Physics Education Research

Working Session

August 9-10, 1997

University of Denver

Business Administration Building, Rooms 115 & 116

Last update of schedule August 7, 1997

 

Members of the physics education research community will gather two days before the Summer Meeting of AAPT to discuss issues related to conducting research about how students learn physics. The working session will emphasize the methods of research, education of graduate students and future directions for researchers in this field of physics.

 

Saturday, August 9

10 am

Registration

Poster session of research projects. Posters are limited to those research efforts which are assessing student learning of topics which are normally taught in physics and astronomy courses at any academic level.
  Lunch  
 

1:00 pm

Opening Plenary Session

Welcome & Logistics: Dean Zollman (10 min)

The context of this PER session: Joe Redish

Panel discussion on what other disciplines can contribute to physics education research
Joe Redish (cognitive science), Jacqueline Spears (reliability and validity), Bob Beichner (science education), Pat Heller (Factor Analysis)

 

3:00

Break

 

3:45

Education of a PER grad student
Bob Fuller, Ian Johnston, Lillian McDermott, Steve Kanim, Kathy Andre, Michael Wittmann, Rebecca Lindell Adrian

 

5:30

Dinner Break

 

7:00

Cracker Barrel session on present research. Only grad students and post-docs may make presentations. (2 transparencies, assuming we have an overhead.)
Wine and Cheese if we can afford Marriott's prices.

Sunday, August 10

9:00 AM

Building a concept inventory: How to you make one that 'works'? (and what do we mean by 'works'?)
Pat Heller, Ian Johnston, David Maloney, Alan van Heuvelen

Sunday, August 10

10:00 AM

The multiple choice format of the FCI: Is it a factor?
Sanjay Rebello, Richard Steinberg, Stamatis Vokos
 

10:30

Break

 

10:50

Qualitative Research Methods I

Evaluating the utility of a multiple choice test
Bob Beichner

Using Classroom Observation Protocols,
Kirsten Hogg, Larry Escalada

 

12:00

Lunch

 

1:15pm

Qualitative Research Methods II
An example of research-based curriculum development
Paula Heron & Peter Shaffer

 

3:15 PM

Break

 

3:30 PM

Publishing your Research Results

Various Avenues to Publication
Robert Beichner & Robert Fuller

The New Journal, timeline, etc
Joe Redish & Lillian McDermott

 

4:30

Adjourn