Instructor approaches to teaching computational physics problems in problem-based courses

ORAL

Abstract

Increasingly, introductory physics courses are focusing on “authentic practices”, for example, by including computational problems that allow students to engage with programming practices and numerical problem-solving methods used by physicists. Understanding how instructors teach such problems is important for improving instruction. We interviewed instructors in a problem-based mechanics course that incorporates computational problems. These instructors were undergraduates who were previously successful as students in the course. Their prior involvement as students, along with their fewer experiences with programming and physics compared to faculty instructors, give them a unique perspective on teaching in the course. We present here thematic analysis of these interviews.

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Authors

  • Alanna Pawlak

    Michigan State University

  • Paul Irving

    National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA, Univ of Michigan - Ann Arbor, 15611860790, Michigan State University, Western Michigan University, Kent State University, University of St Andrews, University of Baghdad, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green Ohio, USA, Bowling Green State Univ, Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate, Saginaw Valley State University Physics Department

  • Paul Irving

    National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA, Univ of Michigan - Ann Arbor, 15611860790, Michigan State University, Western Michigan University, Kent State University, University of St Andrews, University of Baghdad, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green Ohio, USA, Bowling Green State Univ, Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate, Saginaw Valley State University Physics Department