Conference Session

Programmatic Issues in Physics or Engineering Physics

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Teresa Larkin, American University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

related to the peer-review versus instructor-reviewportions of the writing activity. In addition, a summary the effectiveness of incorporating awriting strategy(s) into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classroomswill be shared.II. THE PHYSICS FOR A NEW MILLENNIUM COURSE AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY The writing strategy to be described is used within an introductory level physics course fornon-science majors at American University. The course is entitled Physics for a NewMillennium (PNM) and is a second-tier course in the Natural Sciences portion of the GeneralEducation core. Prior to enrolling in PNM, students have typically taken the first-levelfoundation course in physics. In addition, American University offers a unique

Conference Session

Programmatic Issues in Physics or Engineering Physics

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Baha Jassemnejad, University of Central Oklahoma; Tim A Handy, University of Central Oklahoma; Scott L Murphy, University of Central Oklahoma; Evan C Lemley, University of Central Oklahoma

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

. Brewster, C.; Fager, J., “Student Mentoring,” Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory’sInformation Services pp 1-53, 1998.2. Matthew, S.; Jace A,; Donlad H.; Terri F., “Work in Progress -Implementing a Freshman Mentor thProgram,” Frontiers in Education Conference, 38 Annual pp. F2H-1/F2H-2, 2008.3. Matthew, S.; Donald, H.; Terri, F.; “Work in Progress – Improving Self-Efficacy with a Freshman thMentor Program,” Frontiers in Education Conference, 38 Annual pp. F3D-5/F3D-6, 2008.4. Sash, R.; Detloff, H.; Chen, B.; Grandgenett, N.; Duran,, D., “Work in Progress – Retention of

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

. The applied method didsupport collaboration among students, although not to the extent initially intended. It maybe possible that smaller student cells would generate more Blackboard discussions andcollaborations than were presently noticed. However, the benefits of the reportedexperiment greatly outweighed the challenges introduced by the method. We are hopeful Page 14.1113.8that or experience may be beneficial to others in the field, although small innovations andadjustments to the general characteristics of the class are always needed.7. References1. Blackboard: http://www.blackboard.com/2. Lo, J., Gregg, M., Waldron, S., and Robinson, R

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

; Exposition, Pittsburgh, PA (2008).7. This information is available at the College Board’s website http://www.collegeboard.com. The 5th Annual AP® Report to the Nation, http://www.collegeboard.com/html/aprtn/pdf/ap_report_to_the_nation.pdf http://www.collegeboard.com/html/aprtn/pdf/ap_report_to_the_nation_raw_numbers_app_c.pdf. http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/ap/about8. Saul Geiser and Veronica Santelices. The Role of Advanced Placement and Honors Courses in College Admissions. Berkeley: University of California, 2004. http://repositories.cdlib.org/cshe/CSHE-4-04/9. Dougherty, C., Mellor, L., & Jian, S. (2006). The relationship between Advanced Placement and college graduation. (National Center for Educational

Conference Session

Programmatic Issues in Physics or Engineering Physics

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Reagan Curtis, West Virginia University; Braxton Lewis, West Virginia University; Wathiq Abdul-Razzaq, West Virginia University; Gary Winn, West Virginia University; Robin Hensel, West Virginia University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

students identify their own misconceptions.* Acknowledgement and Disclaimer: Page 14.1103.2“This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0525484. Any opinions, findings,and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the viewsof the National Science Foundation.”The pedagogical challenge for physics instructors is clear. Students come with pervasive deep-rooted misconceptions about how the most foundational physics principles work. Traditionalapproaches to moving students beyond these misconceptions

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