This study investigated student difficulties reading equipotential diagrams and the effect a visual change to these diagrams had on students' ability to interpret these diagrams. Equipotential diagrams are often drawn with a uniform line thickness and color. We modified the equipotential diagrams to use color variation and line thickness to indicate the sign and strength of the potential. These changes, which are consistent with theories of visual attention and grounded cognition, exploit students' innate ability to perceive color and line thickness variations to communicate the electric potential. Students compared electric potentials between indicated points on given traditional or modified diagrams. Results show that these students, even after instruction, responded with a distance only electric potential rule. In addition, we found that the modified diagrams did not have the predicted positive effect on students' ability to rank electric potentials; we suspect this is because students' rule for electric potential did not account for charge sign.

This study investigated the impact of an instructional reform on student scientific reasoning skills and general attitudes toward science. The intervention was administered via eight 5-7 minute videos during lab. Each video consisted of an explanation of its targeted concept, a hands-on demo with observations and YouTube clips highlighting the topic being discussed. While viewing the videos, students were required to answer specific questions testing their comprehension of the concepts and the scientific reasoning being displayed. Lawson's Scientific Reasoning Test was administered to assess improvement in student scientific reasoning skills, and the CLASS was used to assess changes in student attitudes towards science. Pre and Post-test results are compared for a control semester and a semester with this new teaching method. Results show that this video intervention, which took students about two hours in total to complete, significantly improved students' science reasoning skills and their attitudes towards science.

Results from a multi-semester study of the effects of eight supplemental laboratory activities in a general education physics course will be presented. A total of two control and three treatment semesters were studied. The results allowed comparison between expert-like attitudes measured by the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) and scientific reasoning skills measured by Lawson's Classroom Test of Science Reasoning. Correlation of the pre/posttest CLASS scores and posttest Lawson scores found no relationship between the scores. Both student attitudes and scientific reasoning skills showed improvement, relative to a control semester, for the first semester the intervention was applied. In subsequent semesters, improved scientific reasoning skills continued to be observed, but not improvement in students' scientific attitudes. A detailed comparison of the CLASS and Lawson scores are presented along with a discussion of implications for instruction given this apparent decoupling of expert-like attitudes and reasoning skills.

We report on the conversion of a general education sophomore-level astronomy course from traditional lecture-based methods to a more active-learning course. The course was reworked into an active-learning environment through the addition of concept-oriented group worksheets, hands-on experimental activities, and planetarium-based lessons. We reflect on the process of this transition and report on factors that led to the adoption of active learning, factors that supported the change, and barriers faced while implementing this change. We compare and contrast these findings with other case studies of instructional change and theories of adoption. In addition, student learning pre to post was measured with the TOAST and LPCI, and qualitative data was collected in the form of 35-minute semi-structured interviews with each student to investigate student learning, attitudes, and perceptions of the course as a whole.

Student issues with understanding electric potential and interpreting diagrams were explored in a prior study. The prior study showed equipotential diagram modifications of line thickness and color significantly increased student gaze times at the diagrams without increasing correctness. Students' inattention to electric charge sign and its role in electric potential was a major issue. This study implemented further modifications, based on theories of visual attention and affordance, to electric potential diagrams to increase visual salience of charge sign. Students ranked electric potentials for points on traditional or modified diagrams. Pre-and posttest comparisons and interview results showed training with modified diagrams produced correctness gains of 21% compared with gains of 11% for training with traditional diagrams, and improvement of 36% in application of a conditional rule including charge sign compared with the prior study. In-person training combined with modified diagrams yielded highest pre to post gains of 27%.