Online reading assignment question: Virgo rising

Astronomy 210, Fall Semester 2009
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students have a weekly online reading assignment (hosted by SurveyMonkey.com), where they answer questions based on reading their textbook, reviewing material covered in previous lectures, opinion questions, and/or asking (anonymous) questions or making (anonymous) comments. Full credit is given for completing the online reading assignment before next week's lecture, regardless if whether their answers are correct/incorrect. Selected results/questions/comments are addressed by the instructor at the start of the following lecture.

(The following question was asked following the lecture covering use of starwheels.)

What date would Virgo be just above the east horizon, as seen by an observer at 11 PM in San Luis Obispo, CA? (Ignore the fact that your starwheel does not include daylight savings time.) (Graded for completion.)
(A) February 20.
(B) April 25.
(C) July 4.
(D) August 20.
(E) (I'm lost, and don't know how to answer this.)

Correct answer: (A).

Response (B) is when Virgo would lie along the meridian at 11 PM. Response (C) is when Virgo would be just above the west horizon at 11 PM. Response (D) is when Virgo would be just above the east horizon at 11 AM.

Student responses
Sections 70158, 70160
(A) : 52 students
(B) : 3 students
(C) : 2 students
(D) : 5 students
(E) : 8 students

Astronomy current events question: recent impact on Jupiter

Astronomy 210L, Fall Semester 2009
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

The Editors of Sky & Telescope, "The Impact on Jupiter!" July 20, 2009
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/51237952.html

How was the recent impact on Jupiter first discovered by an Australian astronomer?
(A) A cloud of dust surrounding Jupiter.
(B) A new dark spot on Jupiter.
(C) A shift in Jupiter's orbital position.
(D) A bright flash from the collision event.
(E) Radioactivity emitted from Jupiter.

Correct answer: (B).

Student responses
Sections 70178, 71086, 70200
(A) : 5 students
(B) : 53 students
(C) : 5 students
(D) : 0 students
(E) : 2 students

Astronomy current events question: recent planetary collision

Astronomy 210L, Fall Semester 2009
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

K. Beatty, "Exoplanets' 'Demolition Derby,'" August 11, 2009
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/52978747.html

What evidence did scientists at the Applied Physics Laboratory observe to determine that two planets around star HD 172555 recently collided?
(A) Very large planetary fragments.
(B) The star HD 172555 no longer wobbles.
(C) A sudden end to radio signals of presumably technological origin.
(D) A bright flash from the collision event.
(E) Infrared light emitted from dust.

Correct answer: (E).

Student responses
Sections 70178, 71086, 70200
(A) : 10 students
(B) : 3 students
(C) : 2 students
(D) : 3 students
(E) : 46 students

FCI pre-test comparison: Cuesta College (SLO/NC campuses) versus UC-Davis

Students at both North County (Paso Robles) and San Luis Obispo campuses of Cuesta College (San Luis Obispo, CA) and the University of California at Davis were administered the Force Concept Inventory (Doug Hestenes, et al.) during the first week of instruction. Physics 205A and Physics 7B are both algebra-based introductory general physics courses covering Newtonian mechanics.

The FCI results of NC and SLO campus students can be compared to each other.

     Cuesta College    Cuesta College    
     Physics 205A      Physics 205A
     Fall Semester     Fall Semester
     2009 NC           2009 SLO
N    17 students*      57 students*
low   4                 2
mean 10.0 +/- 4.8       9.7 +/- 4.4
high 23                27

*Excludes students with negative informed consent forms (*.pdf)

Despite a slightly higher mean score for NC campus students over SLO campus students, a "Student" t-test of the null hypothesis results in p = 0.20, thus there is no significant difference between NC and SLO campuses of Cuesta College.

With both NC and SLO campuses of Cuesta College students pooled together, they can be compared to students at UC-Davis.

     Cuesta College    UC-Davis
     Physics 205A      Physics 7B
     Spring Semester   Summer Session II
     2009              2002
N    74 students*      76 students
low   2                 2
mean 10.1 +/- 4.7       9.0 +/- 4.3
high 27                27

*Excludes students with negative informed consent forms (*.pdf) 

Despite a slightly higher mean score for Cuesta College students over UC-Davis students, a "Student" t-test of the null hypothesis results in p = 0.14, thus there is no significant difference between Cuesta College and UC-Davis FCI pre-test scores.

Later this semester (Fall 2009), a comparison will be made between Cuesta College and UC-Davis FCI post-tests, along with their pre- to post-test gains.

D. Hestenes, M. Wells, and G. Swackhamer, Arizona State University, "Force Concept Inventory," Phys. Teach. 30, 141-158 (1992).
Development of the FCI, a 30-question survey of basic Newtonian mechanics concepts.

Previous FCI results:

• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, Spring semester 2009 pre-tests and post-tests.
• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, Fall semester 2008 pre-tests and post-tests.
• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, Spring semester 2008 pre-tests and post-tests.
• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, Fall semester 2007 pre-tests and post-tests.