SPIRAL Physics Active Learning Workbooks

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In response to increasing evidence as to the ineffectiveness of the traditional introductory physics course at improving students' conceptual understanding of physics and problem-solving ability, a series of workbooks, SPIRALPhysics, have been developed and used in place of a standard textbook in the introductory physics course sequence at Monroe Community College (MCC) for the past several years. These workbooks, designed for use in an active learning environment, arrange topics such that students receive repeated exposure to concepts over an extended time interval, each time with an incremental increase in complexity. The workbooks make extensive use of alternative problem types, such as ranking tasks, goal-less problem statements, and critical analysis tasks. This project proposes the expansion and modification of the workbooks to make them a more attractive and viable alternative to traditional physics instruction at other institutions. In addition to the increased flexibility afforded by an expanded workbook series, support materials, including an instructor guide, student guide, and textbook, will be developed as part of the project. Revision of the workbooks and support materials will continue throughout the length of the project, under the supervision of an advisory committee drawn from both the two-year college physics community and the physics education research community. The project also gives special emphasis to community college students in Advanced Technological Education (ATE) programs to ensure that they are provided learning opportunities using the spiral notebooks.