Piloting i-Newton for the Experiential Learning of Dynamics

Julianne Vernon; Cynthia J. Finelli; Noel C. Perkins; Bradford G Orr

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Conference: 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Seattle, Washington
Publication Date: June 14, 2015
Start Date: June 14, 2015
End Date: June 17, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-692-50180-1
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Division Experimentation & Lab-oriented Studies: Mechanical Engineering and Control
Tagged Division: Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies
Page Count: 9
Page Numbers: 26.1228.1 - 26.1228.9
DOI: 10.18260/p.24565
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/24565
Download Count: 504

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Paper Authors

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Julianne Vernon University of Michigan, College of Engineering

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Julianne Vernon is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan, the College of Engineering, researching and assessing the redesign of the first year engineering experience. She received her bachelors of engineering in chemical engineering from the City College of New York and her doctorate degree at University of Florida in Environmental Engineer. She has experience developing international and national research experience for STEM majors. Her interests include course development to increase engage learning for first year engineers.

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Cynthia J. Finelli University of Michigan orcid.org/0000-0001-9148-1492

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Dr. Cynthia Finelli, Director of the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching in Engineering and research associate professor of engineering education at University of Michigan (U-M), earned B.S.E.E., M.S.E.E., and Ph.D. degrees from U-M in 1988, 1989, and 1993, respectively. Prior to joining U-M in 2003, she was the Richard L. Terrell Professor of Excellence in Teaching, founding director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, and associate professor of electrical engineering at Kettering University. In her current role, she coordinates faculty and TA professional development in the College of Engineering, conducts rigorous engineering education research, and promotes the growth of engineering education both locally at UM and nationally. Dr. Finelli's current research interests include evaluating methods to improve teaching, studying faculty motivation to change classroom practices, and exploring ethical decision-making in engineering students. She also has established a national presence in engineering education; she is a fellow in the American Society of Engineering Education, is an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Education, and past chair of the Educational Research and Methods Division of ASEE.

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Noel C. Perkins University of Michigan

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Noel Perkins is the Donald T. Greenwood Collegiate Professor of Engineering and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. He earned his PhD at U. C. Berkeley in 1986 (Mechanical Engineering) prior to joining the faculty at Michigan. His research interests draw from the fields of computational and nonlinear dynamics with applications to the mechanics of single molecule DNA and DNA/protein complexes, wireless inertial sensors for analyzing human motion, and structural dynamics, topics on which he has published over 150 publications in archival journals and conference proceedings.

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Bradford G Orr University of Michigan

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Abstract

Piloting i-‐Newton for the Experiential Learning of Dynamics Newtonian dynamics is the foundation for STEM education that starts in middle school and progresses through high school and college. A solid understanding of Newton’s laws is critical for students pursuing degrees in engineering, physics, and chemistry, as well as in most life sciences. Students seem proficient at reciting Newton’s law with ease; however, few are able to apply these laws to natural and engineered systems. This disconnect in students’ conceptual understanding may be linked to fundamental misconceptions of Newton’s laws and to an abundance of over fabricated examples. Hands-‐on laboratories that feature real measurements could allow students to probe the dynamics of realistic systems, thereby strengthening their conceptual understanding. However, the prohibitive cost of equipment and dearth of laboratory space limits these options. Our project aims to overcome these challenges by utilizing a new, highly-‐portable and inexpensive technology, which we call interactive-‐Newton (i-‐Newton), that can engage students in the experiential learning of dynamics outside the confines of the traditional teaching methods. We hypothesize that including i-‐Newton based instructor demonstrations and student experiments in undergraduate physics and engineering courses will positively impact students’ conceptual understanding. As a result of having a stronger understanding of the fundamental concepts, we hypothesize that this will also increase students’ self-‐efficacy and their intention to persist in the major. We introduced i-‐Newton experiments in two sections of PHYS 161: Introductory Honors Physics -‐ Laboratory and two sections of ME 240: Introduction to Dynamics and Vibrations. Students in these four course sections comprise our intervention group. For purposes of comparison, we established a control group which consisted of students enrolled in three sections of ME 240 in which i-‐Newton was NOT introduced. Students in both the intervention and control groups were asked to complete a series of instruments to provide data for assessing the impact of i-‐Newton. First, to measure the impact on students’ conceptual understanding, we used validated concept inventory instruments. Students in PHYS 160 completed the Force-‐Motion Concept Evaluation (FCME) at both the beginning and end of the course, while students in ME 240 completed the Dynamics Concept Inventory (DCI) at the end of the course. Additionally, students in both courses completed a modified version of the Longitudinal Assessment of Engineering Self-‐Efficacy (LAESE) survey. The LAESE is a validated instrument that measures engineering self-‐efficacy, course specific self-‐efficacy, intention to persist in the field, and feelings of inclusion. For this paper we will describe i-‐Newton in detail and present findings about the impact of i-‐Newton on students’ conceptual understanding, self-‐efficacy, and intention to persist in the major. In particular, for conceptual understanding, we will compare item-‐by-‐item gains in FCME data from the beginning to the end of the PHYS 161 courses, and we will compare these gains to historical trends. For ME 240, we will compare end-‐of-‐course DCI data for the control and the intervention groups on an item-‐by-‐item basis. To assess the impact on students’ self-‐efficacy and intention to persist in the major, we will compare relevant LAESE data from the beginning to the end of the term in each intervention class, and we will compare gains between the control and intervention groups. We will conclude by describing our plans for a broader implementation of i-‐Newton and offering suggestions for others wishing to use similar approaches to experiential learning.

Citation
Format

Vernon, J., & Finelli, C. J., & Perkins, N. C., & Orr, B. G. (2015, June), Piloting i-Newton for the Experiential Learning of Dynamics Paper presented at 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/p.24565

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Piloting  i-‐Newton  for  the  Experiential  Learning  of  Dynamics      Newtonian  dynamics  is  the  foundation  for  STEM  education  that  starts  in  middle  school  and  progresses   through   high   school   and   college.   A   solid   understanding   of   Newton’s   laws   is  critical   for   students   pursuing   degrees   in   engineering,   physics,  and   chemistry,   as   well   as   in  most   life   sciences.   Students   seem   proficient   at   reciting   Newton’s   law   with   ease;   however,  few   are   able   to   apply   these   laws   to   natural   and   engineered   systems.   This   disconnect   in  students’   conceptual   understanding   may   be   linked   to   fundamental   misconceptions   of  Newton’s  laws  and  to  an  abundance  of  over  fabricated  examples.  Hands-‐on  laboratories  that  feature   real   measurements   could   allow   students   to   probe   the   dynamics   of   realistic   systems,  thereby   strengthening   their   conceptual   understanding.   However,   the   prohibitive   cost   of  equipment  and  dearth  of  laboratory  space  limits  these  options.    Our   project   aims   to   overcome   these   challenges   by   utilizing   a   new,   highly-‐portable   and  inexpensive   technology,   which   we   call   interactive-‐Newton   (i-‐Newton),   that   can   engage  students   in   the   experiential   learning   of   dynamics   outside   the   confines   of   the   traditional  teaching  methods.  We  hypothesize  that  including  i-‐Newton  based  instructor  demonstrations  and  student  experiments  in  undergraduate  physics  and  engineering  courses  will  positively  impact  students’  conceptual  understanding.  As  a  result  of  having  a  stronger  understanding  of   the   fundamental   concepts,   we   hypothesize   that   this   will   also   increase   students’   self-‐efficacy  and  their  intention  to  persist  in  the  major.    We   introduced   i-‐Newton   experiments   in   two   sections   of   PHYS   161:   Introductory   Honors  Physics   -‐   Laboratory   and   two   sections   of   ME   240:   Introduction   to   Dynamics   and   Vibrations.  Students   in   these   four   course   sections   comprise   our   intervention   group.   For   purposes   of  comparison,   we   established   a   control   group   which   consisted   of   students   enrolled   in   three  sections   of   ME   240   in   which   i-‐Newton   was   NOT   introduced.   Students   in   both   the  intervention  and  control  groups  were  asked  to  complete  a  series  of  instruments  to  provide  data   for   assessing   the   impact   of   i-‐Newton.   First,   to   measure   the   impact   on   students’  conceptual   understanding,   we   used   validated   concept   inventory   instruments.   Students   in  PHYS   160   completed   the   Force-‐Motion   Concept   Evaluation   (FCME)   at   both   the   beginning  and  end  of  the  course,  while  students  in  ME  240  completed  the  Dynamics  Concept  Inventory  (DCI)  at  the  end  of  the  course.  Additionally,  students  in  both  courses  completed  a  modified  version   of   the   Longitudinal   Assessment   of   Engineering   Self-‐Efficacy   (LAESE)   survey.   The  LAESE   is   a   validated   instrument   that   measures   engineering   self-‐efficacy,   course   specific  self-‐efficacy,  intention  to  persist  in  the  field,  and  feelings  of  inclusion.    For  this  paper  we  will  describe  i-‐Newton  in  detail  and  present  findings  about  the  impact  of  i-‐Newton  on  students’  conceptual  understanding,  self-‐efficacy,  and  intention  to  persist  in  the  major.   In   particular,   for   conceptual   understanding,   we   will   compare   item-‐by-‐item   gains   in  FCME   data   from   the   beginning   to   the   end   of   the   PHYS   161   courses,   and   we   will   compare  these  gains  to  historical  trends.  For  ME  240,  we  will  compare  end-‐of-‐course  DCI  data  for  the  control   and   the   intervention   groups   on   an   item-‐by-‐item   basis.   To   assess   the   impact   on  students’  self-‐efficacy  and  intention  to  persist  in  the  major,  we  will  compare  relevant  LAESE  data   from   the   beginning   to   the   end   of   the   term   in   each   intervention   class,   and   we   will  compare  gains  between  the  control  and  intervention  groups.  We  will  conclude  by  describing  our   plans   for   a   broader   implementation   of   i-‐Newton   and   offering   suggestions   for   others  wishing  to  use  similar  approaches  to  experiential  learning.    
AU  - Julianne Vernon
AU  - Cynthia J. Finelli
AU  - Noel C. Perkins
AU  - Bradford G Orr
CY  - Seattle, Washington
DA  - 2015/06/14
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Piloting i-Newton for the Experiential Learning of Dynamics 
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/24565
DO  - 10.18260/p.24565
ER  -