Astronomy clicker question: Moon geology

Astronomy 210, Fall Semester 2008
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students were asked the following clicker question (Classroom Performance System, einstruction.com) at the start of their learning cycle, after being shown pictures of the Moon (note that mare are referred to "lava plains"):

Which feature on the Moon is the oldest?
(A) Craters partially filled in with flat lava plains.
(B) Craters on top of flat lava plains.
(C) Flat lava plains.
(D) (More than one of the above choices.)
(E) (I'm lost, and don't know how to answer this.)

Section 70158 (pre-)
(A) : 12 students
(B) : 7 students
(C) : 9 students
(D) : 2 students
(E) : 0 students

This question was asked again after displaying the tallied results with the lack of consensus, with the following results. No comments were made by the instructor, in order to see if students were going to be able to discuss and determine the correct answer among themselves.

Section 70158 (post-)
(A) : 17 students
(B) : 3 students
(C) : 10 students
(D) : 0 students
(E) : 0 students

Correct answer: (A)

The principle of superposition from geology holds that the bottommost layer must be the oldest geological feature.

Pre- to post- peer-interaction gains:
pre-interaction correct = 40%
post-interaction correct = 57%
Hake (normalized) gain <g> = 28%

Which feature on the Moon is the youngest?
(A) Craters partially filled in with flat lava plains.
(B) Craters on top of flat lava plains.
(C) Flat lava plains.
(D) (More than one of the above choices.)
(E) (I'm lost, and don't know how to answer this.)

Section 70160 (pre- only)
(A) : 10 students
(B) : 2 students
(C) : 0 students
(D) : 4 students
(E) : 1 student
(F) : 9 students
(G) : 0 students

Correct answer: (A)

Correct = 54%