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

该项目旨在通过帮助学生在物理入门本科课程中培养优秀的问题解决技能来服务于国家利益。解决问题的技能对21世纪的劳动力至关重要，这些技能经常在STEM课程中得到强调。教师寻找新的策略来促进问题解决技能的发展。在这个项目中，研究人员将开发和测试两种成熟的教学实践--检索实践和科学论证--的策略，以提高基于微积分的入门物理课程的问题解决能力，这门课程通常由想成为科学家和工程师的学生参加。该项目团队将开发教学模块和材料，将在三种不同的环境中面对面和在线课堂部署：一所大型土地赠款大学(印第安纳州的普渡大学)；一所小型的私立文科学院(威斯康星州的劳伦斯大学)；以及一所中型的地区性公立大学(阿拉巴马州的杰克逊维尔州立大学)。项目组还将准备一批教/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)设计在使用结构化和半结构化问题任务解决物理问题的过程中整合检索练习和科学论证的干预措施；(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；以及(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专业知识的影响。研究者将讨论如下研究问题：(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)新颖的结构化和半结构化的问题任务如何有效地应用于STEM入门课程，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的概念知识和解决问题的技能？(4)干预措施如何影响学生学习物理的态度和他们在STEM中的保持？NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育的有效性。通过参与的学生学习路径，该计划支持有前景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优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.