Lab instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic: Effects on student views about experimental physics in comparison with previous years

Fox, Michael F. J.; Hoehn, Jessica R.; Werth, Alexandra; Lewandowski, H. J.

doi:10.1103/physrevphyseducres.17.010148

Cited by 32 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The students who began their studies in 2020 also demonstrated similarly high levels of expert-like views at the beginning of their studies, but their results deteriorated during a year of remote learning, showing a systematic decrease in expert-like answers and an increase in non-expert-like answers. This result is not surprising but it is in direct contrast to previous results that showed no change in the students' views on experimental physics after emergency remote teaching [22]. Similarly in a study conducted before the pandemic, there were no differences in attitudes between students in in-person and online physics laboratory teaching [37].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 76%

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Ongoing effects of pandemic-imposed learning disruption on student attitudes

Hynninen¹,

Pesonen²,

Lintu³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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We present a study on the development of Finnish first-year physics majors' attitudes towards physics, as measured by the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey, before, during and after the period of mandatory remote learning due to the coronavirus pandemic. We find that in the years before the pandemic, these attitudes did not change, but the period of extended remote learning due to the pandemic had a negative effect on the students' expert-like views. Similarly, the students who experienced the remote learning period in high school displayed a lower level of expert-like thinking as they entered university. As contact teaching resumed, moderate positive gains were seen, bridging some but not all of the gap in student attitudes left by the pandemic.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 76%

“…However, research on epistemological impacts is almost absent. Only few studies have looked into the changes in students' attitudes towards physics during the pandemic * teemu.hynninen@utu.fi [22,23]. Much of the covid-related research is also focusing on younger students, while higher education level is getting less attention.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ongoing effects of pandemic-imposed learning disruption on student attitudes

Hynninen¹,

Pesonen²,

Lintu³

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Regarding physics courses, Wilcox and Vignal 8 reported mixed student perception of remote learning, and lack of study space and campus resource as the most prominent challenges. Fox et al 9 found no differences in overall E-CLASS scores, with two questions showing a significant pre-post shift towards the more expert-like direction. Klein et al 10 found an overall positive attitude towards distance learning, but also reported that students faced difficulties keeping up with the usual pace of learning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Analyzing the Heterogeneous Impact of Remote Learning on Students' Ability to Stay on Track During the Pandemic

Chen,

Zhang

2021

Preprint

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This study investigates how remote learning due to the COVID pandemic impacts students' ability to keep up with the pace of instruction in a university level physics course, with a focus on the heterogeneous impact of remote learning on different demographic groups. Student learning data is collected from 70 online learning modules assigned as both online homework and self-study material in both Fall 2020 and Spring 2020 semesters, with the first 41 modules being assigned before campus closure in Spring 2020. Students' ability to stay on track is measured by three data indicators: percentage of modules submitted before the due date, percentage of modules submitted early for extra credit, and percentage of modules properly engaged with. The student population is divided into two demographic groups according to each of the four demographic variables: Gender, Ethnicity, Transfer Status and First generation status. All three data indicators from both semesters are first compared between each pair of demographic groups within the same semester, and then compared within the same group between the two semesters. Exam and course scores are also compared between demographics groups in Fall 2020 and against scores from the Fall 2019 semester. The analysis revealed that remote learning significantly reduced on-time and early submission for first-generation students, but increased the frequency of early submission for transfer students. Under-represented minority students had higher percentage of engaged modules during the pandemic, while non-URM students had the same level of module engagement before and after the pandemic. These results suggest that pandemic remote learning had very different impact for students with different demographic background, and future instructional design should strive to provide more flexible options to meet the various needs for a diverse higher-ed student population.

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“…They also reported that students worked overtime on their projects from home, which resulted in less time for other courses and obligations. Positively, Fox et al [13] concluded that all lockdown changes to their lab course for first-year students did not significantly affect student views and epistemologies about experimental physics. From our point of view, that is an optimistic outcome since a lot of instructors are worried about negative lockdown consequences for both students and themselves.…”

Section: Lab Courses For Prospective Physics Teachers During the Covi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Lab courses for prospective physics teachers: what could we learn from the first COVID-19 lockdown?

et al. 2022

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At the universities of Dresden, Vienna, and Zagreb, a laboratory course for prospective physics teachers was transferred to an online environment because of the lockdown in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this paper is to present and compare students’ and instructors’ considerations about the experiences with this laboratory course at these three universities and to formulate guidelines for organizing lab courses for prospective physics teachers. The research was conducted in three steps: first, interviews were conducted with prospective physics teachers (N = 10); second, an online questionnaire was administered to course participants (N = 99); and third, lab course instructors completed an online questionnaire (N = 8). The results show that an increase in creativity and confidence was expressed when conducting home experiments. Students who received support and guidance benefited more from the online lab course, but some students also experienced a greater time commitment. On a positive note, all participants thought outside-the-box during this lab experience and found solutions that led to new ways of conducting labs. Our study suggests that in future online or regular lab courses, students should have the chance to make decisions about experiments and be creative, with an emphasis on peer discussions and support from instructors.

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Lab instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic: Effects on student views about experimental physics in comparison with previous years

Cited by 32 publications

References 26 publications

Ongoing effects of pandemic-imposed learning disruption on student attitudes

Ongoing effects of pandemic-imposed learning disruption on student attitudes

Analyzing the Heterogeneous Impact of Remote Learning on Students' Ability to Stay on Track During the Pandemic

Lab courses for prospective physics teachers: what could we learn from the first COVID-19 lockdown?

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