Developing Students' Problem-Solving Skills in Introductory Undergraduate Physics Courses

在本科物理入门课程中培养学生解决问题的能力

• 批准号: 2111138
• 负责人: Carina Rebello
• 金额: $ 60万
• 依托单位: Purdue University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-10-01 至 2025-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2111138&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Developing; Students; Problem; Solving; Skills

This project aims to serve the national interest by helping students develop superior problem-solving skills in introductory undergraduate physics courses. Problem-solving skills are critical for the 21st century workforce, and those skills are often emphasized in STEM courses. Instructors search for new strategies to promote the development of problem-solving skills. In this project, the investigators will develop and test strategies that integrate two proven pedagogical practices -- retrieval practice and scientific argumentation -- to improve problem-solving in the introductory calculus-based physics course that is usually taken by students who intend to become scientists and engineers.The project team will develop instructional modules and materials that will be deployed in face-to-face and online classes in three different settings: a large land-grant university (Purdue University in Indiana); a small, private liberal arts college (Lawrence University in Wisconsin); and a mid-sized, regional public university (Jacksonville State University in Alabama). The project team will also prepare a group of teaching/learning assistants to facilitate students' learning using the modules and materials. The major objectives are (1) to design interventions that integrate retrieval practice and scientific argumentation during problem-solving in physics using structured and semi-structured problem tasks; (2) to implement these interventions in both face-to-face (traditional and studio) and online learning environments at three different institutions; and (3) to assess the impact of the interventions on students' conceptual understanding, performance on quizzes and exams, and problem-solving expertise. The investigators will address research questions such as the following: (1) What strategies do the teaching/learning assistants utilize to facilitate the implementation of the new strategies in the classroom? (2) How can novel structured and semi-structured problem tasks be effectively used in introductory STEM courses, which typically use only well-structured, end-of-chapter problems? (3) To what extent do the new instructional strategies facilitate students' conceptual knowledge and problem-solving skills in physics? (4) How do the interventions impact students' attitudes toward learning physics and their retention in STEM? The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目旨在通过帮助学生在本科物理入门课程中培养卓越的解决问题的能力来服务于国家利益。解决问题的技能对于 21 世纪的劳动力至关重要，这些技能通常在 STEM 课程中得到强调。教师寻找新的策略来促进解决问题的技能的发展。在这个项目中，研究人员将开发和测试整合两种行之有效的教学实践（检索实践和科学论证）的策略，以提高基于微积分的物理入门课程的问题解决能力，该课程通常由打算成为科学家和工程师的学生学习。项目团队将开发教学模块和材料，将在三种不同环境中部署在面对面和在线课程中：一所大型赠地大学（位于普渡大学） 印第安纳州）；一所小型私立文理学院（威斯康星州劳伦斯大学）；以及一所中型地区公立大学（阿拉巴马州杰克逊维尔州立大学）。项目团队还将准备一批教学助理，以方便学生使用模块和材料进行学习。主要目标是（1）设计干预措施，在使用结构化和半结构化问题任务解决物理学问题期间将检索实践和科学论证结合起来； (2) 在三个不同机构的面对面（传统和工作室）和在线学习环境中实施这些干预措施； (3) 评估干预措施对学生概念理解、测验和考试表现以及解决问题的专业知识的影响。研究者将解决以下研究问题：（1）教学助理使用什么策略来促进新策略在课堂上的实施？ (2) 如何在 STEM 入门课程中有效地使用新颖的结构化和半结构化问题任务，这些课程通常只使用结构良好的章末问题？ (3) 新的教学策略在多大程度上促进了学生物理概念知识和解决问题的能力？ (4) 这些干预措施如何影响学生学习物理的态度及其对 STEM 的坚持？ NSF IUSE：EHR 计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生 STEM 教育的有效性。通过参与学生学习轨道，该计划支持有前途的实践和工具的创建、探索和实施。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。