With limited time available in the classroom, e-learning tools can supplement in-class learning by providing opportunities for students to study and learn outside of class. Such tools can be especially helpful for students who lack adequate prior preparation. However, one critical issue is ensuring that students, especially those in need of…

The ability to solve problems in a variety of contexts is becoming increasingly important in our rapidly changing technological society. Problem-solving is a complex process that is important for everyday life and crucial for learning physics. Although there is a great deal of effort to improve student problem solving skills throughout the…

The on-line tutoring system, LON-CAPA, was implemented in Introductory Calculus-Based Physics-II course at Colorado School of Mines in fall 2008 and spring 2009. In this paper, the features and the case study of the LON-CAPA implementation were described. The performance data obtained from the scores of students enrolled in the course represented…

The paper discusses an elementary spring model representing the motion of a magnet suspended from the ceiling at one end of a vertical spring which is held directly above a second magnet fixed on the floor. There are two cases depending upon the north-south pole orientation of the two magnets. The attraction or repelling force induced by the…

Calculus is overemphasized in elementary physics courses at the expense of other types of mathematical reasoning, especially modern algebra and numerical methods. Discusses approaches to several problems in physics using either a time-sharing computer terminal or symmetry arguments to solve problems at a level appropriate for liberal arts…

A project on computer based dialogue for freshmen is described and evaluated. The dialogue utilizes a CAI language written in Fortran that allows a designer to easily write and edit questions at his own desk without the use of a terminal. (Author/DT)

Described is a series of five related microcomputer-based laboratory analysis programs that are used by students in a college calculus-based physics course. With minor modifications these programs, which are written in BASIC, could be used in most beginning undergraduate laboratory science courses. (RH)

Very little material exists for utilizing the computer in the physics classroom, and even that little is not widely known. It is hoped that this monograph will provide some stimulus both to innovation and to discussion of the role of the computer in physics education. The paper describes how this might be achieved with a detailed account of one…

This paper focuses on the cognitive processes that occur while students are exploring motion graphs. In a classroom experiment, we examine how high-school students (aged 17), with backgrounds in calculus and physics, interpret the graphs they create through drawing the path of the movement of their hand with a computer mouse. Based on recent, and…

This module is part of a series designed to be used by life science students for instruction in the application of physical theory to ecosystem operation. Most modules contain computer programs which are built around a particular application of a physical process. This module is used to introduce the biology student to differential calculus, a…

Discusses solutions to real-world linear particle-motion problems using graphing calculators to simulate the motion and traditional analytic methods of calculus. Applications include (1) changing circular or curvilinear motion into linear motion and (2) linear particle accelerators in physics. (MDH)