1. Bridging the Gap Between Physics 33 & Math 14
Maribeth Oscamou
Norm Paris
Math & CS Department

2. The Gap
Math 14 (Multivariable Calculus) and Physics 33 (Physics for Science & Engineers III) cover many connected topics
Neither is a prerequisite for the other and many students take them concurrently
Some of the math needed in Physics 33 isn’t covered until end of the quarter in Math 14 or at all
Differences in notation make the connections difficult for students to realize

3. Our Idea
Created 5 Math & Physics video modules (administered through Camino) bridging content
Used iPad app (Explain Everything) for the videos
Each module consisted of:
1-2 videos (less than 10 minutes each)
5 questions (comprehension and feedback)
Offered as extra credit in Fall 2014 in 3 sections of Math 14

4. Questions of Interest
Will students’ motivation or interest in Math and Physics change when they better understand their connection through these modules?
Will students’ comprehension of Physics 33 and Math 14 improve when they better understand their connection through these modules?

5. Student Participation
70 students completed 1 or more module and 27 of these completed all 5 modules.
On average, 50 students completed the questions in any given module.

6. Impact on Students’ Reported Motivation
We asked students the following question (on a 5 pt scale):
“This video provided me with useful connections between Math 14 and Physics 33”
Results by Module:
Module 1 mean: /- 0.76
Module 2 mean: /- 0.69
Module 3 mean: /- 0.82
Module 4 mean: /- 0.68
Module 5 mean: /- 0.74
5 pt scale
1 – Strongly Disagree
2 – Disagree
3 – Undecided
4 – Agree
5 - Strongly Agree
5 point scale:
5 – Strongly Agree
4 – Agree
3 – Undecided
2 – Disagree
1 – Strongly Disagree

7. Impact on Students’ Reported Motivation
On the final module, we asked students questions regarding all modules:
“Overall these 5 Math/Physics modules increased my motivation to learn and understand the math topics in Math 14”
Results: /- 0.70
“Overall these 5 Math/Physics modules increased my motivation to learn and understand the physics topics covered in Physics 33”
Results: /- 0.97

8. Impact on Students’ Comprehension
Analyzed comprehension in 2 ways:
Student feedback
Comprehension questions in each module
1 multiple choice question
1 more challenging comprehension question requiring students to upload supporting work

9. Impact on Students’ Comprehension
Student Feedback:
We asked students the following question (on same 5 pt scale):
“The topics covered in this video were explained clearly.”
Results: Average for all 5 modules was /- 0.67
Comprehension Questions
Students earned on average 60/100 on comprehension questions

10. Student Participation
Videos from these modules were also offered to students in 2 sections of Physics 33 in Fall 2014, so we’re unable to distinguish which of these views were from students in our Math 14 sections

11. Student Suggestions for Improvement
3 most common suggestions:
Provide more examples
Create easier comprehension questions
Alter the timing of Math 14 & Physics 33 so that there is more of an overlap between the two courses

12. New Changes in Math Calculus Sequence
Math & CS Department STEM committee met with members of all STEM departments to get feedback on topics in calculus sequence used in their discipline
As a result, Math & CS Department just approved a proposal to change both the topics and the order of topics covered in the Calculus sequence
Proposed changes result in better syncing and coverage of topics needed and used in Physics 33
Also compiled a list of sample/application problems of calculus applied in other disciplines

13. Future Use of Modules
Videos and comprehension questions are openly available to any interested faculty member who would like to use them
Questions used in the modules provide potential HW or in-class questions to show applications of calculus in physics