Distance Learning Labs for Introductory Physics Using IOLab Erik Jensen Chemeketa Community College David Sokoloff University of Oregon Erik Bodegom Portland State University

Outline Pre-test Other approaches to online physics My work through 2016 NSF grant to develop IOLab Future work Post-test Q&A

The lectures I give (or attend) are based on physics education research (PER) Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree

The labs I teach (or attend) are based on physics education research (PER) Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree

Online physics is … an opportunity to expand access. a scam to make money for colleges or instructors. a scam to provide easy grades for students. impossible; labs cannot be done. dangerous; students will injure themselves or burn down their houses during labs.

Other approaches to online physics labs

No Lab! University of Wisconsin Brigham Young University

Hybrid State University New York Rio Salado College University of North Dakota

Commercial Kits Ocean Community College Columbus State Community College

Virtual North Carolina State University Parkland Community College

Remote Texas A&M, Kingsville Lots in Europe

BS Portland State University 1999 MS Oregon State University 2003 Education BS Portland State University 1999 MS Oregon State University 2003 Work at Chemeketa Community College Algebra-based physics on campus 2001-present Algebra-based physics online 2005-present Calculus-based physics on campus 2001-2016 First exposure to PER was teaching for Dr. Krane (influenced by McDermott and Manogue)

My Labs Custom lab kits (Cynmar, hardware store) about $100/term Done at home Few differences with campus-based No injuries to date

Textbook, Lectures, Homework, Exams Knight, Jones, Field, 1st edition ($10) MIT Open Courseware (free) MasteringPhysics homework ($60/year) Proctored essay exams (usually free)

Online compared to campus-based has … Higher retention Same retention Lower retention Depends

Campus-Based PH201 Retention

Online PH201 Retention

Online compared to campus-based has … higher FCI normalized gains similar FCI normalized gains lower FCI normalized gains depends

Online compared to campus-based is … higher percent female same percent female lower percent female depends

Physics compared to other sciences has… more online classes and students similar number of online classes and students fewer online classes and students

Problem: Availability This is a survey I did of 4 state universities and 6 community colleges in western Oregon. Less than 10% of colleges offering introductory physics provide even one such course online, often due to the perception that lab cannot be done properly. A. M. Reagan, “Online Introductory Physics Labs: Status and Methods,” Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, Spring 2012, pp. 31-46

Problem: Cost of lab Campus-based: Thousands of $ eScience Labs: $198/semester LabPaq: ≈$147/semester Chemeketa Community College (custom kits): $350/year These costs are in addition to tuition, fees, books, and online homework eScience lab costs are from their website. LabPaq is from Columbus State University Bookstore.

Problem Lack of research validation for lab Online physics is expensive, unavailable, and of uncertain quality Little research has been done on physics lab effectiveness. Some evidence suggests that traditional labs (even campus-based) are ineffective. Measuring the impact of an instructional laboratory on the learning of introductory physics Carl Wieman and N. G. Holmes Citation: American Journal of Physics 83, 972 (2015); doi: 10.1119/1.4931717

Good Women taking online physics Roughly equal performance on FCI compared to campus-based Equivalent labs can be done Bad Retention Cost Lack of availability Lack of research on lab component

Solution Combine RealTime Physics and the IOLab

RealTime Physics Active and discovery-based lab learning Real time graphical data collection Research validated

RealTime Physics Active and discovery-based lab learning Real time graphical data collection Research validated But… Not practical for distance education RealTime physics is great, but it cannot be duplicated online in its current form due to expense

IOLab www.iolab.science Wheels with optical encoder to measure position, velocity, and acceleration Force sensor Light intensity sensor Atmospheric pressure sensor Microphone Temperature sensor 3D accelerometer 3D magnetometer 3D gyroscope More www.iolab.science Versatile and cheap enough for students to buy or rent, currently $100. Perhaps $10 in additional equipment such as rubber bands and string.

Completed Work Modified RealTime Physics labs and wrote entirely new labs (mechanics only) Tested on campus and online at Portland State and Chemeketa winter, summer, and fall of 2016 Continuous revision

Labs Introduction to IOLab and Software Introduction to Motion Changing Motion Force and Motion Two-Dimensional Motion (Using video analysis with Tracker) Impulse and Momentum Work and Energy Rotational Motion Simple Harmonic Motion Lab instructions written in html and fairly easy to do, albeit a bit tedious. Students click through a series of interactive slides.

Prediction Instructions are to give the IOLab a quick shove up a ramp, then allow it to roll up and down.

This is what students would see using the normal IOLab software This is what students would see using the normal IOLab software. Instructions and questions were on pencil and paper.

“Lesson Player” Split Screen Directions and questions are on the left while graphs are on the right. Graphs selected and axes can be controlled by the programmer (html)

Focus on Relevant Parts of Graph Lesson player allows instructions and questions to be place on the left side of the screen. It also simplifies the data collection by specifying which variables are graphed and the limits of the axes.

Analysis and Reflection Students complete their work and upload it to the learning management system such as Blackboard.

Validation: Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE) Results are slightly better than traditional lab. It is hard to discern a signal from lab alone.

FMCE at Portland State Summer 2016 Summer 2016 25 Selected questions from FMCE

25 Question FMCE. PSU is mixed calc and algebra-based 25 Question FMCE. PSU is mixed calc and algebra-based. Chemeketa is algebra-based. N = 44, 33, 21, and 23. PSU assignment for control vs IOLab was random while online was not.

Other Outcomes Attitude surveys indicate a positive view of the experience with the IOLab and software Online challenges students and instructors: tech support and asynchronous interaction Students can focus on the graphs and the motion of the IOLab. Students needn’t redraw graphs on paper.

Certain Future Work Continuous revision Additional lab on Newton’s laws Test again at Portland State and Chemeketa summer and fall of 2017 E-CLASS lab attitudes survey

Possible Future Work Adaptive learning Publish lab manual or software bundled with IOLab and accessories Develop labs for sound, optics, circuits, electricity, magnetism Open-source text and homework

Online physics is … an opportunity to expand access. a scam to make money for colleges or instructors. a scam to provide easy grades for students. impossible; labs cannot be done, or at least done well. dangerous; students will injure themselves or burn down their homes during labs.

Thanks Mats Selen, Professor, University of Illinois Geoffroy Piroux, Programmer, MacMillan Paul Ivanov, Nicholas Jones, and other students, Chemeketa Community College Wiley and MacMillan NSF DUE–1505086 Distance Learning Labs for Introductory Physics

www.paleofuture.com/blog/2007/9/10/french-prints-show-the-year-2000-1910.html