of physics’ connections to the real world in two different contexts: classical mechanics and quantum mechanics. We demonstrate domain-specific perspectives, show sophisticated reasoning by students (who hold different perspectives), and suggest that faculty perspective and instructional practices influence students’ views.

J. R. Hoehn and N. D. Finkelstein, Investigating and promoting epistemological sophistication in quantum physics, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.juried.002.

We investigated students' epistemological views of physics with a specific focus on physics laboratory work. The roles of experiments in physics have been underemphasized in previous epistemology research and there is a need for a broad view of epistemology that systematically incorporates experiments into discussions about the structure, methodology, and validity of scientific knowledge. An epistemological framework incorporating these features guided the development of an open-ended survey, which was administered to students in algebra-based and calculus-based introductory physics courses, an upper-division physics lab, as well as to physics Ph.D. students. We identified several differences in students' epistemological views of physics. Regarding the roles of experiments in physics courses, introductory students viewed experiments as supplemental tools for conceptual learning and problem solving, while higher-level students valued unique things experiments provide, including experiments as opportunities to emphasize the empirical nature of physics and the development of scientific and professional skills. Regarding views on the relationship between theory and experiment, introductory students heavily emphasized experiment testing theory. However, higher-level students recognized a holistic cyclical relationship: experiment inspires theory, theory guides experiment, experiment tests theory, and theory explains experiment.

D. Hu and B. M. Zwickl, Examining students' personal epistemology: the role of physics experiments and relation with theory, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.juried.003.

Research on the use of mathematics in physics has included empirical and theoretical studies. We consider the implications of these studies on the mathematical methods course offered by many physics departments, often referred to as the ‘Boas course’ after a common textbook. Surveys of students entering such a course suggest that for many students the math in introductory courses consisted primarily of plugging numbers in formulas and execution of algebraic or arithmetic procedures. Data suggests that despite experience with procedures, many students entering math methods do not make sense of mathematical ideas relevant to upper-division physics. As a result, students arrive ill-prepared for physicist math and sensemaking. Models of learning and learning transfer suggest strongly that students will not spontaneously develop these skills by performing procedural exercises. The math methods course presents an ideal opportunity to develop these skills by explicitly practicing them in physics contexts.

M. E. Loverude, Mathematization and the ‘Boas course’, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.juried.004.

Student learning in undergraduate physics laboratories has been a growing area of focus within the PER community. Lab courses have been called out as critical elements of the undergraduate curriculum, particularly with respect to improving students' attitudes and beliefs about experimental physics. Previous work within lab learning environments has focused on the effectiveness of curricular innovations or changes to pedagogy; however, one aspect of the learning environment that has not be investigated is the impact of grading practices on students' beliefs and practices. We explore the possible link between students' perceptions of what is valued and rewarded by course grades and their beliefs about the nature and importance of experimental physics as measured by the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics (E-CLASS). We find that there is a significant correlation between students' perceptions of the value of certain activities and their personal epistemologies with respect to those activities.

B. R. Wilcox and H. J. Lewandowski, Impact of perceived grading practices on students' beliefs about experimental physics, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.juried.005.

We investigated the relation between students’ physics anxiety and their physics performance, and whether this relation differs as a function of gender. To measure students’ levels of physics anxiety, we used the Physics Anxiety Rating Scale, which contains 32 items in four categories: course/test anxiety, anxiety about the lack of physics knowledge, math anxiety, and physics laboratory anxiety. Reliability analysis using 76 algebra-based introductory physics students showed a high level of internal consistency for the entire scale as well as for each of the four categories. Females reported significantly higher levels of physics laboratory anxiety than males. No other significant gender differences in anxiety levels were observed across the other three categories. In terms of the relation between physics anxiety and performance, course/test anxiety was significantly negatively correlated with the midterm exam for females but not for males, while lack of physics knowledge anxiety was significantly negatively correlated with both the midterm and final exams for the males but not for the females. Finally, we found a significant positive relation between physics laboratory anxiety and the final exam for the males but not for the females, even though females reported significantly higher levels of physics lab anxiety than males.

E. Agra, S. M. Fischer, and S. L. Beilock, The Role of Students’ Gender and Anxiety in Physics Performance, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.001.

This study assesses student reactions to a redesign of an introductory calculus-based physics lab. A three-hour verification-style lab was replaced with a one-hour tutorial and two-hour inquiry-based lab. After confirming that the redesign improved students’ performance in a separate study, this work evaluates students’ opinions to determine if they were “buying in” to the redesigned process. When the lab concluded, the students from both labs were asked a series of Likert-scale and free-response questions. The responses were analyzed using a coding rubric to determine students’ thoughts on the tutorial and lab. This revealed what aspects of the lab the students believed most positively and negatively affected their learning. It was observed that students had an overwhelmingly negative take on the new lab’s tutorial section. Interestingly, tutorials were also among the most frequent positive comments. This finding, along with others, was scrutinized to check for any trends that allow us to make hypotheses and significant observations.

S. M. Ali and B. D. Thoms, The effects of a redesign on students’ attitudes and evaluations for an introductory calculus-based physics lab, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.002.

For the last four years, the School of Physics at Georgia Tech have been preparing new Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) through a program that integrates pedagogy, physics content, and professional development strategies. Here we discuss various assessments we have used to evaluate the program, among them surveys, GTA self-reporting, and end-of-semester student evaluations. Our results indicate that GTAs who participate in the program find its practical activities useful, feel better prepared for teaching, make use of learner-centered teaching strategies, and receive higher scores in teaching evaluations.

E. Alicea-Muñoz, J. Espar Masip, C. Subiño Sullivan, and M. F. Schatz, Assessing a GTA professional development program, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.003.

Large introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses historically have high failure rates, and failing such courses often leads students to change majors or even drop out of college. Institutional change models such as the Learning Assistant (LA) model can influence this trend by changing institutional norms. In collaboration with faculty who teach large-enrollment introductory courses, undergraduate learning assistants (LAs) use research-based instructional strategies designed to encourage active student engagement and elicit student thinking. In this study, we use logistic regression to investigate the relationship between exposure to LA support in these large introductory courses generally and failure rates in Physics I and II specifically at University of Colorado Boulder. We find that exposure to LA support is associated with lower failure rates in introductory physics courses and that the magnitude of the relationship is larger for female and first-generation college students.

J. L. Alzen, L. Langdon, and V. K. Otero, The Learning Assistant model and DFW rates in introductory physics courses, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.004.

Student approaches to design tasks depend heavily on context – including both physical and conceptual aspects. These effects have been studied in the classroom, but less so in a home setting, where an instructor is not present to facilitate students’ design efforts. In this paper, we propose that manipulating contexts within a lesson may be an option to guide student behavior in an at-home setting. We describe an experiment where the order of an at-home assignment was altered to probe how setting contexts with equipment and content domain familiarity influence student approaches to design tasks. By switching the order of a calibration activity and open-ended design activity, we observed that increasing student content and equipment knowledge makes them more likely to choose more sophisticated analysis methods with the new equipment and topic, but also leads to an increase in investigations with surface features similar to the calibration.

K. Ansell and M. Selen, Using lesson design to change student approaches to dorm-room design prelabs, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.005.

This project investigates how to quantitatively measure equity in small student groups. We follow several student groups to operationalize how discourse may be equitable or inequitable. The groups came from a two week, pre-college program that prepares first generation and deaf/hard-of-hearing students to major in a STEM field. In the program, students focus on improving their metacognitive skills and cultural preparation for college life within a context of model building. We use three methods to measure equity. First, we look at speaking time: who talks, when, and to whom. Second, we look to segment student discourse by analyzing consistency of group speaking time. Third, we analyze group equality over time changes. We analyze these methods to see how effective they are at capturing equity in group discourse.

B. Archibeque, F. Genz, M. Franklin, S. V. Franklin, and E. C. Sayre, Quantitative measures of equity in small groups, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.006.

The Thermodynamic Concept Survey is a multiple-choice test used in the Physics Education Research community. Analyzing this survey, we detected two issues that made it difficult to evaluate students’ understanding on the survey’s topics: (1) numerous items present only responses of the type: “increase”, “decrease” or “remains unchanged” without including the reasoning that led to these answers, and (2) several questions have design problems. Considering these two issues, we decided to undertake a research project with the objective of modifying and refining this survey. In this article, we present preliminary results of this ongoing investigation regarding those two issues. In the first part, we illustrate the modifications made in some items, describing the modifications made in four of them. In the second part, we illustrate critical design problems in some items, describing in detail a problem in one of them. The results and discussion may be useful for researchers using the test as an assessment tool.

P. Barniol and G. Zavala, Modifying the Thermodynamic Concept Survey: Preliminary results, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.007.

Participation in informal education programs has been demonstrated to increase volunteers’ ability to communicate science and to affect their motivation for continued participation. Recently, it was reported that volunteers tend to engage with students in one of three distinct pedagogical modes, of which they may or may not be aware. As a preliminary step in the investigation of these modes and their effect on instructor manner and efficacy, we have implemented a module on the modes in the basic training given to all volunteers of the Partnerships for Informal Science Education in the Community program prior to the semester. Using pre- and post-surveys, we have characterized the shifts in their perception of the modes and compared them to semesters prior to the implementation of the training. We find a significant, immediate shift in volunteers’ perceptions and here detail these findings as well as potential pathways for further study.

M. B. Bennett, K. A. Hinko, B. L. Fiedler, and N. D. Finkelstein, The Effect of Explicit Preparation in Pedagogical Modes for Informal Physics Educators, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.008.

Students’ learning orientation, as applied towards learning problem solving, may be differentiated into learning a problem solving framework for its own sake, learning for the sake of doing well in the course, and non-goal-related considerations. In previous work, the role of learning orientation in student performance on a metacognitive problem solving exercise appeared to have some correlation with choice of major within life sciences, gains in conceptual understanding and attitudes towards problem solving skills. We examine a larger data set, taken from fourteen laboratory sections over six semesters of an introductory algebra-based physics course at the University of Central Arkansas, in which students worked on the problem solving exercise with their laboratory partners prior to a conceptually related laboratory exercise. We discuss the implications of analysis of the larger data set, in consideration of two arguably different IPLS-like populations.

C. A. Bertram and A. J. Mason, The Effect of Students’ Learning Orientations on Performance in Problem Solving Pedagogical Implementations, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.009.

Studies of procedural and conceptual learning typically focus on the cognitive processes involved; less attention is paid to student motivation. Motivation research has established a connection to general academic achievement, but less is known about how motivation relates to different types of learning. We aim to integrate this prior work on cognition and motivation, testing how students’ motivation is related to different types of learning outcomes. Specifically, we measured 6th grade science students’ self-efficacy and achievement goals via self-report as well as performance on both procedural and conceptual assessment items during a force and motion unit. Results revealed students’ self-efficacy was significantly related to later conceptual, but not procedural, knowledge. In addition, students’ achievement goals, specifically mastery-approach goals, were positively related to their self-efficacy beliefs.

K. Boden, E. Kuo, T. J. Nokes-Malach, T. L. Wallace, and M. Menekse, What is the role of motivation in procedural and conceptual physics learning? An examination of self-efficacy and achievement goals, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.010.

Physics experts move fluidly between varied meanings of the negative sign associated with physical quantities. Although researching student understanding of negative numbers is common in mathematics education, little research has been published that focuses on students’ interpretation of negativity in the context of physics quantities. In this study, we investigated student reasoning about the negative sign associated with acceleration, work and position. A theoretical model of the mathematical nature of negativity guided our development of three open-ended survey items which were administered to students in introductory calculus-based physics courses. We observed that students who use vector direction as a resource to reason about negative acceleration and negative work tend to be more flexible across the three natures of negativity probed in our survey than students who use predominantly motion and energy-based reasoning. We followed up with a secondary study in which the intervention group was asked to explain their reasoning from a mathematical perspective in the context of negative work, and observed that this epistemic nudge led to significant improvement. We interpret the productive reasoning space associated with physics quantity as a tight cognitive blend in which the physics and the mathematics are indistinguishable. This interpretation departs from prior models based on separable physics worlds and math worlds.

S. W. Brahmia, Negative quantities in mechanics: a fine-grained math and physics conceptual blend?, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.011.

Effective reasoning about electric circuits requires a solid understanding of voltage and potential. However, most students fail to correctly analyze electric circuits as they tend to reason exclusively with current and resistance. To address these difficulties, a new curriculum based on the electron gas model was developed and empirically evaluated in a study with 790 students from Frankfurt, Germany. The study follows a pretest- posttest-control-group design and uses a recognized two-tier diagnostic test instrument, which also allows evaluating common alternative conceptions. The results of the diagnostic assessment are very promising; students taught according to the new curriculum not only develop a significantly better conceptual understanding of voltage, but also show achievement gains of about twice that of their traditionally taught peers.

J. Burde and T. Wilhelm, Concept and empirical evaluation of a new curriculum to teach electricity with a focus on voltage, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.012.

The Introductory Mechanics course at Colorado School of Mines uses a hybrid lecture-studio model. In studio, students work in groups of three through scaffolded problems and experiments for two hours twice per week. Research shows that rich learning can take place in small peer group settings with appropriately designed activities, but it is unclear to what extent group composition in terms of ability or gender impacts physics learning. To explore this question, we assigned half of each studio class to groups with mixed incoming physics ability (using FMCE pre-scores), and half to groups with matched incoming physics ability and gender. We evaluate the performance of each group type according to the students' scores on the FMCE (pre and post), common course exams, the CLASS, and a survey about their studio groups. We found neither composition type superior by any measure; but did learn that pace is a concern, group communication is sometimes limited, and that only 1% of students request a different group than assigned.

K. E. Callan, B. R. Wilcox, and W. K. Adams, Testing group composition within a studio learning environment, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.013.

Electric field lines are a typical representation for the electric field concept. University students often misinterpret electric field lines, which may cause them difficulties understanding the electric field. The objective of this study is to explore how introductory electricity and magnetism instructors interpret electric field lines. We interviewed four instructors about several electrostatic concepts, to interpret a diagram and to discuss the electric field line representation. We focus on instructors’ interpretation of the diagram, which consisted of the electric field lines of a quadrupole without displaying charges. We asked instructors to interpret the diagram and to compare the magnitude of the electric field at two positions. All four instructors tried to identify the sources of electric field as their first approach, while their answers varied for the comparison of magnitudes. Instructors’ interpretations of electric field lines may elucidate why students often misinterpret this representation of the electric field.

E. Campos and G. Zavala, Exploring instructors’ interpretation of electric field lines, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.014.

A central goal of the Learning Assistant (LA) model is to improve students' learning of science through the transformation of instructor practices. There is minimal existing research on the impact of college physics instructor experiences on their effectiveness. To investigate the association between college introductory physics instructors' experiences with and without LAs and student learning, we drew on data from the Learning About STEM Student Outcomes (LASSO) database. The LASSO database provided us with student-level data (concept inventory scores and demographic data) for 4,365 students and course-level data (instructor experience and course features) for the students' 93 mechanics courses. We performed Hierarchical Multiple Imputation to impute missing data and Hierarchical Linear Modeling to nest students within courses when modeling the associations between instructor experience and student learning. Our models predict that instructors' effectiveness decreases as they gain experience teaching without LAs. However, LA supported environments appear to remediate this decline in effectiveness as instructor effectiveness is maintained while they gain experience teaching with LAs.

D. Caravez, A. De La Torre, J. M. Nissen, and B. Van Dusen, Longitudinal Associations between Learning Assistants and Instructor Effectiveness, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.015.

We introduce a new type of online instructional design, online learning modules, that effectively allows instructors to conduct pre- and post-testing on the scale of every 20-30 minutes. This paper will focus on estimating students’ test-taking effort on the pre-test by analyzing their response time using a multi-component mixture model. In a study involving four online learning modules on mechanical energy, we found that only a small fraction of students display low test-taking effort on the pre-tests. We also show that data from frequent pre- and post-test can provide useful information regarding the instructional effectiveness of the learning materials in each OLM.

Z. Chen, G. Garrido, Z. Berry, I. Turgeon, and F. Yonekura, Designing online learning modules to conduct pre- and post-testing at high frequency, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.016.

Over the past five years, we in the physics department at Texas State University have reformed our calculus-based introductory sequence by implementing a Learning Assistant program, introducing research-based instructional methods, and increasing faculty professional development and instructional mentoring. Students in all sections of these courses now spend a significant portion of class time in small groups, often working through materials from the curricular supplement “Tutorials in Introductory Physics.” Over this time, students’ normalized gains on the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) have increased dramatically and the DFW rate (the percentage of students receiving a grade of D or F, or Withdrawing from the course) has been cut in half. In addition, we have seen that FCI gains for individual faculty increase gradually over several semesters, for both novice and experienced instructors. These data suggest the need for patience with programmatic reform efforts, and for stability in instructor-course assignments.

E. W. Close, J. Mailloux-Huberdeau, H. G. Close, and D. Donnelly, Characterization of time scale for detecting impacts of reforms in an undergraduate physics program, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.017.

Historically, access to education in the U.S. has not been equitable. Furthermore, intersectionality, the interaction of multiple identities, results in educational experiences that vary widely for diverse groups of students with implications for the recruitment of future students. To better understand barriers to ethnic/racial minority students participating in graduate education a study has been conducted through the APS Bridge program, a program designed to increase the number of ethnic/racial minorities earning PhDs in physics. In phase one of this study, we analyzed student responses to an application question regarding why they chose not to apply to graduate physics programs. To further understand the barriers identified in the first phase of this study, we interviewed nine participants in the 2016 Cohort of the APS Bridge program. The results of this study have implications for a variety of stakeholders interested in broadening participation in graduate physics education.

G. L. Cochran, T. Hodapp, and E. E. A. Brown, Identifying barriers to ethnic/racial minority students’ participation in graduate physics, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.018.

This research investigated the impact of several structured inquiry experiments in mechanics and heat on introductory college physics students' ability to solve or make sense of problem scenarios. The students performed experiments where they were guided in discovering for themselves the physical concepts or principles rather than having them verify concepts/principles as in traditional lab classes. At the end of each laboratory activity, students were asked to answer problem scenarios with solutions or answers requiring a direct application of the physical concepts investigated in the laboratory experiment. Our preliminary results indicate that students are able to use the concepts learned from the laboratory activity in explaining problem scenarios only in some topics (e.g. thermal expansion) but not in other topics (e.g. momentum conservation).

E. D. Corpuz, M. A. A. Corpuz, and B. Ramirez, Inquiry-based activities and their effects on students’ ability to explain related problem scenarios, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.019.

We report on a new model of educational reform, Faculty Online Learning Communities (FOLCs), that are based on providing and nurturing virtual communities of support for faculty engaged in learning about and implementing research-based teaching techniques. Data collected to date indicate that the FOLC model increases participants’ willingness to try new techniques, helps build their confidence to work through difficulties, increases their level of reflection about their teaching, and is viewed by participants as a positive experience that is worthy of their time. We conclude that this model is a promising addition to reform efforts built on standard Development and Dissemination (D&D) models of change.

M. H. Dancy, A. C. Lau, J. C. Corbo, C. R. Henderson, and A. Rundquist, Participants' perceptions of the Faculty Online Learning Community (FOLC) experience, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.020.

An effective Learning Assistant (LA) Program provides benefits for both Learning Assistants (LAs) and faculty, in addition to benefits for students. By analyzing LA and faculty reflections, weekly preparation sessions, and interviews with LAs and faculty, we can better understand the partnerships that develop between faculty and their LAs. We leverage a combination of qualitative and quantitative data to investigate the types of LA expertise and skills faculty value and how this affects the formation of these partnerships. The Preparation Session Observation Tool (PSOT), developed from this work, can be used by LAs, LA Program Coordinators, and faculty to reflect on the types of LA partnerships that emerge, and how these partnerships can be used in constructing effective learning environments. We anticipate that this tool can then be used to help LAs, coordinators, and faculty modify their working relationship to develop the type of partnerships that are best for their particular instructional setting. PSOT provides a finer-grained analysis to three broad partnership classifications that exist along a continuum: mentor-mentee, faculty-driven collaboration, and collaborative.

F. Davenport, F. Amezcua, M. S. Sabella, and A. G. Van Duzor, Exploring the Underlying Factors in Learning Assistant - Faculty Partnerships, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.021.

In an introductory university physics course, we designed and taught an equity unit focused on the effects of race and culture on the physics community. The goals of the unit are to identify areas of subjectivity in physics, analyze statistics about who participates in physics, justify the need for racial equity in physics, describe how obstacles such as implicit bias and stereotype threat can influence who participates in physics classes and professions, and feel empowered to take action. Across two years, many students’ written reflections indicated that their views about equity in physics shifted as a result of participation in this unit. These students’ responses fell into three categories, views that: changed, gained awareness, or solidified. We see these results as encouraging for instructors who wish to shift the physics community towards actively pursuing social justice by explicitly addressing equity in physics courses.

S. R. Decker and A. R. Daane, Teaching about Inequity: Shifts in Student Views about Diversity in Physics, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.022.

At Texas State University, we have been using the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) to assess our introductory mechanics course since the Spring 2011 semester. This provides us with a large data set (N=1,626) on which to perform detailed statistical analysis of student learning. Recent research has found conflicting results in the relationships between normalized gain <g>, Cohen's d, and pretest mean, which might lead to different interpretations of student learning. Specifically, in one study <g> was found to positively correlate with both pretest mean and pretest standard deviation, whereas Cohen's d did not; in another study, ANOVA showed no connection between <g> and pretest mean. We will present a comparison of <g> and Cohen’s d for our data set, and will specifically use these measures to look at performance gaps related to gender and race/ethnicity.

D. Donnelly, J. Mailloux-Huberdeau, J. M. Nissen, and E. W. Close, Comparison of normalized gain and Cohen’s d for Force Concept Inventory results in an introductory mechanics course, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.023.

Although developing proficiency with modeling is a nationally endorsed learning outcome for upper-division undergraduate physics lab courses, no corresponding research-based assessments exist. Our longterm goal is to develop assessments of students' modeling ability that are relevant across multiple upper-division lab contexts. To this end, we interviewed 19 instructors from 16 institutions about optics lab activities that incorporate photodiodes. Interviews focused on how those activities were designed to engage students in some aspects of modeling. We find that, according to many interviewees, iteration is an important aspect of modeling. In addition, interviewees described four distinct types of iteration: revising apparatuses, revising models, revising data-taking procedures, and repeating data collection using existing apparatuses and procedures. We provide examples of each type of iteration, and discuss implications for the development of future modeling assessments.

D. R. Dounas-Frazer, J. T. Stanley, and H. J. Lewandowski, Instructor perspectives on iteration during upper-division optics lab activities, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.024.

We present results from an investigation into how students interpret partial derivatives at different points in their undergraduate career. We gave a long-answer survey to students that asked them to explain the meaning of the derivative in three different contexts. The survey was given near the beginning of a multivariable calculus class and at the start and end of a year-long junior-level physics sequence. We found two common overarching interpretations of the derivative: one corresponding to “slope” and the other to “change.” We discuss the results using a concept image framework based on the work of Zandieh. We also note differences in the response patterns of the students in the mathematics and physics courses and differences in how students interpret the derivative across different representations of functions.

P. J. Emigh and C. A. Manogue, Student Interpretations of Partial Derivatives, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.025.

Changing students’ incorrect conceptions in physics is a difficult process and has been studied for many years. Using a framework of elicit, confront, resolve, and reflect, this study analyzed student experiences with two Interactive Video Vignettes designed to change student misconceptions regarding Newton’s Second and Third Laws using a fully integrated mixed methods design. This paper explores how differences in how students experienced the framework impacted how much they were able to change their inaccurate conceptions of Newton’s Laws.

J. Engelman and K. M. Koenig, Changing Student Conceptions of Newton's Laws Using Interactive Video Vignettes, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.026.

In this paper, we present a theoretical framework based on Hestenes’s discussion of modeling in physics and diSessa’s early theories on creativity-based digital learning environments. We use this framework to formulate new understandings of how a pair of students work with an open-ended physics sandbox software, Algodoo, alongside a physical laboratory setup. Algodoo is a digital environment that makes it possible for students to create simple, two-dimensional models of physical phenomena. We identify Algodoo’s role as that of a semi-formalism, whereby the students made use of the software in their process of modeling as a means of moving between the physical, experimental context and the formal, mathematical representations associated with that context. We propose a hypothesis to be tested in future research and suggest further avenues for exploration in relation to the proposed theoretical framework.

E. Euler and B. Gregorcic, Exploring how physics students use a sandbox software to move between the physical and the formal, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.027.

We have developed a set of activities designed to aid student understanding of torque and center of gravity. The activities exist in three forms, each appropriate for a group member engaged in a “hands-on” classroom experience: embodied, involving balancing objects on one’s hands, traditional hands-on, involving a meter stick balanced on a fulcrum, and observation of an experimenter performing the embodied activity. Our study is outside of the classroom and includes two populations of learners with significantly different abilities at pre-test. We find that the different types of training impact the two populations differently. In particular, participants with lower overall pre-test accuracies who observe the embodied activity show poorer gains on torque questions requiring proportional reasoning than participants with hands-on or embodied training, while observer participants with higher overall pre-test accuracies achieve high gains on even the more challenging transfer problems.

S. M. Fischer, E. Agra, and S. L. Beilock, A comparison of the impact of 3 forms of "hands-on" activities for learners with different scientific reasoning abilities, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.028.

Students often struggle with the many partial derivatives used in the study of thermodynamics. This project explores how students respond to chain rule problems in an upper-level undergraduate thermodynamics course. This project’s dataset is composed of anonymized student responses to two such problems. We used an emergent coding method to sort responses by solution method. Observed solution methods include variable and differential substitution, implicit differentiation, differential division, and chain rule diagrams. The change of students’ solution methods between as signments was also observed. Responses were later analyzed to identify conceptual errors . Students make specific errors that provide insight into their lack of conceptual understanding of the solution methods.

I. W. Founds, P. J. Emigh, and C. A. Manogue, Student responses to chain rule problems in thermodynamics, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.029.

Curriculum developers are interested in how to leverage various instructional tools - like whiteboards, Mathematica notebooks, and tangible models - to maximize learning. Instructional tools mediate student learning and different tools support learning differently. We are interested in understanding how the features of instructional tools influence student engagement during classroom activities and how to design activities to match tools with instructional goals. In this paper, we explore these questions by examining an instructional activity designed to help advanced undergraduate physics students understand and visualize the electrostatic potential. During the activity, students use three different tools: a whiteboard, a pre-programmed Mathematica notebook, and a 3D surface model of the electric potential. We discuss how the tools may be used to address the the instructional goals of the activity. We illustrate this discussion with examples from classroom video.

E. Gire, A. Wangberg, and R. Wangberg, Multiple tools for visualizing equipotential surfaces: Optimizing for instructional goals, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.030.

Posing the same physics problem scenario in different ways can emphasize learning goals for students, such as developing expert-like problem-solving approaches. In this investigation, we examined graduate teaching assistants’ (TAs’) views about a context-rich introductory physics problem within a semester-long TA professional development course. The TAs were asked to list the pros and cons of a context-rich problem, rank the problem in terms of its instructional benefit and the level of challenge it might produce for their students, and describe when and how often they would use it in their own classes if they had complete control of teaching the class. We find that TAs did not find the context-rich problem to be instructionally beneficial and were unlikely to use it in their own courses. Many TAs expressed their concerns as being due to the problem seeming to be unclear or excessively challenging and time-consuming for their students. These findings suggest that there is a discrepancy between the TAs’ perception of a context-rich problem and the benefits of problems posed in this manner according to the physics education research literature.

M. Good, E. Marshman, E. Yerushalmi, and C. Singh, Graduate teaching assistants’ perceptions of a context-rich introductory physics problem, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.031.

Here we present preliminary results of our investigation of introductory physics students’ conceptual resources for understanding mechanical wave propagation. We analyzed a total of 446 student responses to a conceptual question about pulse propagation and identified two common, prevalent resources: (1) students treat pulses as macroscopic objects moving through a medium whose properties affect their speed, and (2) students treat pulses as propagating local disturbances. We illustrate some of the ways in which these resources manifested in student responses and discuss how we see such ideas as continuous with scientific understanding.

L. M. Goodhew, A. D. Robertson, P. R. L. Heron, and R. E. Scherr, Student conceptual resources for understanding mechanical wave propagation, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.032.

In this study we use the ACER framework to investigate how students perform the expectation value in quantum mechanics. Students were given an exam question that required the use of the generalized uncertainty principle to find the lower bound of ΔAΔB for different angular momentum operators. This question requires students to use several mathematical tools, but in this study we focus on the expectation value. The data are analyzed using the ACER framework and we give special attention to students’ choice of mathematical representation. Of the four components in the ACER framework (activation, construction, execution, and reflection), we find that in our question the activation step presents the largest stumbling block for students. We also discuss the limitations of the ACER framework for this type of investigation.

C. Green and G. Passante, The use of ACER to develop and analyze student responses to expectation value problems, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.033.

Mastery-style online homework is used at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in a freshmen preparatory physics course. Its implementation revealed that some content is difficult for students to master, including algebraic kinematics questions. By adding scaffolding for half the students on a level targeting these skills, we saw that these students were able to master the training more often and significantly more quickly than their counterparts with less help, while still outperforming their counterparts on more difficult follow-up levels with less time spent overall. The advantage from the single treatment became diluted as transfer and difficulty increased.

B. Gutmann, G. Gladding, M. Lundsgaard, and T. Stelzer, Mastery learning in the zone of proximal development, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.034.

When students solve physics problems, physics instructors hope that they use and interpret algebraic symbols in coordination with their conceptual understanding, their understanding of geometric relationships, and their intuitions about the physical world. We call this process physics sense-making. \Plug-and-chug" and \template" problem solving strategies, which are common for many students, exclude sense-making. We have designed a mechanics course for sophomore, under-graduate students that emphasizes sense-making and traditional physics content in equal measure. Sense-making is supported in all aspects of the course: during in-class activities, on augmented homework assignments, and on exams. While sense-making prompts on homework assignments are strongly scaffolded at the beginning of the course, these supports fade as the course progresses. In this paper, we discuss an analysis of students' homework responses to open-ended sense-making prompts throughout the course.

K. T. Hahn, P. J. Emigh, M. Lenz, and E. Gire, Student sense-making on homework in a sophomore mechanics course, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.035.

Like many research-informed science curricula, Modeling Instruction (MI) emphasizes using multiple representations to learn science and solve problems. Also like many reformed curricular approaches, MI evaluations have primarily focused on conceptual gains. This is particularly true when investigating the effect of teacher professional development based upon MI. While such efforts are valuable, there is a need to broaden the assessment of professional development offerings. To address this need, Modeling workshop participants were given “lab questions” from a recent AP physics exam. These responses were scored by a trained AP reader and analyzed qualitatively. The results show that the participants not only scored better than the national average, but that the participants tended to use representations appropriate to the questions posed.

K. A. Harper, T. M. Clark, L. Ding, and M. A. Kennedy, Representational Use on a Lab Question by Modeling Workshop Participants, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.036.

Projects and Practices in Physics (P³) is a transformed, first-year introductory mechanics course offered at Michigan State University. The focus of the course is concept-based group learning implemented through solving analytic problems and computational modeling problems using the VPython programming environment. Interviews with students from P³ were conducted to explore the variation of students’ perceptions of the utility of solving computational physics problems in the classroom setting. A phenomenographic method is being used to develop categories of student experience with computational physics problems based on themes emerging across the different students’ interviews. This paper will focus on exploring the variation within the theme of Computation Helps to Learn Physics that arose from our preliminary analysis of the data from a larger phenomenographic study. When examined on an individual basis, this theme provides important insights into students’ perception of the use of computation, such as the way that students can engage with computation as a learning tool in a Physics classroom.

N. Hawkins, M. J. Obsniuk, P. W. Irving, and M. D. Caballero, Examining Thematic Variation in a Phenomenographical Study on Computational Physics, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.037.

Gender gaps on the various physics concept inventories have been extensively studied; however, little work has been done to explore racial or ethnic biases. In this work, we will present student averages on the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) for African-American (n=85), Caucasian (n=1665), and Hispanic (n=82) students. Hierarchical linear regression was used to explore the effects of gender and race/ethnicity on FCI posttest scores. As expected from the literature, a gender gap of 8% was found in the FCI posttest scores with male students outperforming female students. Differences in FCI posttest performance were also measured with Caucasian students outperforming African-American students (14%) and Hispanic students (6%). After controlling for course performance measured by physics grade, the differences narrowed somewhat; Caucasian students outperformed both African-American students (9%) and Hispanic students (4%) on the FCI posttest. No significant interaction between gender and race/ethnicity was found; the gender gap identified in the majority population was shared equally by all students.

R. Henderson and J. Stewart, Racial and ethnic bias in the Force Concept Inventory, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.038.

The upper level E&M course (i.e. based on Griffiths) involves the extensive integration of vector calculus concepts and notation with abstract physics concepts like field and potential. We hope that students take what they have learned in their math classes and apply it to help represent and make sense of the physics. Previous work showed that physics majors at different levels (pre-E&M course, post-E&M course, 1st year graduate students) had great difficulty using non-Cartesian unit vector symbols appropriately in a particular context. Since then we have developed a series of problems they work on in groups and discuss as a whole class to help them confront and resolve some of their difficulties. This paper presents those problems, typical in-class group responses, and three years of post-test data. Results show that students have (i) a very strong initial negative reaction to the vagueness of the r symbol, and (ii) an improved functional understanding of the notation as demonstrated by a better ability to use the symbols appropriately.

B. E. Hinrichs, Student Objections to and Understanding of Non-Cartesian Unit Vector Notation in Upper-Level E&M, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.039.

We are interested in quantifying the systematic error of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). A modified version of the FCI was administered to 500 university students in Japan in 2015. In addition to the 30 original questions, subquestions were introduced for three questions that, according to prior research, elicit false positives from students (6, 7, and 16) as well as for question 5. Using logistic regression with the results of question 5 and its subquestions, we estimate the systematic error arising from the remaining 26 questions. Our results indicate that FCI true score can be less than half of the FCI raw score for Japanese students.

M. M. Hull, J. Yasuda, M. Taniguchi, and N. Mae, Towards quantification of the FCI’s validity: the effect of false positives, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.040.

In order to take steps toward making the physics field more equitable and inclusive for Black students, we focus our efforts in the study of the intersections of physics and racial identity. Through understanding common patterns of experience, we can begin to identify how Black physicists negotiate their physics identities in conjunction with their racial and ethnic backgrounds, and how they are impacted by structural and systemic factors. In ongoing work, we have develop an operationalized framework and methodology to examine the intersections of racialized identity and physics identity. Because Black physicists are not a monolithic group and can have very differentiated experiences depending on other identities, we conduct a case study to examine two physicists who are Black women from different countries, the U.S. and Kenya. Through the analysis of their interviews, we identify similarities and differences in the ways that each woman experiences physics, as well as how they view and frame these experiences in relation to their other identities. We outline common barriers that these women face and the different mechanisms they use for addressing them, and discuss the varied role of race in physics identity for each of them.

S. Hyater-Adams, T. Williams, C. Fracchiolla, N. D. Finkelstein, and K. A. Hinko, Intersectionality and Physics Identity: A Case Study of Black Women From Different Nationalities, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.041.

The mission of the Partnership for Integration of Computation into Undergraduate Physics (PICUP) is to expand the role of computation in the undergraduate physics curriculum. A primary tool to facilitate this expansion is the PICUP Faculty Development Workshop (FDW), which functions similarly to the New Faculty Workshop (NFW), in that invitees engage and learn about educational practices associated with integrating, in this case, computation into their curriculum designs. With this focus on community building and engagement in the legitimate peripheral practices of the PICUP community, we have developed a project that applies the communities of practice framework to understand how the PICUP community develops over time. Presented in this paper are the initial stages of this work that focuses on understanding the central member’s perceptions of the communities goals and ways to participate in the community.

P. W. Irving and M. D. Caballero, Understanding the PICUP community of practice, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.042.

Students with disabilities make up approximately 10% of post-secondary students pursuing STEM degrees. Unfortunately, little is known about these students' experiences in post-secondary STEM classes. We are starting to address this knowledge gap by investigating the barriers, supports, and successes students with cognitive disabilities experience in college physics and chemistry courses. We interviewed both students with ADHD and STEM instructors about student experiences in introductory physics and chemistry courses. Initial findings suggest such courses pose a significant challenge for these students compared to their other courses and that certain instructor/student practices can reduce this challenge. Additionally, instructors report that while they may be unable to identify students with cognitive disabilities in their classrooms, they find that the difficulties these students encounter are found in varying degrees across all students. Thus, practices that benefit students with disabilities are likely to benefit all students.

W. James, K. Lamons, J. Schreffler, E. Vasquez III, and J. J. Chini, Exploring Learner Variability: Experiences of Students with Cognitive Disabilities in Postsecondary STEM, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.043.

This study investigates differences in student participation rates between in-class and online administrations of research-based assessments. A sample of 1,310 students from 25 sections of 3 different introductory physics courses over two semesters were instructed to complete the CLASS attitudinal survey and the concept inventory relevant to their course, either the FCI or the CSEM. Each student was randomly assigned to take one of the surveys in class and the other survey online at home using the Learning About STEM Student Outcomes (LASSO) platform. Results indicate large variations in participation rates across both test conditions (online and in class). A hierarchical generalized linear model (HGLM) of the student data utilizing logistic regression indicates that student grades in the course and faculty assessment administration practices were both significant predictors of student participation. When the recommended online assessments administration practices were implemented, participation rates were similar across test conditions. Implications for student and course assessment methodologies will be discussed.

M. Jariwala, J. M. Nissen, X. Herrera, E. W. Close, and B. Van Dusen, Participation rates of in-class vs. online administration of low-stakes research-based assessments, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.044.

We have been investigating students’ knowledge pertaining to continuous charge distributions in introductory calculus based physics courses at Cal Poly Pomona. An open-ended questionnaire was developed based on feedback from three faculty who often teach introductory calculus based electricity and magnetism courses to engineering and physics majors in order to probe common observed difficulties. A pilot study was conducted (N = 145) and, based upon the feedback we obtained from these results, a slightly revised version of the questionnaire with three additional questions was subsequently given to a second sample of students (N = 263) in the following quarter. Our data suggests that students struggle with concepts related to linear, surface, and volume charge distributions, as well as the mathematical formulation of infinitesimal charge representations of continuous charge distributions. We will share specific examples and discuss the implications that our findings have for more effective instruction.

T. Jayasinghe and H. R. Sadaghiani, Students’ understanding of continuous charge distributions, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.045.

Many hypotheses have been put forth to explain the under-representation and under-performance of historically marginalized racial and ethnic minority students in physics. While much research has focused on the relations between prior knowledge and performance, less work has examined the potential interactive role of student motivation. In particular, expectancy value theory posits that students’ beliefs about their expectations for success (e.g., self-efficacy) and the value they associate with an academic task (e.g., intrinsic interest) influence their persistence and performance. In this study, we conducted a longitudinal analysis of students’ motivational characteristics in introductory physics courses by administering surveys at three points during the year. White, Asian, and underrepresented racial/ethnic minority students’ self-efficacy and interest in physics are reported, and implications for instruction are discussed.

Z. Y. Kalender, E. Marshman, T. J. Nokes-Malach, C. D. Schunn, and C. Singh, Motivational characteristics of underrepresented ethnic and racial minority students in introductory physics courses, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.046.

We discuss research involving the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM) to evaluate one aspect of the pedagogical content knowledge of teaching assistants (TAs): the knowledge of introductory students’ alternate conceptions in electricity and magnetism as revealed by the CSEM. For each item on the CSEM, the TAs were asked to (1) identify the most common incorrect answer choice of introductory physics students and (2) predict the percentage of introductory students who would answer the question correctly in a post-test. Then, we used CSEM post-test data from approximately 400 introductory physics students (provided in the original paper describing the CSEM) to assess the extent to which the TAs were able to identify the alternate conceptions of introductory students related to electricity and magnetism. In addition, we conducted think-aloud interviews with TAs who had at least two semesters of teaching experience in recitations to explore their reasoning about this task. We find that the TAs struggled to think about the difficulty of the questions from introductory students’ perspective and they often underestimated the difficulty of the questions. Moreover, the TAs often expected certain incorrect answer choices to be common among introductory students when in fact those answer choices were not common.

N. I. Karim, A. Maries, and C. Singh, Teaching assistants' performance at identifying common introductory student difficulties revealed by the conceptual survey of electricity and magnetism, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.047.

The Physics and Everyday Thinking High School (PET-HS) curriculum, engages students in science practices of generating and defending claims using evidence and argumentation as a means of developing and formalizing physics principles. This preliminary study focuses on how students who are typically underrepresented or under performing in traditional physics classes respond to the learning cycle used in the PET-HS curriculum. Students in PET-HS classes in two different schools were given the same assessments before and after developing ideas about three commonly misunderstood concepts. Findings suggest that students from underrepresented groups show no significant difference in posttest score outcomes as compared to students in majority groups. We will discuss how non-traditional curricula, like PET-HS, may facilitate a learning environment where all students are given access to scientific principles and practices.

J. Keil, N. Schrode, and R. Stober, Physics Instruction That Facilitates Learning Among Underrepresented Groups, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.048.

We implemented a social networking platform called Course Networking (CN) in IUPUI’s introductory calculus based mechanics course and recorded three semesters of online discussions. We used the Syuzhet package in R to evaluate sentiment in the recorded discussions, and to quantify the incidence of eight basic emotions: anger, anticipation, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, surprise, and trust. We applied this text mining method to over nine thousand posts and replies to identify and analyze student sentiment during three semesters. We also investigated the variation of these emotions throughout the semester, the role played by the most vocal students as compared to the least frequent posters, and gender differences. With an abundance of students’ online discussions, text mining offers an expedient and automated means of analysis, providing a new window into students thinking and emotional state during semester-long physics courses.

P. Kelley, A. Gavrin, and R. S. Lindell, Text Mining Online Discussions in an Introductory Physics Course, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.049.

A survey with N = 39 second-year students demonstrates that most students fail to relate graphical vector field representations to the concept of divergence. Even after providing them with two visual strategies (integral vs. derivative strategy), students still struggle to indicate whether vector fields have zero or non-zero divergence. To gain further insight into student reasoning, we captured their visual attention on the field plot via eye tracking. Fixation patterns and relevant eye-tracking measures reveal that both visual strategies are cognitively processed differently, and that success of either strategy depends on field characteristics. Future research will be outlined.

P. Klein and J. Kuhn, Analyzing student understanding of vector field plots with respect to divergence, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.050.

Some students enter college with undeclared majors but could be STEM majors with encouragement. One way of encouraging these students is to provide these students with rich, interactive experiences through learning communities dedicated to students with undeclared STEM majors. Although learning communities are designed to be interactive, it is unclear whether they are and if interactions are linked to any outcomes for students. We used social network analysis (SNA) to study first-year student learning community networks for discussion, problem solving, and social reasons. Using chi-square tests, we also examined whether learning community network behaviors are linked to any outcomes. Results show that students have ties. However, in-degree centrality, a measure of how many respondents select an individual, does not have any relationship with the examined outcomes.

A. V. Knaub, J. N. Saldanha, C. R. Coffman, and C. R. Henderson, Do learning communities encourage potential STEM majors?, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.051.

This work explores ways to scaffold invention activities to facilitate productive exploration of ratio structures in physical science equations, the goal of which is to prepare students to learn from later expository instruction. We have developed the first computerized Invention Coach that provides adaptive guidance as middle school students work through invention tasks. This paper will discuss the rationale behind our novel pedagogical model, which draws upon empirical studies of human teachers guiding invention, as well as prior research on the core learning processes that invention promotes. Preliminary findings from a classroom study of the Invention Coach provide some evidence of the system's efficacy in enhancing transfer.

M. Lamnina, H. Connolly, and V. Aleven, The Invention Coach: A computer-based environment that supports the transfer of STEM concepts, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.052.

Faculty Online Learning Communities (FOLCs) are designed to provide faculty support in the year following their attendance at the New Faculty Workshop. We hypothesize that membership in a community of faculty with shared interest in improving their teaching will lead to sustained adoption of research-based instructional strategies. We are not yet at the stage in our project where we can report on long-term effects of the FOLCs, but in this paper we present our initial analysis of the community that formed in each of our FOLC cohorts. Through interview data we show that most participants felt their FOLC was a community and we report on their reasons for feeling this way. We also discuss how the community was a support for the members’ teaching efforts.

A. C. Lau, M. H. Dancy, J. C. Corbo, C. R. Henderson, and A. Rundquist, An Analysis of Community Formation in Faculty Online Learning Communities, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.053.

The joint AAPT and APS PHYS21 report emphasizes preparing students for diverse career paths, including the need for more opportunities to learn innovation and entrepreneurship in physics. To support these changes, research is needed on students’ interest and perceptions of innovation and entrepreneurship, and suggestions for integration into the undergraduate physics experience. We conducted semi-structured focus groups with 20 physics majors around several concepts related to innovation and entrepreneurship: technology, creativity, design, business, communication, and leadership. Emergent and thematic coding was used to analyze students’ responses. Students have a complex view of innovation and entrepreneurship in physics perceiving creativity as closely related to physics, especially in undergraduate research, while business and leadership skills were distinct from physics and closer to engineering. These findings have implications for understanding students’ perceptions of physics as a disciplinary community and field of study, and can assist departments seeking to better support students’ careers.

A. E. Leak, C. Cammarota, N. Cawley, and B. M. Zwickl, Examining students’ perceptions of innovation and entrepreneurship in physics, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.054.

One difference between expert and novice problem-solvers is their use of sense-making strategies. Sense-making while solving physics problems involves coordinating the use of algebraic symbols with conceptual understandings, understandings of geometric relationships, and intuitions about the physical world. We have developed a new sophomore-level course that explicitly supports students in using various sense-making strategies in the context of classical mechanics and special relativity. In this paper, we examine one student whose sense-making performance improved dramatically throughout the course. We present an analysis of a series of interviews with this student, his homework, and his pre- and post- sense-making assessments. While he reports having been familiar with many of the sense-making strategies emphasized in the course, he discusses several ways his use of these strategies was enriched. We see evidence of this shift in his written coursework.

M. Lenz, K. T. Hahn, P. J. Emigh, and E. Gire, Student perspective of and experience with sense-making: a case study, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.055.

Proficiency with calculating, reporting, and understanding measurement uncertainty is a nationally recognized learning outcome for undergraduate physics lab courses. The Physics Measurement Questionnaire (PMQ) is a research-based assessment tool that measures such understanding. The PMQ was designed to characterize student reasoning into point or set paradigms, where the set paradigm is more aligned with expert reasoning. We analyzed over 500 student open-ended responses collected at the beginning and the end of a traditional introductory lab course at the University of Colorado Boulder. We discuss changes in students’ understanding over a semester by analyzing pre-post shifts in student responses regarding data collection, data analysis, and data comparison.

H. J. Lewandowski, R. Hobbs, J. T. Stanley, D. R. Dounas-Frazer, and B. Pollard, Student reasoning about measurement uncertainty in an introductory lab course, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.056.

As a novel approach to the longstanding issue of how to help all students effectively learn and utilize math in physics, we integrated the free online mathematics learning system Khan Academy (KA) into introductory physics for pre-service teachers. Two focus group interviews (N=11) were conducted: one group had shown significant improvement on a math diagnostic test and the other had not. Thematic analysis revealed that the way KA was integrated into the course fostered internalization of the motivation for using KA; students displayed variability in depth of cognitive engagement in response to the feedback mechanism in KA; and KA helped students get into a 'mathematical mindset,' which enabled some students to forge deeper connections between math and physics. We also suggest fruitful avenues for further research on this longstanding issue in PER.

C. Lindstrøm and J. Gray, Pre-service teachers' experience with Khan Academy in introductory physics, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.057.

Studio physics, or SCALE-UP, has been found to improve outcomes such as conceptual understanding, problem-solving skills, and student attitudes when compared to traditional instruction. Such an active-learning environment relies heavily on group work. However, little is known about how best to structure groups and train students to work together effectively. In order to understand the factors that affect group productivity, we must first determine a measure for group effectiveness. We conducted a pilot study on group dynamics in the introductory calculus-based physics sequence at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Videos analyzed were of students working tutorials. Two coding schemes were piloted: behavioral clusters indicating students’ epistemological framing and student engagement. Roles assumed by students were also noted. While coding for behavioral clusters and student engagement represented some aspects of group work well, these schemes did not provide sufficient detail to determine group effectiveness.

R. M. Lock, M. Schroers, and W. G. Newton, Examining the factors that impact group work effectiveness in studio physics, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.058.

Many prior studies have found a gender gap between male and female students’ performance on conceptual assessments such as the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) and the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM) with male students performing better than female students. Prior studies have also found that activation of a negative stereotype about a group or stereotype threat, e.g., asking test-takers to indicate their ethnicity before taking a test, can lead to deteriorated performance of the stereotyped group. Here, we describe two studies in which we investigated the gender gap on the FCI and CSEM. In the first study, we investigated whether asking students to indicate their gender immediately before taking the CSEM increased the gender gap compared to students who were not asked for this information. In the second study, conducted with over 1100 introductory physics students, we investigated the prevalence of the belief that men generally perform better in physics than women and the extent to which this belief is correlated with the performance of both the female and male students on the FCI.

A. Maries, N. I. Karim, and C. Singh, The impact of stereotype threat on gender gap in introductory physics, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.059.

We discuss an investigation of student difficulties with the corrections to the energy spectrum of the hydrogen atom for the strong and weak field Zeeman effects using degenerate perturbation theory. This investigation was carried out in advanced quantum mechanics courses by administering written free-response and multiple-choice questions and conducting individual interviews with students. We discuss the common student difficulties related to these concepts which can be used as a guide for creating learning tools to help students develop a functional understanding of concepts involving the corrections to the energy spectrum due to the Zeeman effect.

E. Marshman, C. Keebaugh, and C. Singh, Student difficulties with finding the corrections to the energy spectrum of the hydrogen atom for the strong and weak field Zeeman effects using degenerate perturbation theory, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.060.

Self-reflection is important metacognitive skill, enabling students to build coherence into their learning and embed content in a broader context. While various pedagogical techniques exist to encourage student reflection, little research has examined the differences between formally guided, partially guided and unguided reflections. This study focuses on student responses to online Guided Reflection Forms (GRFs) from students in a first-semester non-physics class and, separately, a sophomore-level Vibrations & Waves course for physics majors, and compares these guided reflections with partially guided and unguided journals from a STEM enrichment summer program for incoming college students. A previously developed coding scheme was used on guided reflections and the LIWC computational linguistics tool used to confirm the distinct nature of the categories. A new coding scheme was created and validated for the unguided journals. We find that both guided and unguided reflections elicit metacognitive and reflective practice, although of measurably different frequencies and kinds.

A. Matheson, L. A. H. Wood, E. Hane, and S. V. Franklin, Guided and Unguided Student Reflections, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.061.

It has been reported that students often leave the introductory physics classroom believing that physics is less connected to the real world than when they entered. In this paper we aim to complicate that narrative by considering students’ experiences in an introductory physics for the life sciences course that leverages students’ disciplinary expertise in biology and chemistry as they learn physics. In a case study of three students, we probed the role of physics in their lives to challenge the typical interpretation of PER attitudinal and epistemological measures that aim to assess how students connect physics to their lives outside of the classroom. Although we find that our life science students’ rarely think of physics in their everyday lives, they make a variety of connections to the real world. We argue that in order to reflect students’ rich disciplinary experiences, our understanding of how students connect physics to life outside the classroom needs to be nuanced or expanded.

A. Nair, P. W. Irving, and V. Sawtelle, Using disciplinary perspectives to refine conceptions of the “real world”, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.062.

Research-based assessments (RBAs), such as the Force Concept Inventory, have played central roles in many course transformations from traditional lecture-based instruction to research-based teaching methods. In order to support instructors in assessing their courses, the online Learning About STEM Student Outcomes (LASSO) platform simplifies administering, scoring, and interpreting RBAs. Reducing the barriers to using RBAs will support more instructors in objectively assessing the efficacy of their courses and, subsequently, transforming their courses to improve student outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which RBAs administered online and outside of class with the LASSO platform provided equivalent data to traditional paper and pencil tests administered in class. Research indicates that these two modes of administering assessments provide equivalent data for graded exams that are administered in class. However, little research has focused on ungraded (low-stakes) exams that are administered outside of class. We used an experimental design to investigate the differences between these two test modes. Results indicated that the LASSO platform provided equivalent data to paper and pencil tests.

J. M. Nissen, M. Jariwala, X. Herrera, E. W. Close, and B. Van Dusen, Performance on In-Class vs. Online Administration of Concept Inventories, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.063.

Many hypotheses have been put forth regarding the reasons for the under-representation and under-performance of women in physics. While prior work has focused on the relations between students’ prior knowledge and performance outcomes, less work has examined student motivation. To gain a better understanding of male and female students’ motivational characteristics during instruction, we conducted a longitudinal study that evaluated students’ self-efficacy, grit, fascination and value associated with physics, intelligence mindset, and physics epistemology at three points during two-semester introductory physics sequences. Females reported lower self-efficacy than males at the beginning of the year and those self-reports remained lower throughout the sequence. In addition, females’ fascination and value associated with physics decreased more than those of males throughout the sequence. By the end of the sequence, females were also more likely than males to endorse the view that physics intelligence is a “fixed” ability. Implications for the design and implementation of effective instructional strategies are discussed.

T. J. Nokes-Malach, E. Marshman, Z. Y. Kalender, C. D. Schunn, and C. Singh, Investigation of male and female students’ motivational characteristics throughout an introductory physics course sequence, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.064.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in how students make sense of physics concepts, but there is as of yet little consensus on what it actually means for students to "make sense" of physics. We propose a theoretical model for the sensemaking process synthesized from the science education research literature on sensemaking. We then illustrate the model with a case study of two introductory physics students articulating and resolving an inconsistency in their understanding of electric circuits in a clinical interview context. We show how the students’ transitions in discourse and framing fit with the model, and argue that this sensemaking process is driven by a particularly vexing inconsistency in knowledge.

T. O. B. Odden and R. S. Russ, "Charges are everywhere": A case of student sensemaking about electric current, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.065.

Although using teams of change agents to improve undergraduate STEM instruction is a promising strategy, little has been done to investigate how such teams can be structured and managed effectively. In particular, it is unusual for higher education researchers to critically examine the effects of diversity on team processes and outcomes. Here, we explore how three types of diversity—diversity in information, values, and status—are reflected in the literature. We argue that increased attention to the different types of diversity as well as the potential challenges associated with diversity will benefit both researchers and change leaders.

A. R. Olmstead, C. R. Henderson, and A. Beach, Managing teams for instructional change: Understanding three types of diversity, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.066.

While there exists a significant number of web interactives for introductory physics, students are almost never shown the computer code that generates these interactives even when the physics parts of these programs are relatively simple. Building off of a set of carefully-designed classical mechanics programming exercises that were constructed with this goal in mind, we present a series of electromagnetism programming exercises in a browser-based framework called p5.js. Importantly, this framework can be used to highlight the physics aspects of an interactive simulation code while obscuring other details. This approach allows absolute beginner programmers to gain experience in modifying and running the program without becoming overwhelmed. We plan to probe the impact on student conceptual learning using the Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment and other questions. We invite collaborators and teachers to adopt this framework in their high school or early undergraduate classes.

C. Orban, C. D. Porter, N. K. Brecht, R. M. Teeling-Smith, and K. A. Harper, A novel approach for using programming exercises in electromagnetism coursework, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.067.

We have recently described the reformed introductory physics course, Collaborative Learning through Active Sense-Making in Physics (CLASP), for bioscience students at UC Davis and argued that the course was more successful than its predecessor (Physics 5) by several measures. Now we examine the effects of these courses for different student ethnic groups. We find that, compared to Physics 5, students of most ethnic backgrounds were more successful in CLASP. We also find that students from ethnic groups underrepresented in STEM who took the CLASP course were more likely to graduate as STEM majors. We discuss possible features of CLASP that might explain these results.

C. A. Paul, D. J. Webb, M. K. Chessey, and W. H. Potter, Equity of success in CLASP courses at UC Davis, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.068.

Despite the potential of PhET Interactive Simulations to foster engagement and participation in science education, they are currently inaccessible for many students with disabilities. This is due to the reliance on predominantly visual representations of concepts and interfaces that rely on dexterity with a mouse or touchscreen device. In 2014, the PhET project began an initiative to increase the accessibility of PhET’s HTML5 simulations for students with and without disabilities, using inclusive design approaches. Since then, we have overcome technical challenges, started a (growing) accessible simulation design community, published the first keyboard and screen reader accessible PhET simulation, and engaged in research of inclusive features with students with diverse needs. Here, we share our progress, challenges, and the potential of creating accessible – and inclusive – educational resources for physics classrooms.

K. Perkins and E. B. Moore, Increasing the accessibility of PhET Simulations for students with disabilities: Progress, challenges, and potential, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.069.

Students often take introductory physics concurrently with calculus, and the two disciplines are deeply intertwined. While students’ epistemological beliefs in physics have been studied extensively, less work has examined their beliefs in calculus. Even less is known about how students’ epistemological beliefs in physics and calculus may relate, interact, and shift together or separately. We report on results of two independent studies: one including interviews of calculus students and one of introductory physics students. Across both studies, we found that students made statements consistent with an algorithmic view of calculus while also expressing a view of physics as about sense-making. Through close analysis of one physics student, we also show that it is possible for a student to shift from a novice-like view of physics to an expert-like one while maintaining a algorithmic view of calculus.

A. M. Phillips and C. J. Merighi, Students' epistemological beliefs from two studies of calculus and physics, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.070.

Recently there have been calls to integrate engineering design experiences to support students’ scientific understanding. There is a need for instructional strategies in which learners are encouraged to identify and reflect on ways scientific principles can be applied to inform their designs and evaluate alternative designs. Studies show that the inclusion of contrasting cases can improve students’ conceptual understanding and reasoning. Yet, such tasks depend on how they are scaffolded. In this study, pre-service elementary teachers in a conceptual physics course analyzed contrasting solutions to a design problem. Two forms of scaffolds were embedded to facilitate case evaluation: 1) identify similarities and differences and 2) evaluate and produce an argument for a “good” design solution. We investigated the scientific ideas that the participants used as they contrasted multiple design solutions and the impact of the two approaches in students’ understanding of heat transfer. We found no significant differences in students’ conceptual understanding, but the argumentation condition had a significantly larger number of scientific ideas ‘cited’, ‘explained’ or ‘applied’ in their solutions. The results suggest that contrasting designs with argumentation may be a promising intervention to facilitate students to use science concepts in engineering design. Future work is needed in order to investigate better scaffolds that can help students’ increase in conceptual learning.

Y. B. P. Urueña, C. M. Rebello, C. Dasgupta, A. J. Magana, and N. S. Rebello, Impact of Argumentation Scaffolds in Contrasting Designs Tasks on Elementary Pre-Service Teachers' Use of Science Ideas in Engineering Design, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.071.

This study aimed to investigate Cambodian high school students’ understanding of the parabolic trajectory of a projectile, learned by the inquiry-based learning (IBL) approach, using the model analysis technique. An artificial car was set up to be applied in the investigation step of the IBL approach. The car was driven by spring force on a low friction wooden track and released a marble with a parabolic trajectory observed by the students. The study was conducted in three medium-sized high schools located in cities in Cambodia, with 204 students participating. The results revealed an average normalized gain at a medium level ( = 0.31±0.03sd). The model estimation of the model analysis technique displayed a small shift of model points before and after the instruction and remained in the mixed model region.

S. Piten and S. Rakkapao, Evaluation of high school Cambodian students’ comprehension of the projectile trajectory using the model analysis technique, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.072.

Physics lab courses are an essential part of the physics undergraduate curriculum. Learning goals for these classes often include the ability to interpret measurements and uncertainties. The Physics Measurement Questionnaire (PMQ) is an established open-response survey that probes students’ understanding of measurement uncertainty along three dimensions: data collection, data analysis, and data comparison. It classifies students’ reasoning into point-like and set-like paradigms, with the set-like paradigm more aligned with expert reasoning. In the context of a course transformation effort at the University of Colorado Boulder, we examine over 500 student responses to the PMQ both before and after instruction in the pre-transformed course. We describe changes in students’ overall reasoning, measured by aggregating four probes of the PMQ. In particular, we observe large shifts towards set-like reasoning by the end of the course.

B. Pollard, R. Hobbs, J. T. Stanley, D. R. Dounas-Frazer, and H. J. Lewandowski, Impact of an introductory lab course on students’ understanding of measurement uncertainty, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.073.

We propose a novel application of Social Network Analysis (SNA) using classroom video data as a means of quantitatively and visually exploring the collaborations between students. The context for our study was a summer program that works with first generation students and deaf/hard-of-hearing students to engage in authentic science practice and develop a supportive community. We applied SNA to data from one activity during the two-week program to test our approach and as a means to begin to assess whether the goals of the program are being met. We used SNA to identify groups that were interacting in unexpected ways and then to highlight how individuals were contributing to the overall group behavior. We plan to expand our new use of SNA to video data on a larger scale.

K. E. Pomian, J. P. Zwolak, E. C. Sayre, S. V. Franklin, and M. B. Kustusch, Using Social Network Analysis on classroom video data, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.074.

Prelecture questions have long been used in a variety of courses within STEM to motivate prelecture reading and to help class time be used more efficiently. It is difficult to incorporate prelecture questions into many advanced topics courses and to determine their effectiveness, due to the necessary content knowledge within specialized areas, and due to the small number of students enrolled in these courses. Here, we report on the implementation of a set of approximately 110 prelecture questions over two years of instruction in a special topics course in condensed matter physics. We report quantitatively on student difficulties with different prelecture questions and on their improvement on a survey of condensed matter concepts given at the beginning and end of the course. We report qualitatively on interviews with students in a graduate condensed matter course.

C. D. Porter, A. M. Bogdan, and A. F. Heckler, Prelecture Questions and Conceptual Testing in Undergraduate Condensed Matter Courses, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.075.

Although an important goal of introductory physics labs is to train students in scientific reasoning and critical thinking, currently there are no standard tests in physics designed to assess such skills. We are in the process of developing and validating the Physics Lab Inventory of Critical thinking (PLIC), an assessment to probe students’ critical thinking abilities in physics lab courses. The instrument asks students to critique a set of experimental methods and data and use them to evaluate a particular physical model (the period of a mass on a spring). Currently, we are validating the closed-response survey through interviews with students and present the results of 12 such interviews here. We describe a trend that has emerged from these interviews, with students’ reasoning falling into three main patterns of behavior: selecting all options, cuing on keywords, and critically analyzing. We have found ways to shift students to the last and more desirable behavior. We discuss ways in which these findings are likely relevant to the design of other concept inventories.

K. N. Quinn, C. E. Wieman, and N. G. Holmes, Interview Validation of the Physics Lab Inventory of Critical thinking (PLIC), 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.076.

We present a small part of a larger interview study of approximately 150 college seniors with diverse gender and race backgrounds completing a STEM degree. In the interviews, students were asked if the experience of being a STEM major was different for people of different genders and races. We report students’ perceptions of race and gender differences and their explanations for these differences. Interviewees reported differences based in individuals (i.e. women are not as interested in STEM) as well differences based in sexism and racism (i.e. white men are assumed to be more competent). There were also many interviewees who did not recognize any differences based on gender or race. We found that white men were the least likely to recognize differences for people of other genders and races, whereas women of color were the most likely to recognize these differences. Notably, interviewees were more likely to recognize gender differences than racial ones.

K. D. Rainey, M. H. Dancy, R. Mickelson, E. Stearns, and S. Moller, STEM Majors’ Perceptions of Racism and Sexism in STEM, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.077.

We present preliminary results from our investigation of introductory physics students’ conceptual resources for understanding forces. We analyzed a total of 1057 student responses to conceptual questions about forces and identified three common, prevalent resources that students used in justifying their answers, including the ideas that forces change the motion of objects, objects that have motion keep that motion, and motion is due to an imbalance of forces. We illustrate some of the ways in which these resources manifested in student responses and discuss how these ideas are continuous with physics understandings. We situate our work in the literature on student thinking about forces and instructor pedagogical content knowledge (PCK).

A. D. Robertson, L. M. Goodhew, R. E. Scherr, and P. R. L. Heron, University Student Conceptual Resources for Understanding Forces, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.078.

Modeling instruction in introductory physics has been found to generate positive learning and affective outcomes for students. This study focuses on what students from modeling instruction think about physics, their physics classroom experiences, as well as their perceptions of what it means to be a “physics person”, drawing on the lens of identity. We collected data for a four person case study using one-on-one interviews with a purposeful sample of participants nearing the end of their 2nd semester of physics. The results will motivate a broader study of students' beliefs about the role of physics and physicists and how a modeling instruction experience differentially impacts these beliefs in comparison to a more traditional classroom environment.

M. Rodriguez and G. Potvin, A study on the beliefs about the role of physics and physicists amongst introductory students, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.079.

Video and audio data were recorded from five computational coding based labs completed as part of an introductory modern physics course. Three small cube cameras, a larger camera with microphone that could see the whole room, and four live scribe pens recording additional audio were used to document the activities. Several themes emerged from the videos. A major theme was how lab time was spent (on task vs. off task, about physics vs. about computation, on general principles vs. solving a specific problem, working alone vs. together) and what caused students to transition between these different activities. Other major themes were the mood and engagement of students while working in these different areas and where/how patterns of communication were different from those seen for non-computational problem solving activities. We will present these findings and discuss their implications for peer communication and learning in introductory computational physics courses.

Z. Rowatt, R. Rosenblatt, and R. Zich, Investigating peer and teaching assistant interactions of physics students working on computational coding, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.080.

As part of an effort to examine students’ understanding about the structure of Boundary Conditions in upper division courses, think-aloud interviews were conducted in the context of both Quantum Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism. In the quantum mechanics task, students were presented with a classic potential step question. In the electricity and magnetism task, students were given a classical question about electromagnetic waves at the boundary of two media. The analysis of the interviews was guided by the use of a theoretical framework: Symbolic forms. Similar symbolic forms were identified in students’ work across both contexts. Preliminary analysis suggests that even within the same symbolic form, different conceptual schema can be used. In general, students were able to generate correct symbolic templates while having some difficulty with the underlying conceptual ideas.

Q. X. Ryan, T. Chau, H. R. Sadaghiani, and G. Passante, Investigate Students’ use of Boundary Conditions using Symbolic Forms, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.081.

This study investigated the impact of an instructional reform on student scientific reasoning skills and general attitudes toward science. The intervention was administered via eight 5-7 minute videos during lab. Each video consisted of an explanation of its targeted concept, a hands-on demo with observations and YouTube clips highlighting the topic being discussed. While viewing the videos, students were required to answer specific questions testing their comprehension of the concepts and the scientific reasoning being displayed. Lawson’s Scientific Reasoning Test was administered to assess improvement in student scientific reasoning skills, and the CLASS was used to assess changes in student attitudes towards science. Pre and Post-test results are compared for a control semester and a semester with this new teaching method. Results show that this video intervention, which took students about two hours in total to complete, significantly improved students’ science reasoning skills and their attitudes towards science.

A. Sammons, J. Tolmie, R. Rosenblatt, and R. Zich, Effect of supplementary videos on scientific reasoning in a general physics course, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.082.

Although there is widespread agreement on the importance of communication in physics-intensive careers, there is little prior research on how mathematics is integrated into communication. To examine how and what math is communicated in the workplace, we interviewed managers and recently hired employees from optics companies. Using a priori and emergent thematic coding, we found that symbolic math was purposefully hidden in many communication situations to avoid confusion. Alternatively, visual communication through blueprints, diagrams, and visuals of data was widely used across the optics workplace. Spreadsheets were a universal tool for exchanging mathematics through data, formulas, graphs, and calculations; however, different people relied on the spreadsheets for different purposes (e.g., executing calculations or programming formulas). Our data illuminates the value of specific strategies for communicating math and how math is communicated between employees, managers, and clients. These findings suggest the importance of teaching physics majors how to explain mathematical ideas for a variety of audiences and purposes.

B. Santangelo, N. T. Young, A. E. Leak, K. N. Martin, and B. M. Zwickl, Integration of mathematics and communication in physics-intensive workplaces, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.083.

Given the significance of understanding differential area vectors in multivariable coordinate systems to the learning of electricity and magnetism (E&M), students in junior-level E&M were interviewed about E&M tasks involving integration over areas. In one task, students set up an integral for the magnetic flux through a square loop. A second task asked students to set up an integral to solve for the electric field from a circular sheet of charge. Analysis identified several treatments of the differential area: (1) a product of differential lengths, (2) a sum of differential lengths, (3) a product of a constant length with differential length in one direction, (4) a derivative of the expression for a given area, and (5) the full area.

B. P. Schermerhorn and J. R. Thompson, Student determination of differential area elements in upper-division physics, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.084.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for instruction enabling instructors to impact learners with varying cognitive strengths and skills by emphasizing the need for multiple means of representation, expression and engagement. UDL is increasingly used in many post-secondary programs; however, this framework is relatively unknown to STEM instructors. Research focusing on UDL in post-secondary has primarily centered on teacher and student perspectives. This project uses observations to describe the extent to which student-centered active learning STEM courses implemented UDL practices. Observations were conducted during introductory physics SCALE-UP and chemistry inquiry laboratory courses using a protocol based on the UDL framework. Observers coded the prevalence of 31 practices in four categories: introducing and framing new material; content representation and delivery; expression of understanding; and activity and student engagement. These observations allowed researchers to identify specific areas of needed improvement and will be used to facilitate STEM instructors incorporation of UDL in future lessons.

J. Schreffler, E. Vasquez III, W. James, and J. J. Chini, Using Observations of Universal Design for Learning to Enhance Post-secondary STEM Teaching Practices, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.085.

Previous work has suggested that a mastery goal orientation is very strongly and significantly correlated with interdisciplinary affinity. Also, students attracted to different fields differ in their interdisciplinarity and motivations. This work seeks to establish and understand the quantitative connection between mastery orientation and interdisciplinary affinity and identify ways in which physics and engineering students are different in these characteristics. This is accomplished through surveys and interviews with physics and engineering undergraduates at liberal arts colleges. Results confirm the strong link between mastery orientation and interdisciplinary affinity. They also show that mastery orientation and interdisciplinary affinity are connected to similar motivations. This has important implications for physics educators who see both physics and engineering students in their classrooms.

T. D. Scott and R. Harder, Exploring All I See: Interdisciplinary Affinity and Goal Orientations of Physics and Engineering Majors, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.086.

A persistent concern within physics education is students’ apparent failure to check the reasonableness of their answers. In an effort to better understand how students’ capacity for checking solutions develops, this paper examines data on solution checking in an upper-level undergraduate electricity and magnetism course. All students demonstrated the ability to check answers in multiple ways, but showed variability in how they chose to do so, with checking units the most easily activated check, and numerical values strikingly underutilized.

T. Sikorski, G. D. White, and J. Landay, Uptake of solution checks by undergraduate physics students, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.087.

We discuss an investigation of student difficulties with the fine structure corrections to the energy spectrum of the hydrogen atom in the context of degenerate perturbation theory (DPT). The investigation was carried out in advanced quantum mechanics courses by administering free-response and multiple-choice questions and conducting individual interviews with students. We discuss the common student difficulties related to these concepts. These findings provide guidelines for creating learning tools to help students develop a functional understanding of concepts involving the fine structure corrections to the energy spectrum of a hydrogen atom.

C. Singh, E. Marshman, and C. Keebaugh, Student difficulties with finding the fine structure corrections to the energy spectrum of the hydrogen atom using degenerate perturbation theory, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.088.

Virtual reality (VR) has long promised to revolutionize education, but with little follow-through. Part of the reason for this is the prohibitive cost of immersive VR headsets or caves. This has changed with the advent of smartphone-based VR (along the lines of Google cardboard) which allows students to use smartphones and inexpensive plastic or cardboard viewers to enjoy stereoscopic VR simulations. We have completed the largest ever such study on 627 students enrolled in calculus-based freshman physics at The Ohio State University. This initial study focused on student understanding of electric fields. Students were split into three treatments groups: VR, video, and static 2D images. Students were asked questions before, during, and after treatment. Here we present a preliminary analysis including overall post-pre improvement among the treatment groups, dependence of improvement on gender, and previous video game experience. Results on select questions are discussed.

J. R. Smith, A. Byrum, T. M. McCormick, N. T. Young, C. Orban, and C. D. Porter, A Controlled Study of Stereoscopic Virtual Reality in Freshman Electrostatics, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.089.

Using data from over 14,000 student responses we create item response curves, fitted to the polytomous item response theory model for nominal responses, to evaluate the relative “correctness” of various incorrect responses to questions on the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE). Based on this ranking of incorrect responses, we examine individual students’ pairs of responses to FMCE questions, using transition matrices and consistency plots, to show how student ideas develop over the span of an introductory mechanics course. Using data from two different schools (N ~= 200 each), we explore how these representations can show student learning even when individuals do not choose the correct answer. Comparing response pairs provides a rich picture of student learning that is unavailable in many traditional analyses.

T. I. Smith, K. A. Gray, K. J. Louis, B. J. Ricci IV, and N. J. Wright, Showing the dynamics of student thinking as measured by the FMCE, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.090.

In the “speed model” of accelerated motion, the terms “speeding up” and “slowing down” are equated with positive and negative acceleration, respectively. As part of the Maine Physical Sciences Partnership, we have investigated middle school physical science teachers’ understanding of accelerated motion in the context of using vectors as a pictorial tool for kinematics and found a high prevalence of the speed model. Through surveys, interviews, and observation of professional development activities, we have found that the teachers consistently use the correct mathematical tools to talk about displacements and velocities, and correctly use vectors to represent displacements, velocities and accelerations. However, when interpreting the acceleration of an object, teachers often use the speed model, which contradicts their other work. We discuss this result and present two conjectures about its possible origin.

E. Tabachnick, P. Colesworthy, and M. C. Wittmann, Middle School Physics Teachers' Content Knowledge of Acceleration, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.091.

A goal of introductory physics courses is to improve students’ conceptual understanding of forces and assist them to obtain a Newtonian framework on which they can build further understanding. In both algebra- and calculus-based introductory physics sequences, students completed the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) at the beginning and end of the first course (mechanics) and then again at the beginning of the second course (electricity & magnetism, optics). Since some students delayed taking the second course, a wide range of time gaps exists between the two courses with no intervening instruction in physics. We use a database containing six years of assessments to investigate how retention of conceptual understanding depends on time. We also examine whether the completeness of the Newtonian framework affects retention of force conceptual understanding.

B. D. Thoms and P. W. Beaty, Introductory Physics Students Retention of Conceptual Understanding of Forces, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.092.

Diffusion and osmosis are central concepts in biology that explain mechanisms of passive transport. While biology education research has documented significant student struggles with these concepts, there are very few studies from chemistry and physics education research that explore student understanding of these ideas. Diffusion is a concept that cuts across disciplines and has important underlying physics principles that contribute to students’ understanding of the process (e.g., a series of collisions resulting in a random motion process). In an introductory physics for life science majors course we documented the initial ideas students have about the topic of diffusion. We then designed a unit that leverages computational simulations to develop student understanding of how elastic collisions underlie diffusive motion. We present findings from this preliminary study on student resources for understanding diffusion, and discuss the implications for revising the curricular materials as a result of our work.

S. Tunstall, A. Nair, K. A. Hinko, P. W. Irving, and V. Sawtelle, Understanding life science majors’ ideas about diffusion, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.093.

Grappling with inequities in physics learning is a central responsibility of physics instructors, yet little is known about how faculty do this important work. In a pilot interview study with twelve physics faculty, we asked faculty about: (a) their awareness of student experiences with bias, discrimination, and hardship and (b) the fairness of various common classroom instructional practices. Our analysis of three case studies shows faculty noticing inequities in their own classrooms and listening carefully to students’ experiences with racialized, gendered, and/or socioeconomic injustices. We find that this listening and noticing supports faculty in: (1) taking actions to shift classroom dynamics, (2) reinterpreting themselves in relation to physics and critiquing physics culture, (3) linking up students with institutional resources, and (4) critiquing institutional practices. Therefore, we argue that faculty’s listening and noticing not only supports faculty growth, but also has the potential to impact students, and the systems that students are embedded in.

C. Turpen, A. Little, and V. Sawtelle, Investigating Physics Faculty’s Reasoning about Inequities in Undergraduate Physics Education, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.094.

Creating equitable performance outcomes among students is a focus of many instructors and researchers. One focus of this effort is examining disparities in physics student performance across genders, which is a well-established problem. Another less common focus is disparities across racial and ethnic groups, which may have received less attention due to low representation rates making it difficult to identify gaps in their performance. In this investigation we examined associations between Learning Assistant (LA) supported courses and improved equity in student performance. We built Hierarchical Linear Models of student performance to investigate how performance differed by gender and by race/ethnicity and how LAs may have moderated those differences. Data for the analysis came from pre-post concept inventories in introductory mechanics courses collected through the Learning About STEM Student Outcomes (LASSO) platform. Our models show that gaps in performance across genders and races/ethnicities were similar in size and increased from pre to post instruction. LA-support is meaningfully and reliably associated with improvement in overall student performance but not with shifts in within-course performance gaps.

B. Van Dusen and J. M. Nissen, Systemic inequities in introductory physics courses: the impacts of learning assistants, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.095.

One commonly and persistently difficult topic in thermodynamics is the relationship between the different thermodynamic potentials obtained through Legendre transformations. The Partial Derivative Machine (PDM) was developed at Oregon State University to be a mechanical analogue of a thermodynamic system. This analogue allows students to explore the mathematics of thermodynamics, including Legendre transformations, on a mechanical system that students can understand without having to first learn new physical concepts. We conducted 12 teaching interviews with middle-division undergraduate physics majors to explore student usage of the PDM. In these interviews, we taught interview participants Legendre transformations on the PDM and then asked them to perform a thermodynamics transfer problem. We found that participants used the PDM productively and in different ways while performing the transfer problem. Furthermore, many participants stated that the teaching interview helped their understanding of Legendre transformations.

M. Vignal, C. A. Manogue, D. J. Roundy, and E. Gire, Analogues in thermodynamics: the Partial Derivative Machine and Legendre transformations, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.096.

The construction of physics knowledge of necessity entails the combination of a wide range of resources, (e.g. specialized language, graphs, algebra, diagrams, equipment, gesture, etc.). In this study we documented physics students’ use of different resources when working with an “invisible” phenomenon; - magnetic field. Using a social semiotic framework, we show how appropriate coordination of resources not only enabled students to learn something about the Earth’s magnetic field, but also about the use of an abstract mathematical tool; —coordinate systems. Our work leads us to make three suggestions: (1) The potential for learning physics can be maximized by designing tasks that encourage students to use a specific set of resources. (2) Thought should be put into what this particular set of resources should be and how they may be coordinated. (3) Close attention to the different resources that students use can allow physics teachers to gauge the learning occurring in their classrooms.

T. S. Volkwyn, J. Airey, B. Gregorcic, F. Heijkensköld, and C. J. Linder, Physics students learning about abstract mathematical tools when engaging with “invisible” phenomena, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.097.

Physics education researchers often design activities, then test whether the activities are effective in helping students learn. Many published activities have been described in the physics education literature. However, some instructors may want to create their own activities; these instructors may want to know about how the published activities were designed. To this end, we have interviewed several prominent designers and analyzed their publications as well as an American Association of Physics Teachers’ report on lab design. This paper focuses on a particular set of design philosophies that were important to these designers. “Revisiting cycles,” which address a single question in depth, were a common theme. We also argue that designers’ view of conceptual learning and of “thinking like a physicist” shapes their design plans.

J. S. Von Korff, A. B. Barooni, M. K. Cook, B. Ferguson, and K. Simmons, Design strategies for research-based physics activities, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.098.

Review of prior studies, mostly at the K-12 level, along with long-answer responses and interviews given to undergraduates at Grove City College, have identified over 150 alternate conceptions about buoyancy. In order to probe how prevalent some of these are in the college-age population, we designed and administered multiple-choice and free-response questions to students at both the University of Washington and Grove City College. This paper presents some of those results.

D. J. Wagner and P. S. Shaffer, The Prevalence of Selected Buoyancy Alternate Conceptions at Two Colleges, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.099.

Quantum states have complex probability amplitudes that are sometimes represented by positive real numbers multiplied by complex exponentials. Although the overall phase of a superposition state does not affect the probabilities, the relative phases between the component basis states can have measurable effects. A thorough grasp of relative phase is needed for students to understand various key ideas in quantum mechanics, including quantum interference and time dependence. We present preliminary results from an investigation into student understanding of the measurable effects of relative phases that was conducted in sophomore- and junior-level quantum mechanics courses at the University of Washington (UW). The findings suggest that many students do not recognize that relative phases have measureable effects and tend to overlook the important role that complex numbers play in quantum mechanics.

T. Wan, P. J. Emigh, and P. S. Shaffer, Student understanding of the measurable effects of relative phases in superposition states, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.100.

This paper discusses a comparative study on American and Chinese students’ conceptual understanding of quantum mechanics. We administered the Quantum Mechanics Survey (QMS) to over 400 undergraduate students from 10 universities in China and the United States. The results showed that students in American universities performed better than their Chinese peers on the QMS.

J. Wang and G. Zhu, Comparing Students performance in QM between China and US, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.101.

Normalization is a particularly important concept within quantum mechanics due to the probabilistic nature of quantum systems. However, students’ understanding of normalization has not been an explicit focus in past studies. In this paper, I will present a preliminary framework for students’ understanding of mathematical norms and normalization of vectors, using interviews with quantum mechanics students to illustrate how the framework can be used to model and make sense of students’ reasoning about the normalization of vectors.

K. L. Watson, Quantum Mechanics Students' Understanding of Normalization, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.102.

Mastering problem solving requires students to not only understand and apply physics concepts but also employ mathematics and mathematical representations (sketches, diagrams, graphs, gestures, equations and spoken language) skillfully. As part of a larger project to investigate problem solving processes among upper division physics students, we investigate how students coordinate among multiple representations while solving problems. Data for this study is drawn from an upper-division Electromagnetism I course, where students engage in individual oral exams. We do moment-by-moment analysis of students' problem solving to see how they translate between durable representations (diagrams, written mathematical equations) with the help of evanescent representations (gestures, words); and how they build up durable representations where they can \stand fast" later. In this paper, we present the case of Larry as an exemplary case for problem solving. Larry starts from a durable representation (diagram) and builds up from there using evanescent representations (gestures and words), standing fast on the diagram. He later translates to a different kind of durable representation (mathematics), where he reasons and answers the original problem.

N. Weliweriya, T. Huynh, and E. C. Sayre, Standing fast: Translation among durable representations using evanescent representations in upper-division problem solving, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.103.

Over a ten-year period, physics graduation rates at Florida International University (FIU) increased by about 480%. To shed light on this phenomenon we conducted an interview study of upper division physics students to learn about their experiences, successes, and challenges. We interviewed 10 students using a semi-structured interview protocol based on the student engagement and persistence work of Tinto and Nora. We then followed Marton’s approach to phenomenography to code and analyze the recorded interviews. Phenomenography is defined as “a research method for mapping the qualitatively different ways in which people experience, conceptualize, perceive, and understand various aspects of, and phenomena in, the world around them” [4]. This pilot analysis describes the engagement and persistence of two physics majors at FIU. Findings suggest that working as a Learning Assistant, integration with a consistent peer group, and social support from fellow students promote physics majors’ persistence.

E. A. Williams, J. P. Zwolak, and E. Brewe, Physics Major Engagement and Persistence: A Phenomenography Interview Study, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.104.

One power of middle school physics teaching is its focus on conceptual understanding, rather than mathematical modeling. Teaching energy in middle school allows one to focus on the conceptual ideas, metaphors, and analogies we use to make sense of the topic. In the Next Generation Science Standards, energy is both a core disciplinary idea in the physical sciences and a crosscutting concept. In this paper, we provide several examples of seeming contradictions in student responses to similar questions. For example, students think differently about energy flow to the air or the ground. They also think differently about energy flow in cold and hot situations, though not necessarily as expected. Analyzing these results carefully, in particular when comparing and contrasting seemingly similar questions, may help both researchers and teachers listen for ideas, target instruction, and recognize learning more effectively.

M. C. Wittmann, A. Z. Rogers, C. Alvarado, J. Medina, and L. A. Millay, Using multiple survey questions about energy to uncover elements of middle school student reasoning, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.105.

Collaboration is an integral part of science, and as our classrooms become more collaborative, so too can our assessments. Group exam data gives us a new kind of data about how our students relate to each other. Network analysis provides many tools for describing, visualizing, and analyzing student networks. In particular, we have used Directed networks to describe student collaboration, explored relationships between measures of network position on exam performance, and examined what the different micro-structures tell us about the different kinds of collaboration on an exam. Furthermore, we describe trends in these collaborative practices over a semester-long time-scale.

S. F. Wolf, T. M. Sault, and H. G. Close, Information flow in group exams, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.106.

Fostering inclusive physics learning environments for women and people of color is an important aspect of improving physics culture and teaching. We interviewed physics faculty who are actively working to make their classrooms and departments more inclusive. We characterized the inclusive practices these faculty described themselves as using and the resources – e.g., the knowledge, dispositions, and commitments – that fuel or support their doing so. This paper gives examples of these resources and practices for inclusive physics learning, illustrating both the breadth and richness of resources physics faculty are using and the ways in which those resources are brought to bear in teaching strategies and departmental actions.

L. A. H. Wood and A. D. Robertson, Characterizing practices and resources for inclusive physics learning, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.107.

It is important to develop models about how mathematics is used in professional physics settings. Existing models of math use focus on mathematical modeling for problem solving. However, workplace problems often include design problems, troubleshooting, and more. To study workplace mathematics, we conducted hour-long, semi-structured interviews with employees at photonics and optics companies in Rochester, NY. We applied an emergent coding process to classify instances of math in the workplace, and present two models of mathematics use within workplace tasks. We describe a four-phase engineer task consisting of defining the problem, designing a product, testing the product, and communicating results. A common technician task replaces the design phase with manufacturing the product. Workplace math is embedded in these phases through various representations such as simulations, schematics, and machining codes. Educators should consider using diverse problem types since they require additional mathematical representations and techniques to be brought to the forefront.

N. T. Young, B. Santangelo, K. N. Martin, A. E. Leak, and B. M. Zwickl, Models of Math Use in Non-Academic Workplace Settings, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.108.

Research suggests that students’ conceptual models play an essential role in their understanding. Therefore, model-based inquiry has been considered as an instructional method in which learners have the opportunity to actively build and use their models. In this study, we investigated students’ model evolution during their learning experience with model-based instruction. We analyzed students’ model transition process as they engaged with a sequence of activities supported with physical, computer-based, and mathematical models. We compared the results with students’ who received traditional computer-based instruction. Results show that students who received model-based inquiry instruction increased the sophistication of their explanation and gained more accurate understanding compared to traditional compute-based instruction group.

T. Yuksel, N. S. Rebello, and L. Bryan, Model-based inquiry vs. Traditional computer simulation-based instruction: Which can better help students construct the quantum-mechanical model of an atom?, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.109.

Recent research has highlighted the need to explore the propagation of innovative teaching strategies. SCALE-UP (Student-Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-Down Pedagogies) is one such innovative strategy that requires transforming the learning space to support small group work. SCALE-UP is both well-propagated and frequently sustained within departments once it is implemented, possibly due to the investment in a transformed learning space. However, not all instructors and departments reach the significant learning gains typically documented in the literature. In this study, we use interviews to explore the extent to which individual instructors implement and sustain specific features of SCALE-UP, like reduced lecture time and group composition, because such features may be more easily modified over time than the classroom space. We report on instructors' perceptions of the extent to which their courses align with the SCALE-UP model and whether deviations from the literature-based model result from intentional or unintentional changes.

B. Zamarripa Roman, C. M. Doty, M. Wilcox, N. Klinger, J. W. T. Pond, J. S. Von Korff, and J. J. Chini, Differences between the SCALE-UP model and instructors' perceptions of implementation, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.110.

We classified students' mental models on conductors and dielectrics into four levels that vary progressively from naive views to scientifically acceptable views, namely non-model, non-scientific model, flawed-scientific model, and scientific model. A total of 137 Chinese students from an introductory physics class completed a questionnaire that targets learners' conceptual understanding of conductors and dielectrics. For the questions on conductors, about 20% of the students were at the non-model level, and almost 15% of the students constructed a non-scientific model and believed that both electrons and protons could move in a conductor. Those with a flawed-scientific model (35%) were unsure about the motion of the particles. Only 30% of the students had a scientific model. For the dielectrics questions, over 30% of the students were in the non-model level; about 55% of the students had a non-scientific model and thought that charges could not move in a dielectric. The remaining 10% of the students used a flawed-scientific model.

J. Zhang and L. Ding, Student Mental Models about Conductors and Dielectrics, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.111.

Findings from a past project studying students in algebra-based physics courses indicate significant issues working with graphed and pictured data. Students overuse reasoning schemes that work for one cause – one effect data but do not work for multiple causes. Students make incorrect claims like, "If variable A is unchanged and variable B does change than variable A must not affect variable B." In this study, we use eye tracking data to investigate students’ attention to the variables in the graphs and pictures. We observe different student gaze patterns on questions answered incorrectly vs. correctly for single-trend questions. This demonstrates that control-of-variables (and not just logical reasoning) affects student skills interpreting this data. In addition, we present other results. For example, the pictorial data requires significantly less attention time for students to analyze than does the single-trend graphed data even though these present the same data sets.

R. Zich and R. Rosenblatt, Using Eye Tracking to Differentiate Student Difficulties Reasoning with Data, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.112.

Cognitive load theory (CLT) provides us guiding principles in the design of learning materials. CLT differentiates three different kinds of cognitive load -- intrinsic, extraneous and germane load. Intrinsic load is related to the learning goal, extraneous load costs cognitive resources but does not contribute to learning. Germane load can foster learning. Objective methods, such as eye movement measures and EEG have been used measure the total cognitive load. Very few research studies, if any, have been completed to measure the three kinds of load separately with physiological methods in a continuous manner. In this current study, we will show how several eye-tracking based parameters are related to the three kinds of load by having explicit manipulation of the three loads independently. Participants having low prior knowledge regarding the learning material participated in the study. Working memory capacity was also measured by an operation memory span task.

T. Zu, J. Hutson, L. C. Loschky, and N. S. Rebello, Use of Eye-Tracking Technology to Investigate Cognitive Load Theory, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.113.

As physics departments increasingly emphasize computational training within the physics curriculum, there is a need for educators to have guiding principles for deciding how and when to use computational approaches over analytical math and vice versa. We investigated the use of analytical and computational mathematics in professional practice by conducting ten semi-structured interviews with PhD students in the physical sciences. The interviews revealed context-rich situations where computational and analytical math were valued and used. Through an emergent and thematic coding process, key contextual features were distilled. Although analytical math was valued as a calculational tool (e.g., manipulating equations), the most prevalent use of analytical math was to develop a preliminary understanding of a problem, which included modeling systems through equations, developing simplified "toy models", understanding background concepts, and understanding how varying parameters affected system behavior. Computational tools had a complementary role of data analysis, complex numerical simulations, and visualization.

B. M. Zwickl, K. Chen, J. Deslongchamps, A. E. Leak, and K. N. Martin, Characterizing analytical and computational mathematics use during PhD research, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.114.

From industry to government to academia, attracting and retaining science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors is recognized as a key element of the 21st century knowledge economy. The ability to retain students seems to be intimately tied with understanding their immersion into the academic and social system of an institution. For instance, it has been noted that insufficient interactions with peers can lead to a low commitment to the university and, ultimately, affect one’s decision about whether to drop out. Since nearly half of first-time students who leave a university by the end of the freshman year never come back to college, the importance of understanding experiences in introductory courses as a means for improving students’ persistence is particularly pronounced. We investigate students’ experiences in introductory physics courses, focusing on their self-reported perception of the value of out-of-class collaborations. We find that, even though students consider the out-of-class collaborations to be important for success, it takes a relatively long time before they start practicing collaborative learning.

J. P. Zwolak, R. Dou, and E. Brewe, Student perceptions of the value of out-of-class interactions: Attitudes vs. Practice, 2017 PERC Proceedings [Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017], edited by L. Ding, A. Traxler, and Y. Cao, doi:10.1119/perc.2017.pr.115.