Physics
Publications and posters
– Junior Electricity and Magnetism
- "Upper-division students' difficulties with Ampere's law", Colin S. Wallace and Stephanie V. Chasteen, PhysRev: ST Phys Ed. Rsrch 6, 020115 (2010) . This paper describes common student difficulties with Ampere's Law as observed through detailed student interviews and analysis.
- "Our best juniors still struggle with Gauss’s Law: Characterizing their difficulties" Rachel E. Pepper, Stephanie V. Chasteen, Steven J. Pollock & Katherine K. Perkins, PERC Proceedings 2010, AIP Press (2010). This paper documents commonly observed student difficulties with Gauss' Law, based on interviews and conceptual surveys.
- "But Does It Last? Sustaining a Research-Based Curriculum in Upper-Division Electricity & Magnetism". Stephanie V. Chasteen, Rachel E. Pepper, Steven J. Pollock, Katherine K. Perkins, PERC Proceedings 2010, AIP Press (Submitted). This paper documents the sustainability of our upper-division E&M course transformations across three years, including the use of materials by instructors and student learning. Optimum aspects to course transformation to achieve sustainability are discussed.
- "The use of concept tests and peer instruction in upper-division physics" Steven J. Pollock, Stephanie V. Chasteen, Michael Dubson, Katherine K. Perkins, PERC Proceedings 2010, AIP Press (2010). This paper documents and describes our use of clicker questions to further student understanding in small, upper division physics courses.
- “Tapping
into Juniors' Understanding of E&M: The Colorado Upper-Division
Electrostatics (CUE) Diagnostic”, Stephanie V. Chasteen
and Steven J. Pollock, Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings
(2009), AIP, Vol. 1179, pp. 109-112.
This contributed paper describes the validation and results from the conceptual assessment (CUE) and 3 semesters of course transformation. Related poster here. - A
Research-Based Approach to Assessing Student Learning Issues in Upper-Division
Electricity & Magnetism”, Stephanie V. Chasteen and
Steven J. Pollock, Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings
(2009), AIP, Vol. 1179, pp. 7-10.
This invited paper describes insights into student thinking provided by the conceptual assessment (CUE). Related poster here. - “Longer
term impacts of transformed courses on student conceptual understanding
of E&M”, Steven J. Pollock and Stephanie V. Chasteen,
Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings (2009), AIP,
Vol. 1179, pp. 237-240.
This paper describes results from a longitudinal study of students who took either a traditional or a transformed course in electricity and magnetism as freshmen and then either a traditional or a transformed semester of Physics 3310. - “Transforming
Upper-Division Electricity and Magnetism”, Stephanie V. Chasteen
and Steven J. Pollock, Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings
(2008), AIP, Vol. 1064, pp. 91-94.
This contributed paper describes the transformations and results of transformations in upper-division E&M. Related poster here. - Upper-Division Electricity and Magnetism course materials are available at the AAPT Physical Science Resource Center website.
– Junior Quantum Mechanics
- Steve
Goldhaber, Steven Pollock, Mike Dubson, Paul Beale and Katherine Perkins,
“Transforming Upper-Division Quantum Mechanics: Learning Goals
and Assessment”, Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings
(2009), AIP, Vol. 1179, pp. 145-148.
This contributed paper gives an overview of the transformation in upper-division quantum mechanics, the development of the conceptual post test (QMAT) and some early results.
Related poster here.
– Course Transformation
- "A Thoughtful Approach to Instruction: Course transformation for the rest of us". Stephanie V. Chasteen, Katherine K. Perkins, Paul D. Beale, Steven J. Pollock & Carl E. Wieman, Journal of College Science Teaching (In Press).
- “Transforming
Upper-Division Electricity and Magnetism”, Stephanie V. Chasteen
and Steven J. Pollock, Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings
(2008), AIP, Vol. 1064, pp. 91-94.
This contributed paper describes the transformations and results of transformations in upper-division E&M.
Related poster here.
Other Resources
- Check out our posters and publications on the Physics Education Research group page (updated more often than this page)
- Instructor Manual of “Best Practices in Clicker Use”
- Talks and Posters by Stephanie Chasteen
- PER at University of Colorado
- OSU Paradigms Wiki site with similar upper-division activities
