This is a public talk as part of the annual UBC Physics and Astronomy Education Research Group's Open Retreat.
Abstract: Troubleshooting systems is an integral part of experimental physics in both research and educational settings. Accordingly, developing students’ ability to troubleshoot is an important goal for undergraduate physics lab courses. My colleagues and I have investigated student approaches to troubleshooting using think-aloud interviews in which pairs of students from two institutions were asked to diagnose and repair a malfunctioning circuit. We have also conducted national-scale studies in which we interviewed over 50 lab instructors about their teaching strategies, with one study focused specifically on efforts to improve students’ troubleshooting abilities. In this presentation, I will draw on findings from these studies and the literature more broadly to paint a picture of teaching and learning how to troubleshoot. I will focus on the roles of model-based reasoning, peer-to-peer metacognitive interactions, and the cognitive apprenticeship style of instruction. Finally, I will discuss practical implications for upper-division lab courses.
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2019-05-10T09:15:002019-05-10T10:45:00Teaching and learning how to troubleshoot in upper-division labsEvent Information:
This is a public talk as part of the annual UBC Physics and Astronomy Education Research Group's Open Retreat.
Abstract: Troubleshooting systems is an integral part of experimental physics in both research and educational settings. Accordingly, developing students’ ability to troubleshoot is an important goal for undergraduate physics lab courses. My colleagues and I have investigated student approaches to troubleshooting using think-aloud interviews in which pairs of students from two institutions were asked to diagnose and repair a malfunctioning circuit. We have also conducted national-scale studies in which we interviewed over 50 lab instructors about their teaching strategies, with one study focused specifically on efforts to improve students’ troubleshooting abilities. In this presentation, I will draw on findings from these studies and the literature more broadly to paint a picture of teaching and learning how to troubleshoot. I will focus on the roles of model-based reasoning, peer-to-peer metacognitive interactions, and the cognitive apprenticeship style of instruction. Finally, I will discuss practical implications for upper-division lab courses.
Electronics lab instructors’ approaches to troubleshooting instruction: https://journals.aps.org/prper/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.13.010102Event Location:
Orchard 1001