Developing Simulations for Introductory Physics with Feedback from Learning Assistants

模拟在物理入门教学中具有重要的意义。它们描绘的是那些太小而看不见的事物，发生得太快而看不见的事物，或者涵盖了日常生活中不可见的概念。模拟的使用是将这些想法带入生活的一种方式，允许学生调查和可视化物理概念。本项目将开发四种新的力学入门模拟，并研究它们对学生学习的有效性。需要解决的一些问题将是模拟在多大程度上帮助学生学习，以及模拟的哪些特征可以导致更有效的学习。已经有相当多的模拟研究，但大多数研究都不是在移动设备上进行的（学生对设备的所有权成为这个项目将使之成为可能的主要因素）。这些模拟可能会立即被物理社区广泛使用，因为很少有高质量的javascript/HTML5模拟。模拟将在ComPADRE上公开。第二个研究问题集中在学习助理（LAs）上：学习助理（LAs）在模拟的设计、测试和教学实现中可以发挥什么作用？助理教师是受过训练的本科生，他们回到他们上过的课程，帮助传授互动教学法，帮助学生学习。在这个项目中，模拟专家将运用他们的专业知识提供关于改进模拟的反馈。这是该项目的一个新颖方面，可能会导致在课程开发的其他地方使用LAs。其他数据收集方法包括A/B测试、有声访谈和学生在课堂上使用模拟的视频分析，通过这些方法，该项目将调查改善学生学习的条件。

Simulations are of great importance in teaching introductory physics. They illustrate things that are too small to see, happen too fast to see, or cover concepts that are not visible in everyday life. The use of simulations is one way to bring these ideas to life, allowing students to investigate and visualize physics concepts. This project will develop four new simulations for introductory mechanics and research their effectiveness for student learning. Some questions to be addressed will be to what extent do simulations help students learn and what are the features of a simulation that lead to more effective learning. There is already considerable existing simulation research, but most of this research was not done on mobile devices (where student ownership of the device becomes a major factor which this project will make possible). These simulations are likely to be immediately put into wide use by the physics community as there are few high quality javascript/HTML5 simulations. The simulations will be publicly available on ComPADRE. A second research question focuses upon Learning Assistants (LAs): What role can Learning Assistants (LAs) play in the design, testing, and pedagogical implementation of simulations? LAs are trained undergraduates who return to a course they took to help deliver interactive pedagogy and help students learn. In this project, LAs will apply their expertise to provide feedback about improving the simulations. This is a novel aspect of the project, possibly leading to new use of LAs elsewhere in curriculum development. Other data-gathering methods include A/B testing, think-aloud interviews, and video analysis of students using the simulations during class, through which the project will investigate conditions that improve student learning.