Conference Session

Programmatic Issues in Physics or Engineering Physics

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Teresa Larkin, American University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

. She also enjoys preparing (and especially eating) Indian, Ethiopian, Chinese, and Thai cuisines. Dr. Larkin can be reached at: American University, Department of Physics, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016-8058; 202-885-2766. [tlarkin@american.edu] Page 14.950.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Peer Review from a Student PerspectiveABSTRACTWriting has been shown to serve as an effective tool to improve the quality of studentengagement and learning. This paper will provide a strategy in which writing can be used toenhance student understanding within the

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Physics or Engineering Phy

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Teresa Larkin, American University; Dan Budny, University of Pittsburgh

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

understanding within introductoryphysics and engineering curricula. The prominent strategy to be described involves havingstudents research, write, and present a paper at a formal class “conference” held at the end of theterm. Throughout this process, students are exposed to all aspects of preparing a professionalconference paper including the submission of an abstract, preparation of a paper for review,participation in a rigorous peer review, and presentation of their final paper at the conference.One focus of this paper will be to highlight each of the aspects of the paper writing process,placing particular emphasis on the significance of the peer review process. A discussioninvolving the rubrics developed and used during the peer review process will

Conference Session

Engineering Physics Technical Session 4

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Teresa L. Larkin, American University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

abilityto communicate effectively.Implementation DetailsThrough the semester-long conference research paper activity students experience writing anabstract, multiple paper drafts, a peer review, and the publication of a final camera ready paper inthe printed and bound class conference proceedings. In addition, the students present theirresearch papers orally at a class conference held at the end of the term. The paper writingactivity takes the place of a standard final exam and consequently is worth 200 points or theequivalent of about 20 percent of the students’ overall course grades. During each phase of thepaper writing process, students begin to earn points towards their overall conference paper grade.American University uses the Blackboard web

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Physics or Engineering Physics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Teresa Larkin, American University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

topic both before and after it has been discussed in class. The following section provides a collective summary of instructor observations regardingthe free-writing writing activity. In addition, it provides some concluding thoughts in terms ofapplications of these writing activities to other domains of science and engineering.V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Critical to the writing activities is the feedback provided to the students. The benefits ofinstructor- (as well as peer-) feedback are numerous. The instructor-student relationship isquickly fostered and enhanced. Because students are given prompt critical and detailedfeedback, they take the writing activities very seriously. The quality of student work is clearlyimproved

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Physics or Engineering Physics II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Teresa L. Larkin, American University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

basic concepts in mechanics to be opened a little wider.VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS A variety of quantitative and qualitative assessment tools are currently available withinthe PER community. Qualitatively, the current study made use of free-writing activities to assessstudent understanding of basic mechanics. Critical to the writing activities is the feedbackprovided to the students. The benefits of instructor- (as well as peer-) feedback are numerous.The instructor-student relationship is quickly fostered and enhanced. Because students are givenprompt critical and detailed feedback, they take the writing activities very seriously. Oneoutcome is the quality of the students‘ work is clearly improved. Furthermore, the writingactivities

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Teresa L. Larkin, American University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

student writing as a learning and assessment tool in her introductory physics courses for non-majors. She has been an active member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) for over 25 years. Dr. Larkin served on the Board of Directors for ASEE from 1997-1999 as Chair of Professional Interest Council (PIC) III and as Vice President of PICs. Dr. Larkin has received numerous national and international awards including the ASEE Distinguished Educator and Service Award from the Physics and Engineering Physics Division in 1998. Dr. Larkin received the Outstanding Teaching in the General Education Award from AU in 2000. In 2000 – 2001 she served as a

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching and Research in Physics or Engineering Physics II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marie Lopez del Puerto, University of Saint Thomas; Jeff Jalkio, University of Saint Thomas; Paul R. Ohmann, University of Saint Thomas

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

course.IntroductionThe study we present in this paper arose from two separate trends in our university and the largerhigher-education community, plus an observation. The first is the trend in Physics education tofocus on teaching for conceptual understanding, for example, through Peer Instruction1 orWorkshop Physics (which is part of The Physics Suite).2 The second trend is the push to improvestudent writing through programs such as Writing Across the Curriculum, and in particularthrough Writing to Learn, where short writing exercises are used to help students think through aconcept or a problem.3 The observation was that a considerable fraction of our students, whiletalking to other students in class or asking the instructor a question, was referring to

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wenli Guo, Queensborough Community College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

Paper ID #8451Take Ownership of Learning Outside Classroom:Dr. Wenli Guo, Queensborough Community College Dr. Wenli Guo is a professor of physics and her experiences include spectroscopy, pedagogy, etc. Page 24.1152.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2014 Take Ownership of Learning Outside Classroom: Reflection through Journal Writing in a Conceptual Physics Course

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy J. Garrison, York College of Pennsylvania

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

overten percentage points. This paper describes the restructuring of the course to integrate the lecture,lab, and recitation components. It also covers how the traditional laboratories have been replacedwith interactive laboratories and includes methodologies and best practices. The paper addressesthe peer instruction method (also known as think-pair-share) including formation of conceptquestions and best practices. Five years worth of pre- and post-class assessment data arepresented and show that significant performance gains were achieved as each of the elements(blended lecture and lab, interactive laboratories, and peer instruction) were incorporated. Lastly,the paper describes the current initiative to remove the remaining lecture component

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching and Research in Physics or Engineering Physics I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jian Peng, Southeast Missouri State University; Santaneel Ghosh, Southeast Missouri State University; Ken Surendran, Southeast Missouri State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

character- ization for therapeutic applications. His current research areas are: externally tunable nanostructures for targeted delivery and axon-regeneration after nervous system injury, hydrogel encapsulated quan- tum dots for single molecule imaging, magnetically controlled micro- and nano-fluidics for lab-on-a-chip applications. So far, he has published 25 peer-reviewed articles in reputed journals and international conference proceedings. He serves as a reviewer for the National Institute of Health (NIH), American Chemical Society (ACS), and many internationally reputed journals. He is the recipient of the following awards: ”Cottrell College Science Award” for young faculties- Research Corporation for Science Ad

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy J. Garrison, York College of Pennsylvania

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

(mechanics) course has been completelyrestructured. Prior to the restructuring, the course had a traditional structure, consisting of aseparate lecture (3 hours three times per week), laboratory (3 hours once a week) and recitation(1.5 hours once a week). Beginning in 2009, the traditional structure was discarded in favor of asingle, blended class meeting 2.5 hours three times per week. Moreover, the new class wasdesigned to operate as an active learning course (i.e. with very little lecture) by making use ofseveral active learning methods including peer instruction (aka think-pair-share) and interactivepeer laboratories. The implementation of the active learning methods was done in phases overseveral years and each phase was assessed using the

Conference Session

Programmatic Issues in Physics or Engineering Physics

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Ross, University of Detroit, Mercy; Eswara Venugopal, University of Detroit, Mercy; Daniel Maggio, University of Detroit, Mercy; Meghann Mouyianis, University of Detroit, Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

University of Detroit Mercyhas offered a summer out-reach program for local high school students. The UNinitiatesIntroduction to Engineering (UNITE) program is designed to resemble a university freshmanengineering curriculum. The goal is to introduce students to the subjects and skills necessary tosucceed as an engineering student. Classes involve hands-on activities emphasizing team work.Students take five classes daily - Persuasive Speaking, Computers, Mathematics, Physics, andCollege Writing - all taught by University professors. All UNITE students are registered asUniversity students and receive an official grade in each of their five classes. Students can earntwo college credits per course provided they earn at least a C. Applicants to the

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Physics or Engineering Phy

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Ross, University of Detroit Mercy; Jenna Ross, Utica Center for Mathematics Science and Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

AC 2008-680: TALES FROM THE WAVE FRONT: TEACHING THE PHYSICS OFCELL PHONES AND WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONSRobert Ross, University of Detroit MercyJenna Ross, Utica Center for Mathematics Science and Technology Page 13.1137.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Tales from the Wave Front: Teaching the Physics of Cell Phones and Wireless CommunicationsIntroductionFor over twenty years our college has offered a summer enrichment program for high schoolstudents. The UNinitiates Introduction to Engineering (UNITE) program affords high schoolstudents the opportunity to take courses in writing, mathematics, computer science

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching and Research in Physics or Engineering Physics II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hatem M. Wasfy, Advanced Science and Automation Corp.; Tamer M. Wasfy, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Jeanne Peters, Advanced Science and Automation Corp.; Riham M. Mahfouz, Thomas Nelson Community College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

University, Indianapolis (IUPUI). Wasfy is also the Founder and Chairman of Advanced Science and Automation Corp. (founded in 1998) and AscienceTutor (founded in 2007). Wasfy’s research and development areas include flexible multibody dynamics, finite element modeling of solids and fluids, fluid-structure interaction, belt-drive dynamics, tires mechanics/dynamics, ground ve- hicle dynamics, visualization of numerical simulation results, engineering applications of virtual-reality, and artificial intelligence. He authored and co-authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and gave more than 65 presentations at international conferences and invited lectures in those areas. He received two ASME best conference paper

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James G. O'Brien, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Gergely Sirokman, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Franz J. Rueckert, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Derek Cascio, Wentworth Institute of Technology

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

. The teamworkfostered by the competitive atmosphere encouraged peer-learning so that everyone couldcontribute. Before the conclusion of the first game, most students were able to grasp the overalllesson and contribute to the advancement of the team’s objectives.Although in general the students had a grasp of the topic from lecture, as in any new assignment,students are often initially hesitant. Groups would at first labor over the initial placement ofcards. As the game evolved, they were able to make quicker and more informed decisions. Oftenthey had to reconcile their initial moves with the changing board, making decisions later in thegame to create new parallel or series combinations and offset earlier errors. In lecture, studentsoften

Conference Session

Programmatic Issues in Physics or Engineering Physics Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Glenn Ellis, Smith College; Mary Moriarty, Smith College; Gary Felder, Smith College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

completeunderstanding.” This requires designing classroom experiences and formative assessments thathelp “make students’ thinking visible to themselves, their peers, and their teacher.”6In Physics and Engineering Problem Solving, this was accomplished through (1) a variety ofkinesthetic activities exploring dynamics concepts, (2) concept questions designed to revealcommon misconceptions, (3) questions requiring students to write or verbalize theirunderstanding of concepts in their own words, (4) laboratories that involved making predictionsabout physical behavior, and (5) the content-based assessments at the beginning and end of thecourse. In many of the kinesthetic activities students were able to discover and address theirmisconceptions themselves. For

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 4

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Franz J. Rueckert, Wentworth Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

eventually raises aWIT flag. Each stage acts as a showcase for a particular topic. At the midpoint of the semester,the groups present the RGMs to the class. Their presentations must explain how each stageoperates and the chosen physics principle it demonstrates. The group is graded on the physicscontent of their presentation, their adherence to criteria, and an individual schematic write-up. Aportion of the grade is reserved for an undefined “wow factor.” The details of the latter are leftpurposely ambiguous. Designers flourish mastering the interplay between aesthetics and utility,and rise to an open ended challenge. Page 26.615.4Figure 1 An

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 3

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Elby, University of Maryland, College Park; Eric Kuo, Stanford University; Ayush Gupta, University of Maryland, College Park; Michael M. Hull, Wayne State College

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

’ traditional problem-solving.8 But instructor effects might account forsome of these results, since more dedicated instructors are perhaps more likely to attemptreforms. Mazur’s study at Harvard8 avoided this issue, since he gave the same exam to his ownstudents 6 years apart; but the small gains in problem-solving performance he documented (from63% to 69% correct) could have arisen from his improved skill, developed over six years, atteaching problem-solving efficiently, enabling him to spend some class time on Peer Instructionwithout a trade-off. Furthermore, the lack of any published PER results (that we know of)highlighting a trade-off, such as higher conceptual gains at the expense of lower performance ontraditional problems, could result from

Conference Session

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering Division: Engineering Alignment with Core Curriculum (Physics)

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Camilla Arlina Nix, Drexel University ; Jared Andrew Ruddick, Girard Academic Music Program; Jessica S. Ward, Drexel University; Adam K. Fontecchio, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics, Pre-College Engineering Education Division

since 2008. He works to increase student interest in the sciences through partnerships with Gift of Life, Dow Chemical, University of Pennsylvania, and Drexel University that bring real life biological and physical science into classrooms.Jessica S. Ward, Drexel University Jessica Ward serves as the Director of Operations for the DragonsTeach program. She previously worked in the College of Engineering at Drexel University for more than 9 years with a focus on recruitment, grant facilitation and STEM program management. During her tenure in the College of Engineering, Jessica successfully coordinated with multiple faculty members in the submission of approximately 600 grant proposals, including co-writing, editing

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Teresa L. Larkin, American University; Ben Hein

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

Paper ID #18680Learning Physics in the Millennial AgeDr. Teresa L. Larkin, American University Teresa L. Larkin is an Associate Professor of Physics Education and Director and Faculty Liaison to the Dual-degree engineering Program at American University. She received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with emphasis in Physics and Science Education from Kansas State University. Dr. Larkin is involved with Physics Education Research (PER) and has published widely on topics related to the assess- ment of student learning in introductory physics and engineering courses. Noteworthy is her work with student writing as

Conference Session

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering Division: Engineering Alignment with Core Curriculum (Physics)

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Pamalee A. Brady, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo; Jennifer H. Rushing, Central Coast New Tech High

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics, Pre-College Engineering Education Division

.  Indeed they found that the highest peer evaluation scores could be predicted by evidence in the design notebooks of content, continuity and duration of student participation.   In this vein we sought to use engineering notebooks as a means of: (1) fostering practices critical to both project­based learning and engineering design including inquiry, reflection and redesign, (2) emphasizing and making evident physics concepts of motion, forces and energy that are important in the design of an engineering artifact, and (3) promoting teamwork and identifying participation throughout a design process. Study Framework The work was conducted collaboratively by an engineering faculty member at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo and a

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 3

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wenli Guo, Queensborough Community College; Vazgen Shekoyan, Queensborough Community College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

now more commonly considered as a process wherestudents become active learners and teachers become facilitators who help them to constructtheir own knowledge and skills (Barr & Tagg, 1995; Decorte, 1996; Nicol, 1997, 2006). InPhysics Education Research (PER), active-engagement strategies have been widely adopted andhave shown to be one of the most successful methods of improving students’ learningexperience. These researches have been focused on student-centered learning such as inquirybased learning, peer-instructions as well as developing and implementing innovative learningmaterials inside classrooms. However, it is worthy to point out that in this very important highereducation innovation process, little attention has been paid to

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 3

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ramanitharan Kandiah P.E., Central State University; Subramania Iyer Sritharan, Central State University; Gorgui S. Ndao, Central State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

activities.Recruitment processThe recruitment is mainly done through the STI program director’s annual letter on announcingSTI Program to the guidance counselors of the feeder high schools. This is done in the first weekof March. Additionally, it is also informed through the local science fairs such as Miami ValleyScience and Engineering Fair-West District Science Day and Dayton TechFest, and through theCSU students and the STI alumni who may know suitable applicants among their peers andjuniors in their high schools.The letter to the high school counselors summarizes the requirements and the details of thescholarships. The typical scholarship package includes tuition, workshops and handouts, roomand board, facility usage, equipment and supplies, travel (field

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching and Research in Physics or Engineering Physics I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jia-Ling Lin, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Manuela Romero, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Jennifer Binzley, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Eman A. Zaki, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

dynamics. Each semester, about 160 students enroll in SI, and 60 or more signup in three or four sessions that support calculus-based intro-level physics. The program is opento all students who enroll in courses for which SI sessions are offered. It is structured as smallstudy groups offering a peer-instructional and cooperative problem-solving environment, astructure that models many features of genuine engineering practice. A few characteristics of the 132 survey participants should be mentioned. First, all are SIstudents and thus voluntarily signed-up for SI's zero-credits and to spend two extra hoursworking on physics each week. Therefore participants are considered “motivated” or “highly

Conference Session

Technology in the Physics or Engineering Physics C

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nataliia Perova, Tufts University; Walter H. Johnson, Suffolk University; Chris Rogers, Tufts University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

Harvard University and B.S. from Rice University. He is a Chairman of Physics Department at Suffolk University. His research interests include neural networks, wireless motes, and ellipsometry. He has a strong commitment to teaching and integrating innovative technology to better reach his students, from streaming video and electronic writing tables for distance learning to using wireless mesh-networking devices in undergraduate research projects. His academic awards include C.W. Heaps Prize in Physics and Phi Beta Kappa from Rice University, Woodrow Wilson Fellow at Harvard University, and Carnegie Foundation Massachusetts Professor of the Year in 2005.Chris Rogers, Tufts University

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Upper-Level Physics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Greg Mowry, University of St. Thomas-St. Paul

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

first is get studentsexcited about E&M. The second objective is to develop a flow/flux based understanding of the Page 11.72.5vector calculus as applied to E&M and fluid mechanics. The third objective is to develop theapplicable theory of several E&M topics enough so that laboratory measurement responses canbe understood. The fourth objective is to develop an order-of-magnitude understanding of the ofthe appropriate field quantities in each module.As the details of the metrology-based modular-pedagogy were formalized and distributed forpreliminary peer review, an interesting observation was made by a colleague whom teachesgraduate

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen W. McKnight, Northeastern University; Christos Zahopoulos, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

3. The usefulness of quantitative problems (and particularly numerical worked examples which 79% found helped them learn, as noted previously) in understanding material is characteristic of engineering students in our experience. The importance of examples and applications of theory for engineering students was one of our guiding principles in writing the book to feature concrete applications and phenomena that arise from the scientific principles.Figure 2  Response of Engineering Leadership students on difficulty of problems based from draft text.  Page 26.1357.9 The "x" problems in the book help

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Warren A. Turner, Westfield State University; Glenn W. Ellis, Smith College; Robert J. Beichner, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

-based, pedagogically appropriate approaches and curricula including Peer Instruction 6,Workshop Physics7, Real-time Physics8 and Studio Physics9.But, what about circular mechanics? Arnold Aron’s observes 10, “The kinematics of circular motionin a plane is usually glossed over very quickly because of the obvious parallelism to rectilinearmotion. For students who have genuinely mastered the concepts and relations of rectilinearkinematics, this is appropriate since unnecessary repetition would waste their time.” Thisphilosophical approach has pervasively infiltrated introductory textbooks. Whole chapters aredevoted individually to the topics of velocity, acceleration, etc. while all of rotational kinematicsand sometimes even dynamics are crushed

Conference Session

Engineering Physics Technical Session 1

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angeles Dominguez, Tecnologico de Monterrey (ITESM) and Universidad Andres Bello ; Jorge Eugenio de la Garza Becerra, Tecnologico de Monterrey (ITESM); Genaro Zavala, Tecnologico de Monterrey (ITESM) and Universidad Andres Bello ; Cynthia Concepción Castro, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Monterrey

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

. Students became more effective communicating their ideas and learning how tocollaborate with peers. This was evident during the big-circle discussion; as time advanced,students’ questions were more elaborated and showed a deeper understanding, theircommunication became more organized and structured, and their models were more robust(more coherent representations) towards the end of the semester.Students’ appreciation of the course could also be counted as a positive result.Students’ opinions regarding the integrated courseThe research group was interested on knowing students’ opinion about their experience duringthe integrated Physics and Mathematics course. To that end, a Google Survey was implementedand sent to all the students who had taken the