Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeffrey A. Jalkio, University of St. Thomas; Brianna R. McIntyre, University of St. Thomas

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

that they would need to modifyminimally to match the experimental model for their coax. The students would then need to writetheir own code for the parallel plate capacitor case and modify that for the case of the microstrip.Sample of all of these programs were written and tested by the instructor before the start of thesemester in order to identify any likely sources of confusion or difficulty. Samples of thecomputational portion of this project canbe found on our departmental website atstthomas.edu/physics under curriculumdevelopment.For the experimental part of theexercise, we decided to use thevenerable electrolytic tank2 to simulateelectric field measurements in adielectric. Prior to readily availablecomputational tools, this approach

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Physics or Engineering Physics I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patricia F. Mead, Norfolk State University; Ruth A. Streveler, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Lauren D. Thomas, Virginia Tech; Candace A. Cobb, Norfolk State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

curriculum.Faculty researchers at Norfolk State University have launched a project to better understandcommon misconceptions of students as they matriculate through the undergraduate opticalengineering program. The effort has begun with a third-year course on laser systems. The NSUlasers course represents the first opportunity for students to learn and understand how a practicaloptoelectronic system operates, and the course also features an emphasis on design. Manystudents experience difficulty in the course based on factors such as unfamiliar jargon, and thecourse is a re-visitation of several principals that have first been introduced in their freshmanyear Physics course, but may not been strongly reinforced during the second year curriculum.Others

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching and Research in Physics or Engineering Physics II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bert Pariser, Technical Career Institutes

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Engineering Physics & Physics

, Pariser co-founded five venture companies, and as a management consultant successfully catalyzed more than $100 million of new shareholder value in client businesses. He has led cross-functional client teams in projects to find and capture value-creating profit and growth opportunities. Pariser is a Trustee of Mutual Fund Series Trust and serves as a member or the audit committee. Pariser received a Ph.D. and M.S. from Columbia University and a B.S. from MIT in electrical engineering. Email: bert.pariser@gmail.com. Page 25.1242.1 c American Society for Engineering Education

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yumin Zhang, Southeast Missouri State University; David K. Probst P.E., Southeast Missouri State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

(exchange student from Mexico). Unfortunately, a pre-test at the beginning ofthe semester was not taken, so it is a little hard to make a comparison. However, this survey wasdone in the 2009 and 2011, and the class average post-test scores were 15.1 and 21.1,respectively. The average in 2013 is much higher than the result in 2009, but a little lower thanthe result in 2011. The pre-test average scores in 2009 and 2011 are 10.6 and 12.7, respectively.Even if the higher score is used as the projected pre-test score, there is a significant increase inthe average, which indicates that students did make substantial progress in conceptualunderstanding. As this course is offered every other year, the survey results in even years are notavailable

Conference Session

Technology in the Physics or Engineering Physics C

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Raymond Winton, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

modeling complexity, isincluded in the philosophical stream almost entirely as a conceptual transistor, whose onlytrue visibility is through its device models. So it almost seems to exist only in the framework Page 13.807.8of interesting integrated circuit layout geometries and somewhat impenetrable device models.Fortunately, the reality of MOS as a classroom circuit element is reconditioned by theconnection between the university community and the rapid-prototyping environment. Inthis respect an operating environment for which a low-cost multi-project fabrication contextwas developed through a DARPA (defense advance research projects agency

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel Ludwigsen, Kettering University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

. Page 26.1554.3Multiple styles of apprenticeship pedagogy describe the interaction between master andapprentice. Cognitive Apprenticeship from the field of instructional design6 fits this project; ithas been applied widely in the context of language, reading comprehension, and mathematics.7The Collins-Brown model includes several key features:  Course content explicitly provides those rules of thumb and heuristic knowledge that experts use (often without knowing it).  Course content is provided in authentic contexts based on real situations where it would be used.  Course content and facilitation supports students’ development of skills and knowledge of processes with appropriate scaffolding, gradually removing

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching and Research in Physics or Engineering Physics II

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Varun Kumar Karingula, Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis; Hazim A El-Mounayri, Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis; Tamer M. Wasfy, Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis; Hatem M Wasfy, Advanced Science and Automation Corp.; Jeanne Michele Peters, Advanced Science and Automation Corp.

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Engineering Physics & Physics

broad prospective of the fundamental of physics. The course consists of lectures, weekly graded homework, several small scale projects, weekly quizzes and a series of laboratory exercises. Homework, quizzes, small scale projects are carried out individually, while lab exercises are conducted in teams. Also, the course involves a midterm exam and a Final exam. Page 23.229.6                  Figure 3 : Explanation of concept in Virtual Physics LabCourse topics include the following.  1 - Introduction to physics: This chapter mainly concentrates on the basic concepts of physics such as definitions, units

Conference Session

Engineering Physics and Physics Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jiliang Li P.E., Purdue University Northwest, Westville Campus, INDIANA, USA; Jinyuan Zhai, University of Akron

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

Paper ID #17737Teaching/Learning Soil Mechanics with Mnemonics, Intuition, Insight andInspirationProf. Jiliang Li P.E., Purdue University Northwest, Westville Campus, INDIANA, USA Dr. Jiliang Li, D.Eng (Mining Engineering, USTB), Ph.D. (Civil Engineering, UA), P.E., M.ASCE, M.ASEE, is an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at Purdue University Northwest at Westville campus, Indiana. Before returning to teach at University, he had industrial experience in several States with consulting projects ranging from small residential, commercial and subdivision projects to large scale State DOT and federal projects after

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 3

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Genaro Zavala, Tecnologico de Monterrey and Universidad Andres Bello; Angeles Dominguez, Tecnologico de Monterrey and Universidad Andres Bello; Arturo Cristian Millan, Universidad Andres Bello; Mauricio Gonzalez, Universidad Andres Bello

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

States, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina and 26 workshops in Mexico, Chile and Argentina. He has participated obtaining projects funded by the European Consortium of Innovative Uni- versities, HP Development Company, Agencia Espa˜nola de Cooperaci´on Internacional para el Desarrollo and the University of Arizona. He is a member of the Mexican Council of Educational Research, Vi- cepresident of the Latin American Physics Education Network (LAPEN), coordinator of the Evaluation of Learning and Instruction Topical Group within the International Research Group on Physics Teach- ing (GIREP for French); member of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) in which he was member and president of the International

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

Paper ID #8833A comparison of student misconceptions in rotational and rectilinear motionDr. Warren A Turner, Westfield State UniversityDr. Glenn W Ellis, Smith CollegeDr. Robert J. Beichner, North Carolina State University For much of Professor Beichner’s career he has focused his attention on redesigning introductory physics education and created the SCALE-UP (Student Centered Activities for Large Enrollment University Physics) project. SCALE-UP has been adopted at more than 250 universities and had spread to other content areas and into middle and high schools, necessitating a name change to Student Centered Active

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 4

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hyung S. Choi, Greenville College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, “US datacenter electricity consumption is projected to increase to roughly 140 billion kilowatt-hoursannually by 2020, the equivalent annual output of 50 power plants, costing American businesses$13 billion annually in electricity bills and emitting nearly 100 million metric tons of carbonpollution per year.” [13] How may we reduce electric consumption while increasing capacity instorage and communication? Finding the right data involves not only increased search capacitybut also involves advanced artificial intelligence (AI). Can we find a more effective andpowerful AI scheme than traditional computing can offer? Shor’s algorithm has shown thatquantum computers can break cryptographic protocols

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Physics or Engineering Physics I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristi J. Shryock, Texas A&M University; Arun R. Srinivasa, Texas A&M University, Department of Mechanical Engineering; Jefferey E. Froyd, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

subsequently obtained a Ph.D at UC Berkeley and has been a faculty in the mechanical Engineering Department at Texas A&M University. He is one of the curriculum coordinators for the freshman engi- neering program of the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University, and was also part of the committee that developed the current statics and dynamics class for the Department of Mechanical EngineeringJefferey E. Froyd, Texas A&M University Jeffrey E. Froyd is the Director of Faculty Climate and Development at Texas A&M University. He served as Project Director for the Foundation Coalition, an NSF Engineering Education Coalition in which six institutions systematically renewed, assessed, and

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Physics or Engineering Physics

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Warren Turner, Westfield State College; Glenn Ellis, Smith College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

evaluations were positive. “I was surprised by how much Ilike physics” was an often-repeated student comment. One enthusiastic student remarked, “Ifound this course extremely valuable. I am a very visual learner so the hands-on project andgraphical focus of the course was exactly what I needed. I really think this course wasexcellent.” The Test of Understanding Graphs in Kinematics Test12was administered to arandom sample of students before and after their exposure to the kinematics curriculum. Theaverage possible gain was 43% of the total score. The average gain for the sampled students was Page 14.657.917% of the total score—thus they had achieved

Conference Session

Programmatic Issues in Physics or Engineering Physics

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anca Sala, Baker College; Raghu Echempati, Kettering University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

conservation laws.11. Center of mass.12. Rotational motion, including, torque, angular momentum, rotational kinetic energy, and rotational inertia.Table 2. Statics Student Learning OutcomesStudents will be able to:1. Use general principles and problem solving techniques to solve engineering problems.2. Solve operations with vectors such as force or position, resolve them into components, and project them along axes.3. Use Cartesian vectors to solve problems involving the equilibrium of a particle for a concurrent coplanar (two-dimensional)force system and three-dimensional force system.4. Solve for the moment of a force or a couple about a point and determine the resultants of a non-concurrent force system.5. Use scalar methods, vector analysis and

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Physics or Engineering Physics

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adrian Ieta, State University of New York, Oswego; Rachid Manseur, State University of New York, Oswego; Thomas Doyle, McMaster University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

AC 2009-556: SYNERGISTIC LEARNING ENVIRONMENT USINGBLACKBOARD LEARNING CELLSAdrian Ieta, State University of New York, OswegoRachid Manseur, State University of New York, OswegoThomas Doyle, McMaster University Thomas E. Doyle holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering Science (2006) from The University of Western Ontario, Canada. He also holds a B.E.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, a B.Sc. in Computer Science, and an M.E.Sc in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The University of Western Ontario. He worked on industrial projects with PlasSep Ltd, within the Applied Electrostatics Research Centre and the Digital Electronics Research Group at The University of Western

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 3

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kanti Prasad, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

own case, I also teach Circuit prepare the students to withstand challenges oftheory, which is the most fundamental course in 21st century posed by evolving technologies.the curriculum of Electrical and ComputerEngineering. I have shown in the classroom, how o Acknowledgement:the measurements of Resonant frequency ‘𝑓! ′, the I wish to thank the administration ofQuality factor ‘Q’ are of paramount importance in UMASS-Lowell as well as the administration ofdesigning and testing Bulk Acoustic Wave Analog Devices Inc. and Skyworks Solutions for(BAW) filters, a research project I was involved at supporting me in this endeavor. I want toSkyworks Solutions for seven years. At the

Conference Session

Engineering Physics Technical Session 2

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christos Zahopoulos PhD, Northeastern University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

University.This course aspires to teach students the fundamental scientific Principles that underlie allengineering disciplines. The author of this article is the co-author of the book whose title is thesame as the name as the course and which was published by Cambridge University Press inAugust of 2015. This course is part of the Gordon Engineering Leadership Program atNortheastern University. The Gordon Engineering Leadership Program, the last year recipient ofthe National Academy of Engineering Gordon Prize for innovation in engineering education, hasthe goal of fostering the development of engineers who have the rare and highly-prized ability tolead an engineering project all the way from concept to a marketable product.This lack of depth of

Conference Session

Engineering Physics Technical Session 4

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)

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

., Allain, R. J., et al. The student centered activities for large enrollment undergraduate programs (SCALE-UP) Project. In Research-Based Reform of University Physics. (2007).11. G. Zavala, A. Domínguez & R. Rodríguez. ACE: Innovative educational model for teaching physics and mathematics to engineering students. Proceedings of the 120th ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition. Atlanta, GA: Washington, DC: ASEE. (2013).12. H. M. Doerr & L. D. English. A Modeling perspective on students' mathematical reasoning about data. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 34 (2), 110-136. (2003).13. F. Reif,. Teaching problem solving - A scientific approach. The Physics Teacher, 310-316. (1981).

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

material panels, and tires. She has also worked on numer- ous projects to create advanced engineering design and learning environments which include multimodal user interfaces for space systems. As Vice President of Information Technology, Peters Peters directs the development of advanced virtual reality applications, including scientific visualization applications and web-based multimedia education/training applications.Prof. Riham M. Mahfouz, Thomas Nelson Community College Riham Mahfouz is the Department Head of the Chemistry Department at the Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC), where she teaches and serves as course coordinator for the following courses: prepara- tory chemistry, organic chemistry, and online

Conference Session

Physics Poster Session

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer Rose Annoni, University of St. Thomas; Adam S. Green, University of St. Thomas; Marie Lopez del Puerto, University of Saint Thomas

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

undergraduate physics and engi- neering students on research projects in physical optics, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary applications of polarimetry.Dr. Marie Lopez del Puerto, University of Saint Thomas Marie Lopez del Puerto completed her B.S. in physics at Universidad de las Americas, Puebla, in Puebla, Mexico, and her Ph.D. in physics at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, in Minneapolis, Minn. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Physics Department at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. Her research interests include the structural, optical and electronic properties of nanoscale systems, computational physics, and physics and engineering education

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Physics or Engineering Physics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Ross, University of Detroit Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

activitycan provide a valuable context to incorporate state-of-the-art research topics in nanotechnologyinto the undergraduate curriculum. The activity is interdisciplinary in the sense that conceptsfrom physics, chemistry, and engineering are introduced. We performed this activity in twotypes of physics courses; several sections of a second semester general physics laboratory andalso a junior level course for electrical and computer engineers, Solid State Device Physics (PHY3680). The student responses were overwhelmingly positive and it was apparent that they wereenthusiastic about participating in a project involving state-of-the-art research. Even withouthaving access to expensive fabrication equipment, students were able to produce a

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Physics or Engineering Physics II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adrian Ieta, State University of New York, Oswego; Alex Pantaleev, State University of New York, Oswego; Carolina C. Ilie, State University of New York, Oswego

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

AC 2011-607: AN EVALUATION OF THE ”JUST IN TIME TEACHING”METHOD ACROSS DISCIPLINESAdrian Ieta, State University of New York at Oswego Adrian Ieta (M’99) received the B.Sc. degree in physics from the University of Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania, in 1984, the B.E.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from the ”Politehnica” University of Timisoara, Timisoara, in 1992, and the M.E.Sc. degree and the Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering from The University of the Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada, in 1999 and 2004, re- spectively. He was with the Applied Electrostatics Research Centre and the Digital Electronics Research Group, The University of Western Ontario, where he worked on industrial projects and

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching and Research in Physics or Engineering Physics I

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Teresa L. Larkin, American University; Jessica Uscinski, American University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

. They essentially describe the intended scope and expected results of ateaching activity, course, or program. Goals express intended outcomes in general terms andobjectives express them in specific terms2. A learning outcome refers to a statement thatdescribes what the learner is to have achieved and can reasonably and reliably demonstrate bythe end of a teaching activity, course, or program.Measures to assess student learning typically fall into one of two categories: direct or indirect.A direct measure is one that “directly” evaluates student learning3. Direct measures include theuse of actual student work and include items such as an  exam or quiz,  class assignment, project, report, etc.  work-related task,  interaction

Conference Session

Programmatic Issues in Engineering Physics

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonathan Bougie, American University; Philip Johnson, American University; Nathan Harshman, American University; Teresa Larkin, American University; Michael Black, American University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

introductory computer science. We include this requirementfor several reasons. First, it means that all graduating physics students know sufficientrudimentary programming to model experiments on computers. Second, by exposing physicsstudents to programming, the course has the potential to spark their interest in computationalphysics. Physics students constitute a significant portion of the enrollment in the introduction tocomputer science course, and the course is being partially adapted to this audience. Theseadaptations include recent student projects in modeling a physical system, and plans to teachMATLAB programming as well as Java in future offerings of this course.h. AU physics student feedbackIn addition to the above considerations, student

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Physics or Engineering Phy

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Kohlmyer, Georgia Institute of Technology; Michael Schatz, Georgia Institute of Technology; Richard Catrambone, Georgia Institute of Technology; Marcus Marr, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

course write programs in the VPython computer language which apply a discrete form of the momentum principle iteratively through simple Euler integration. In this way, freshman and sophomores can study systems that would be too complex or impossible to do so analytically. Computer modeling also reinforces the theme that the same small number of principles can be used to predict a wide variety of behaviors. The VPython models also produce 3D graphics that enable visualization of complex phenomena.Matter & Interactions is currently used at several large U.S. institutions. The efforts toimplement M&I at Georgia Tech are part of a larger collaborative project with researchers atNorth Carolina State

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Physics or Engineering Physics

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Radian Belu, Drexel University; Alexandru Belu, Case Western Reserve University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

, mathematics and computing are shown inFigure 1.Figure 1 The definition of computational science and engineering.Each module has three main components: lecture(s), which are part of physics or engineering courses;CAS solved related-examples; work groups and home-works. In the lecture(s), the theory is presentedand examples of typical and/or real life problems are worked out using the facilities of the CAS. Duringthe work groups, typically during the tutoring session, small groups or individual students are assigned aset of problems to solve. Students are expected to solve additional problems and to study the course text.The project total workload for a term course is about 80 hours for the average student. The main aim ofthe courses and the CAS-based

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

showsthat the metrology-based modular approach of teaching undergraduate E&M is achieving theintended goals. The triply redundant flow/flux coverage of the vector-calculus module, theANSYS® modeling module and the Matlab® field visualization GUIs are very popular with thestudents. These modules have succeeded in helping the students visualize and analyze real fieldsin practical applications as well as providing the graduates with industry recognized E&M skills.The main detractors of the modular approach are the costs and space associated with establishingan E&M laboratory. Hence support, via CCLI grant or corporate donations, is necessary forfunding the complete E&M laboratory. The projected cost for implementing the

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching and Research in Physics or Engineering Physics I

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Polin Yadak, Cañada College; Amelito G Enriquez, Canada College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

semester long courses and give them an opportunity to see the result of theirhard work in few weeks.The results of Summer Physics Jam as well as students’ requests encouraged Cañada College tooffer a short Mini Physics Jam during the break before spring semester to improve students’mathematics skills for physics.The ultimate goal of Physics Jam is to be a program by which community college students gainenough physics and mathematics knowledge for their physics classes and increase students’success in STEM education.AcknowledgementsThis project was supported by a grant from the US Department of Education through theHispanic-Serving Institution Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program (HSISTEM, Award No. P031C110159).Bibliographic

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching and Research in Physics or Engineering Physics I

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Mark Scaife, University of Wisconsin-Platteville; Andrew F Heckler, Ohio State University

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Engineering Physics & Physics

currently serving as the Interim Director of Digital Content for Physics, Engineering, and Computer Science at McGraw-Hill Higher Education.Andrew F Heckler, Ohio State University Andrew F. Heckler is an Associate Professor of Physics at Ohio State University. His original area of research was in Cosmology and Astrophysics. In the past nine years, he has focused on Physics Edu- cation Research, studying fundamental learning mechanisms involved in learning physics, the effects of representation on learning and problem solving, and the evolution of physics understanding during and after a physics course. As part of the education component of an NSF MRSEC center, he is also leading a project to identify and address student

Conference Session

Programmatic Issues in Physics or Engineering Physics

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Teresa Larkin, American University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

, students are able to perform a number of interactive, hands-on,investigative activities. While this approach has been ongoing at American University for thepast decade, many other universities are now seeing the benefits of an integrated, active-learningformat for introductory physics instruction [25]. Numerous interactive projects have been developed for the PNM course. For example,students explore the topics of electricity & magnetism by constructing electric circuits andbuilding their own individual battery-operated motors. Students also dissect an incandescentbulb and learn how a 3-way bulb is configured. Figure 1 shows a typical scene during the