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

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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.