Using a Concept Inventory to Inform the Design of Instruction and Software
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Transcript of Using a Concept Inventory to Inform the Design of Instruction and Software
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 1
Utah State UniversityUtah State University
Using a Concept Inventory to Inform the Design of
Instruction and SoftwareDoug Holton
[email protected] of Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences - http://itls.usu.edu/
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 2
About MeAbout Me
• Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences @ USU
• Background in engineering and science education research and development:
• Learning by Design middle school design challenges @ GaTech
• VaNTH bioengineering education @ Vanderbilt
• ONR funded project to investigate the difficulties students have understanding electrical circuits.
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 3
The ProblemThe Problem
The problem we worked on in the past:
Identifying difficulties and misconceptions students have when learning about electrical circuits.
Much pre-existing research, but it was only on the simplest of circuits (bulbs/batteries).
We extended it to AC, capacitors, inductors, RLC, etc. Undergraduate level.
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 4
InterviewsInterviews
• We interviewed instructors – what concepts did students have the most difficulty with?
• Interviewed students – Probed their thinking while they worked on circuit problems.
• Identified core invariant principles, and a list of misconceptions.
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 5
InvariantsInvariants
• Ohm's Law• Kirchoff's Current and Voltage Laws• Effective resistance – series/parallel• Charge & impedance of capacitor• Inductor and impedance, flux• Power
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Misconceptions, DifficultiesMisconceptions, Difficulties
• “empty pipe” - wires are empty when circuit is “off”
• “current consumption” - current is consumed as it travels through wires
• more resistance means more power• AC is spatial rather than temporal• ignore negative part of AC• confuse high and low pass filters• don't distinguish caps & inductors
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 7
AC/DC Concept InventoryAC/DC Concept Inventory
• Designed a multiple choice test• boiled it down to 20 items• Correct choices target invariants• Incorrect choices target misconceptions• Improved its reliability - test-wiseness• See ASEE 2008 Paper – Holton,
Verma, & Biswas• “Assessing Student Difficulties in
Understanding the Behavior of AC and DC Circuits”
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Example QuestionsExample Questions
• (DEMO) Concept Inventory
• Why do the lights come on so fast when you flip the switch?
• What happens in a basic battery, bulb, capacitor circuit?
• Understanding a basic filter circuit
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 9
Other Concept InventoriesOther Concept Inventories
• Signals & Systems• Electronics• DIRECT – high school circuits• Statistics, Biology, Mechanics• Statics, Dynamics, Materials• Thermodynamics• Force Concept Inventory
• Google “concept inventory”
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AC/DC Inventory ResultsAC/DC Inventory Results
• Across many schools, students were only getting about 55%-65% correct on these 20 test questions even after they had completed 1-2 undergraduatecircuits classes.
• Did worse on questions involving AC, capacitors, inductors – the dynamic components and circuits
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Using a Concept Inventory to Using a Concept Inventory to Improve InstructionImprove Instruction
• ”We believe concept inventories can be critical change agents for transformation of pedagogy and learning in STEM disciplines” (Concept Inventory Central)
• Goal is to see how we can improve student performance on these questions.
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 12
Dynamic AssessmentDynamic Assessment
• First strategy was to give students help while they took the test.
• This is called dynamic assessment• Students selected the answer, and
then selected the principle/invariant.• If incorrect – received access to
resources for learning:– video explanations– links to website resources
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 13
Results from Inductor ToolResults from Inductor Tool
• Our web-based dynamic assessment tool: Inductor
• Students learned while taking this dynamic assessment
• But they were not motivated, saw declining performance
• Problems:1) It still was just a test2) The resources were not that good
or consistent
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 14
Animated Circuit SimulationAnimated Circuit Simulation
• Because of #2, I looked into finding/creating better resources with which students could understand the behavior of circuits.
• Found an animated circuit simulation which I modified for use in a study.
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 15
MBL ResearchMBL Research
• Modifications inspired by MBL (microcomputer-based labs) research.
• Example: Using distance sensor, a student moves a car back and forth, and see its position/speed/acceleration graphed in real-time
• Very effective – students better understood motion graphs in a matter of minutes
• Key aspects 1) real-time 2) haptic
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Real-time Reactive ControlReal-time Reactive Control
• Tried the same thing by modifying the circuit simulation.
• Added real-time reactive control (enactive interface)
• You can “wiggle” the voltage • and see its effects immediately.
• (DEMO)
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Results from SimulationResults from Simulation
• The results were similar to MBL.• Students were given concept
inventory as pre-test, tutored with simulation, then given post-test.
• Students showed significant gains after just a half hour tutoring session.
• With 'turning on lights' question, students went from 20% correct to 65%, even though nothing about lights was mentioned during tutoring.
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 18
CaveatCaveat
• BUT, the gains seen were only on half of the test questions.
• What was in common with those 10?• They forced you to consider the
behavior of current over time• (Examples of temporal/non-temporal
questions)• Students improved from 53% to 73%
on temporal questions.• Only 68% to 71% on non-temporal.
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 19
Other 10 questionsOther 10 questions
• The other 10 questions often involved students' lack of distinctions between different things, such as voltage vs. current, power vs. resistance, capacitors vs. inductors, high-pass vs. low-pass filters, etc.
• (Show example questions)
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 20
Contrasting CasesContrasting Cases
• The third strategy we are looking into is based on perceptual theory about how people learn to make distinctions and notice differences.
• Researchers found that if you show one item, people don't notice many features, but if you show 2 side by side, people attend to the differences between the two.
• (DEMO – simulation & contrasts)
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Contrasting Cases examplesContrasting Cases examples
• In the next slides, ask yourself – what do you notice in the left box?
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What do you see in left box?What do you see in left box?
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 23
What did you notice?What did you notice?
A Circle
Now try it again
What do you notice in the left box?
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 24
What do you see in left box?What do you see in left box?
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 25
What did you notice?What did you notice?
A Smaller Circle
You noticed the size nowAnd perhaps the white color too
Try It Again
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What do you see in left box?What do you see in left box?
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 27
What did you notice?What did you notice?
A Circle in the Middle
Now the position of the circleIs more salient
(Demo circuit examples)
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Future PlansFuture Plans
• Software – release new circuit simulation this summer called nodicity
• Research – test contrasting cases strategy, combine other strategies with simulation in the context of a class
• Pilot work in high schools• Mainly collaborating with Amit Verma
(Texas), Oenardi Lawanto, and Paul Schreuders
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 29
Take Away MessagesTake Away Messages
• Recommend you try giving your own pre-tests and post-tests to see gains for yourself. Works with regular tests
• Try incorporating animated simulations and visualizations – they can have great effects on student learning and help them understand the behavior that underlies the equations.
• Check out the book How People Learn for more on other strategies.
ASEE Rocky Mountain 2009 - Doug HoltonApril 10, 2009 30
Thank You, Questions?Thank You, Questions?
[email protected]://edtechdev.blogspot.com
Doug HoltonDepartment of Instructional Technology
& Learning Sciences http://itls.usu.edu/