FCI pre-test comparison: Cuesta College (fall semester 2019)

Students at Cuesta College (San Luis Obispo, CA) were administered the 30-question Force Concept Inventory (David Hestenes, et al.) during the first week of instruction.

Physics 205A fall semester 2019, pre-instruction scores

	Group A: Section 70854 (12:30-3:20 PM lab)	Group B: Section 70855 (4:30-7:20 PM lab)
N	31 students	25 students
low	3	2
mean	8.29 ± 4.00	9.12 ± 4.96
high	18	20

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

Student's t-test of the null hypothesis between pre-test scores from these two lab sections results in p = 0.49 (t = −0.693, sdev = 4.45, degrees of freedom = 54), thus there is a significant difference between the early and late afternoon lab sections.

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:

(Paired Student t-tests from 2017 onwards)

• Cuesta College, fall semester 2018 pre-test to post-test comparison.
  
• Cuesta College, fall semester 2017 pre-test to post-test comparison.
  
  (Note only unpaired Student t-tests were run prior to 2017)
  
• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, fall semester 2016 pre-test to post-test comparison.
  
• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, fall semester 2015 pre-tests, and post-tests.
  
• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, fall semester 2014 pre-tests, and post-tests.
  
• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, fall semester 2013 pre-tests, and post-tests.
  
• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, fall semester 2012 pre-tests, and post-tests.
  
• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, fall semester 2011 pre-tests and post-tests.
  
• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, fall semester 2009 pre-tests and post-tests.
  
• 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.

Student lab reports: instructor comments

Physics 205A Lab 9, fall semester 2017
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students have a weekly laboratory, where are gradually introduced to best practices in collecting data, graphing and analysis, and writing a report with a descriptive abstract, procedure, and evidence-based conclusion. Over the course of a semester this is done via a backwards-scaffolding method, where the first reports including all of these sections are written individually and independently by students approximately two-thirds into the semester.

Selected instances of comments from the instructor are given below for each section.

1. Descriptive abstract

• Written in present-, future-, or mixed-tense, instead of past-tense?
• No mention that mathematical model was validated experimentally?
• Passive voice used instead of active voice and first-person pronouns ("we" or "I")?
• Inclusion of results, conclusions, and/or opinions?
• Redundant/irrelevant statements?

2. Procedure

• Unclear how someone who has not done this experiment would have a general idea what was done?
• Diagram, but no labels?

3. Data table, calculations and/or results

• Data table and/or graph not included with report?
• No error bars on graph?
• Error bars are default ±1 value, instead of based on actual "least count" column in data table?
• Error bars are selected to be "standard error," when this is not statistically relevant to the data population for this experiment?
• Results of validating trendline equation with experimental data incomplete or missing?

4. Evidence-based conclusion statement

• Subjective claims not supported by data or specific numbers ("good," "faulty," "a better fit")?
• Statements do not explicitly include specific numbers and data, such that they cannot be read/cited without having to refer back to the data table/graph?
• Speculation ("we could have got better data if...," "most likely this error came from...")?

FCI pre-test comparison: Cuesta College versus UC-Davis (fall semester 2015)

Students at both Cuesta College (San Luis Obispo, CA) and the University of California at Davis were administered the 30-question Force Concept Inventory (Doug Hestenes, et al.) during the first week of instruction.

	Cuesta College Physics 205A fall semester 2015	UC-Davis Physics 7B summer session II 2002
N	85 students*	76 students*
low	2	2
mean	10.0 +/- 5.5	9.1 +/- 4.3
high	24	27

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

Student's t-test of the null hypothesis results in p = 0.19 (t = 1.31, sdev = 4.93, degrees of freedom = 159), thus there is no significant difference between Cuesta College and UC-Davis FCI pre-test scores.

Later this semester (fall 2015), 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, fall semester 2014 pre-tests and post-tests.
  
• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, fall semester 2013 pre-tests and post-tests.
  
• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, fall semester 2012 pre-tests and post-tests.
  
• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, fall semester 2011 pre-tests and post-tests.
  
• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, fall semester 2009 pre-tests and post-tests.
  
• 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.

Overheard: first-day choral response

Astronomy 210, fall semester 2011
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

(Overheard at the very start of the first day of class in introductory astronomy, just before administering the Science Motivation Questionnaire.)

Instructor: "Let's see how sharp you guys are! Let's have you guys fill in the..."

Students: (Beat.) "...blanks?"

Instructor: "Hi there! Welcome to..."

Students: "...astronomy?"

Instructor: "And you're going to love this class, because astronomy is..."

Students: "...Awesome? Interesting?"

Instructor: "Yes! In fact, astronomy is so..."

Students: "...awesome..."

Instructor: (Holding up a stack of surveys.) "...the first thing you're going to do for this class is take a..."

Students: "...test."

Astronomy certificate of achievement

20110505845
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/5704649689/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

Astronomy 210 Certificate of Achievement, Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA. Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instructor Dr. Patrick M. Len.

Overheard: "extra" extra-credit?

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

(Overheard in introductory astronomy lab immediately preceding an extra-credit quiz with slightly more possible points than previously announced.)

Student: "Are these extra-extra-credit points?"

(Beat.)

Instructor: "Let's call them unexpected, unannounced points."

Overheard: when is the next quiz?

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

(After the instructor announces that there is time at the start of class for questions.)

Student: "When is our next quiz?"

Instructor: (Selecting the calendar view of the course webpage on the digital projector screen.) "Your next quiz is next Tuesday. Note that normally we have quizzes every other Tuesday, but we have the next quiz, the first midterm, and the next quiz after that three Tuesdays in a row for this part of the semester."

Student: "Are you just trying to kill us?"

(Beat.)

Instructor: "I'm not just trying."

Overheard: midterm studying

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

(Overheard in class before their first midterm.)

Student: "This is like the hardest midterm I've ever had to study for."

Overheard: quiz before or after long weekend?

Physics 5A, Spring Semester 2008
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Physics 5A (college physics, algebra-based) at Cuesta College during Spring semester 2008 meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Quizzes (and midterms) are scheduled on Fridays. However, due to students getting both Friday and Monday off for a four-day weekend(!) to celebrate both Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays separately, the quiz normally scheduled for that Friday was moved forward to the preceding Wednesday, instead of the following Wednesday.

Conversation on the Monday before the quiz:

Student: "Why can't the quiz be pushed back to after the four-day weekend?"

Instructor: "If you're not ready for this quiz before this four-day weekend...you won't be ready for the quiz after the four-day weekend."

Assessment: extra-credit points

The NASA Center for Astronomy Education (CAE) hosts a listserver discussing astronomy teaching and learning, moderated by Gina Brissenden (currently guest moderated by Jeff Sudol, Gettysburg College, PA). Recent posting:

Hello again everybody! ...How much bonus points do you offer your students and what for?
-- Jim Caffey, Drury University and College of the Ozarks

For Astronomy 10 at Cuesta College, officially there are no extra-credit points. However, there is approximately a 10%-15% "overage" in clicker point and lecture-tutorial point categories, which comes out to 5%-8% of the total class points.

Students who have missed a few classes can recover these points, and still get nearly the maximum clicker and lecture-tutorial scores. Students who get over and beyond the maximum clicker and lecture-tutorial scores are those who faithfully attended nearly every class and participated (well) in nearly every clicker and lecture-tutorial activity.

This "overage" is included in the grade scheme, but only becomes apparent near the end the semester, say, when students realize that the syllabus reports only 25 lecture-tutorials, but then get handed out lecture-tutorial assignment #26, #27, etc., and also when the total maximum clicker points starts to run over 75 points.

This turns out to not be popular for students who slack off, and want an easy "out" near the end of the semester to gain points; but the intent is to reward the students who have been sticking it out all semester, but need a modest surprise boost near the end to supplement their efforts.

Neverending cycle

"For Dan In Taiwan" by Jessica Hagy
indexed.blogspot.com, July 30, 2007

And so it begins, the start of another academic year at Cuesta College!

Assessment: discussion participation rubric

The NASA Center for Astronomy Education (CAE) hosts a listserver discussing astronomy teaching and learning, moderated by Gina Brissenden. Recent posting:

The following table lists the criteria for posted in response to a topic on the discussion forum. The posted response should be with complete sentences and correct grammar. These will be graded according to the following:

• 90-100: A-Level participation
  
  • The conclusion or opinion is relevant to the discussion topic.
    
  • The answer is insightful & synthesizes basic concepts.
    
  • You have stated reasons and evidence to support your conclusion or opinion.
    
  • The answer and supporting evidence is clearly stated.
    
  
  
• 80-89: B–Level participation
  Same as A-Level participation, except that:
  
  • The answer is notably lacking one of the items listed for an A level response.
    
  
  
• 70-79: C–Level participation
  Same as B–Level participation, except that:
  
  • The answer is notably lacking two of the items listed for A-Level response.
    
  
  
• 60-69: D-Level participation
  Same as C–Level participation, except that:
  
  • The answer is notably lacking three of the items listed for A- Level response.
    
  
  
• 59 and below: F–level participation
  
  • Failure to turn in the work
    

--Jean Hurrle, Kankakee River Valley Forest Preserve District

This rubric is a good example of a subtractive scale, where students understand that they will receive a certain grade for performing at a certain level (the Astronomy 10 grading rubrics (introductory general-education astronomy) and Physics 8AB grading rubrics (university physics, calculus-based) at Cuesta College are more specific, but similar to this rubric, stress transparency and objectivity for the benefit of the instructor, as well as the students.