Improving Student Understanding of Physics at an Inner-City University through the use of Concept and Activity-Based Tutorials

芝加哥州立大学(CSU)的物理项目正在对课堂进行重大改进，采用高质量的教学材料，利用物理教育研究(PER)的成果，强调现代教育学和技术。这一实施预计将大大提高学生的理解能力，并极大地改善CSU的物理课程。目前的概念活动正在得到侧重于相同想法的微型计算机活动的补充，特别是马里兰大学基于活动的教程(UMD-ABTS)和实时物理实验室(RTP-LS)。这一概念和基于活动的材料(CAB-MS)的组合将构成一系列三个小时的实验室，学生将在其中进行“思考”和“动手”活动。此外，伊利诺伊大学基于网络的作业系统正在课堂上使用。这些材料的加入有助于学生在概念和如何将其应用于实际情况之间建立明确的联系。该项目的主要目标是(1)改善芝加哥市内一所大学基于代数和微积分的物理入门课程的所有学生的学习；(2)让主修科学的本科生参与实施和创造创新的教材；以及(3)通过使用多种评估工具来记录实施情况在促进学生学习方面的有效性，并将这些结果传播给当地和全国的物理教师和教育研究人员社区。其他目标是创建一个物理项目，作为芝加哥南部以低收入为主的教师和学生社区的资源和榜样，并促进新的对话，并继续与其他机构测试类似材料的同事合作。该项目的学术价值在于改编了久负盛名、经过充分测试的课程。这两个PI都有使用这些材料的经验，并且在现有努力的基础上处于非常有利的地位，可以提高学生对物理的理解。虽然该项目专门针对CSU物理入门课程的学生，但它将产生更广泛的影响。目前的努力突出了这样一个事实，即在提供有效的指导之前，必须密切了解学生群体的优势和劣势。由于密歇根州立大学位于芝加哥南部，这项工作有可能对向全国内城学院和大学的教师社区提供信息并帮助STEM教育中代表性不足的学生具有重要意义。实施的成效将得到很好的记录，因此将研究和教育的各个方面紧密结合在一起。

The physics program at Chicago State University (CSU) is making major improvements in its classes by implementing high quality instructional materials that utilize results from Physics Education Research (PER) and stress modern pedagogy and technology. This implementation is expected to produce large gains in student understanding and greatly improve the physics program at CSU. Current conceptual activities are being supplemented with microcomputer-based activities focusing on the same ideas, particularly the University of Maryland Activity-Based Tutorials (UMD-ABTs) and the RealTime Physics Laboratories (RTP-Ls). This combination of concept and activity-based materials (CAB-Ms) will constitute a series of three-hour laboratories in which students will be engaged in "minds-on" and "hands-on" activities. In addition, the University of Illinois Tycho Web-based Homework System is being used in classes. The inclusion of these materials helps students make explicit links between the concepts and how they are applied to real situations. The main goals of this project are (1) to improve learning for all students in the introductory algebra- and calculus-based physics classes at an inner-city university in Chicago, (2) to involve undergraduate science majors in the implementation and creation of innovative teaching materials, and (3) to document the effectiveness of the implementation in promoting student learning through the use of multiple assessment instruments and disseminate these results to the community of physics teachers and education researchers both locally and nationally. Additional goals are to create a program in physics that can serve as a resource and model to the community of teachers and students on the predominantly low-income south-side of Chicago, and to foster new dialogue and to continue collaborations with colleagues testing similar materials at other institutions. The intellectual merit of the project is in the adaptation of well-established, well-tested curricula. Both PIs have experience with these materials and are in an excellent position to build upon existing efforts and improve student understanding of physics. Although the project specifically targets students in the introductory physics courses at CSU, it will have a much broader impact. Current efforts have highlighted the fact that one must be intimately aware of the strengths and weakness of the student population before providing effective instruction. Because of CSU's location on the south-side of Chicago, this work has the potential to be important in informing the community of teachers at inner-city colleges and universities throughout the country and to aid students underrepresented in STEM education. The effectiveness of the implementation will be well documented and therefore closely integrates aspects of research and education.