We describe four classical undergraduate physics experiments that were done with everyday objects and low-cost sensors: mechanical oscillations, transmittance of light through a slab of matter, beam deformation under load, and thermal relaxation due to heat loss. We used these experiments to train students for experimental homework projects but…

Some introductory physics courses begin where student interest is thought to be highest--in waves, sound, and light--before speed, velocity, and acceleration. For students with math difficulties, this order makes sense. But most physics courses, including the author's own, begin with a study of motion. Why? Mostly due to tradition, he admits. When…

Before students learn Kirchhoff's rules, they are typically taught how to solve "combined series-parallel" circuits. The method presented in many textbooks begins by drawing a series of simplified circuits, replacing series and/or parallel elements with their equivalent resistances, eventually reducing the circuit to a voltage source and…

Implementing targeted instructional techniques requires an understanding of the initial alternative world views students possess. These alternative world views can be measured using validated conceptual inventories combined with factor analysis methodologies. Using exploratory factor analysis and network module analysis, Scott and Schumayer and…

Fusion energy research is 'mission oriented' big-science. It has both rapid progress and a reputation for being forever distant that excites many with a curiosity for science. However, it is difficult to give time to in lesson plans given both its lack of associated learning objectives and complexity. Outreach at the Fusion Centre for Doctoral…

In this study, we made a simple electronic electroscope called a 'polarity detector' which can determine the type of electric charge on any objects. We used the polarity detector in some student experiments in the physics laboratory. For example, when we applied a plastic rod to a piece of fabric made of wool, we could easily determine that the…

Magnets are familiar objects and yet magnetism as a concept remains challenging. A casual search of YouTube for magnets reveals a staggering number of videos, interesting demos involving electric and permanent magnets, and entire channels devoted to various uses for magnets. It is far more difficult to find descriptions that can help students…

As students learn physics, they are often required to reason about the behavior of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena, and to synthesize prior knowledge from several different areas of physics to construct understanding of new ideas. This can be a tremendously difficult cognitive task for novice students, especially when the unfamiliar…

In this article we consider the well-known demonstration of friction by two interleaved books. We consider a factor that has not been part of the popular explanation--atmospheric pressure. We provide three control experiments to demonstrate the role of atmospheric pressure in the two-book experiment and an additional simple demonstration of the…

The most recent science education reform, the Next Generation Science Standards (NRC, 2012) set forth a new and ambitious agenda for science education. These standards go beyond all of the previous versions and combine three dimensions: disciplinary core ideas, science practices and crosscutting concepts. They call on teachers to recognizing and…

In March 2020, in-person, on-campus courses were temporarily suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For summer and fall semesters of 2020, we have conducted Anatomy and Physiology courses in the online environment, which required re-design of the lab component of the course. Objectives for our re-design included maintaining key curricular…

A growing body of research-based instructional materials for quantum mechanics has been developed in recent years. Despite a common grounding in the research literature on student ideas about quantum mechanics, there are some major differences between the various sets of instructional materials. In this article, we examine the major instructional…

This article presents a systematic mapping review on educational innovation in the area of physics education. We identified 508 articles published in journals from 2015 to 2019 from the "Web of Science" and "Scopus" databases. We found that research in educational innovation in the teaching of physics has focused on the…

Rapid developments in educational technology show its impacts on classes. One of the recent trends in science education is virtual laboratory environments. The goal of this study is to reveal the effects of inquiry-based hands-on and virtual laboratory environments on pre-service science teachers' inquiry skills. A quasi-experimental research…

Electroscopes have been widely used in physics education for several reasons, such as their simplicity, sensitivity and visual appeal, showing macroscopic phenomena related to the microscopic world. Although they are capable of highly accurate measurements, the procedures involved in these measurements encounter some obstacles when performed with…