United States

We developed and validated a Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) on Mach-Zehnder Interferometer with single photons to expose upper-level students in quantum mechanics courses to contemporary applications. The QuILT strives to help students develop the ability to apply fundamental quantum principles to physical situations and explore differences between classical and quantum ideas. The QuILT adapts visualization tools to help students build physical intuition about quantum phenomena and focuses on helping them integrate qualitative and quantitative understandings. Findings will be presented from in-class implementation of the research-validated QuILT. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.

AAPT WM 21

Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial on Mach-Zehnder Interferometer with Single Photons

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mach-zehnder interferometer

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The 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting brought together physics educators from around the globe to learn about the latest in physics theory, research methodology and education from leaders in their field. The program featured plenary speakers, sessions, workshops and many special activities.

For more information please visit the 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting page at: https://www.aapt.org/Conferences/SM2020/index.cfm.


AAPT SM 20

The 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting brought together physics educators from around the globe to learn about the latest in physics theory, research methodology and education from leaders in their field. 

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AAPT® is a strong professional physics science society dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in physical science education.

Winter and Summer National Meetings:
These National Meetings, held each winter and summer, are opportunities for members, colleagues, and future physicists from around the world to:

- participate in physics workshops
- meet and greet other physics educators
- form networks nationally and locally
- engage exhibitors and learn about the latest physics resources
- discuss innovations in teaching methods
- share the results of research about teaching and learning.

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All measurements used in education should be fair, reliable and valid. Psychometrics is the field of study that concerns itself with the development of these measurements. Specifically psychometricians develop theories of measurement of both the development of instrument assessing individuals’ skills, abilities, attitudes and educational knowledge, as well as the general test theory behind said development. Psychometrics should guide the development of all measurements undertaken as part of education including classroom tests, quizzes and any other quantitative data collected as part of normal courses as well as the research-based assessments, such as conceptual learning assessment instruments (RbCLAIs). Unfortunately, the theory and methods of psychometrics are not well known or understood.&nbsp; In this poster, I will present the basics of psychometrics as well as common misunderstandings of the psychometrics involved in the development of RBCLAIs.&nbsp;

What Physics Education Researchers Needs to Know About Psychometrics

&nbsp;Most students find difficulty in visualizing 3D concepts in physics courses. Some of these include torque, circular motion, and moment of inertia. A solution to this issue is to present these concepts in augmented reality to allow for better visualization of them. The augmented reality activities presented in this project were created by a team of undergraduate physics and computer science students using the software Unity and the Merge Cube. We present a systematic process of creating and improving specialized apps that can be utilized in a classroom environment.

Developing Augmented Reality Modules to Teach Torque

This poster will showcase one of our Interactive video-enhanced tutorials (IVETs). IVETs involve web-based activities that lead students through a solution using expert-like problem-solving approaches. Under NSF funding we have developed and evaluated multiple IVETs for use with college students in introductory physics. This presentation will showcase one of our IVETs, namely Torque and Rotation, and provide details about its design features, which involve multimedia principles of learning and research on human learning and memory. The&nbsp;IVET’s impact on student problem-solving abilities will also be shared.

Impact of Torque and Rotation Tutorial on Student Problem-Solving Abilities

I describe the sequential development of an animated Desmos visualization of the wave-interference from two point-sources. Starting with static wavefronts with tunable parameters, I compute the superposition to obtain an interference pattern in the plane. I then introduce a screen where I compute the instantaneous waveform and power, then the time-averaged power. Along the way, I’ll share some Desmos tricks I learned in the process. &nbsp;

Using Desmos for Interactive Visualizations of Physics: Wave-Interference

In our algebra-based introductory physics sequence, we have exams that consist of multiple choice and traditional math problems. Students were able to solve the math problems as well as expected, but found multiple choice questions to be more challenging. Students often asked for an optimal way to study for these questions, but we weren’t sure how to answer. So we set out to investigate how students were studying for these exams and how those study habits changed as they progressed through the course. After three years of data collection, we have insight into the ways students prepare for introductory physics exams, how they perceive these study methods to have affected their exam scores, and the study methods actual exam helpfulness. Our hope is to help our current students succeed in the course by introducing them to study methods that have shown to be effective in the past.

Determining the Affect That Study Methods Have on Exam Scores

We employed a student-centered approach to examining the impact of physics outreach on female undergraduate and graduate student volunteers. We conducted a series of interviews with current and former female students who facilitated physics outreach programs at Texas A&amp;M University. We focused on how the individual experience of these students related to their formation of physics identity, recognition, and self-efficacy. We also report on the development of soft skills gained through outreach opportunities and their link to increases in motivation, confidence, and self-perceptions of becoming more expert in the field.

Empowering Women in Physics: Forming Identity Through Outreach and Engagement

We conducted a series of multiple linear regressions to examine the predictive ability of race on introductory mechanics final exam scores when controlling for ACT math scores and physics placement test scores. When we followed a common method of categorizing students as URMs and non-URMS for our analysis, we found that students who earned comparable scores on the ACT math test and the physics placement test performed similarly on the final exam. However, when we established separate groups for Non-Hispanic White American, Asian American, African American, Hispanic, International, Multi-Race, AIAN, and NHPI students, we found that African American and Asian American students, and to a lesser extent, Hispanic students, under-performed in their physics course relative to their prior test scores. We conclude that there is still work to be done at the university level to provide a learning environment supportive of students of all backgrounds.

URM Grouping Hides Struggles of Black and Asian American Students

As part of a larger project to develop a written instrument to evaluate pedagogical content knowledge(PCK), we are observing classroom interactions between students and student assistants. When observing student assistants, two coding schemes emerged. The first coding scheme was developed to describe the student assistant’s ability to guide students through a requested task. The second coding scheme was developed to describe the ability of the student assistant to help students work through their own thought development process. In my poster I will present the two coding schemes, go over the similarities/differences and discuss the future plans for the schemes. The two coding schemes will be used to help design the written PCK instrument.

Development of Classroom-Interaction Coding Schemes for PCK Assessment

As our lives have taken a sharp turn to the unknown, we have been forced to a stop. In this time of uncertainty, we have an opportunity to reflect on our learning goals and how we engage students for meaningful learning. We are currently extending the accumulation of research in physics education which focuses on instruction practices and the mismatch between theory and implementation. We are collecting course syllabi from undergraduate instructors who teach all levels of physics courses. Syllabi are being analyzed for aspects of learner-centered philosophy and practices to help understand how the shift in instructors’ intentions is reflected to students. Please contribute if you have taught physics in the last decade! This work will shed light on the current state of instructional practices within the US. Next we will be interviewing select instructors to gain a better understanding of the difficulties encountered while implementing research-based instructional strategies.

Lost In Translation: Reflecting on the Communication of Instructional Philosophy

Asynchronous learning has produced challenges to developing technical work of physics students. Building circuits from modules that can be utilized in remote learning is a method for which educators have mandated students to purchase. This paper utilizes a similar notion of creating modules with limiting the components to differential amplifiers, inverting amplifiers, and push-pull circuits. Specifically making components from LM741 operational amplifier or general purpose components engages students with replaceable components to create active circuits for a distributable experiment. Vacuum tubes utilize the same physical principles as Langmuir probes and are ideal for compact plasma experiments in conjunction with the active circuit modules. Developing active probe circuits is a method for which the technical aspect of physics research can be taught in an asynchronous learning environment.

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What Physics Education Researchers Needs to Know About Psychometrics

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Development and validation of an Interactive Tutorial on Mach-Zehnder Interferometer with Single Photons