Education Research on Simulations and Visualization in Introductory Physics

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This project aims to serve the national interest by improving students' understanding of key concepts in physics with the use of computer simulations. The focus will be electromagnetism, waves, and optics, which are topics usually covered in the second semester of introductory physics at colleges and universities. In previous research (supported by NSF Award DUE-1712159), the investigators produced a collection of over 200 physics simulations dealing mainly with topics in mechanics, and they compared the effectiveness of labs that used the simulations to labs that used hands-on equipment. The rapid switch to online learning during the recent COVID-19 pandemic made evident the importance of having remote lab experiences ready to go. In this project, the investigators will build several simulation-based labs, improve them with the assistance of undergraduate learning assistants (students trained in pedagogy who return to a course they previously took to help students learn), and carry out education research to assess the effectiveness of the labs in a second-semester introductory physics course. Building on their prior research, which compared simulation-based labs with hands-on labs, the investigators will focus on "hybrid" labs that merge the best of both environments -- allowing students to investigate concepts in an idealized situation using simulations and then compare those understandings to those gained in real-world scenarios with real-world lab equipment. The researchers hope to demonstrate that several designs for a lab can produce acceptable learning gains. Such a result will give instructors and students flexibility to adapt to local conditions at their institutions. The project will also give them materials they can use if they need to switch to online learning.This project centers on education research associated with HTML5 computer simulations for topics in electromagnetism, waves, and optics. The investigators will design several simulation-based labs, including the simulations themselves as well as worksheets and guided-inquiry lab packets. They will test them in a class of approximately 400 undergraduates, with a focus on comparing the effectiveness of hybrid labs (labs that use both simulations and hands-on experiments) versus hands-on (only) labs. They will also look at effectiveness in the context of recitations in which students interact with simulations versus working through the concepts without a simulation. The education research questions will primarily concern how the use of a simulation in place of, or in combination with, hands-on lab equipment impacts (1) students' gains in content knowledge on written assessments for specific concepts in electromagnetism, waves, and optics; (2) students' attitudes towards learning physics; (3) students' analysis or use of visual tools and representations to explain specific concepts in electromagnetism, waves, and optics; and (4) students' development of skills in visual modeling and representation when learning about specific concepts in electromagnetism, waves, and optics. 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.