More about possible teaching challenges

Lecturer’s Challenge: “In our introductory physics course, students consistently perform poorly on problems involving vector calculus, especially when transitioning from 2D to 3D systems. Even after multiple practice sessions, many still confuse dot and cross products, or misapply the right-hand rule. We need to understand the root cause of this barrier.”

Research Question: What are the most common misconceptions and cognitive barriers that first-year physics students encounter when transitioning from 2D to 3D vector calculus, and how do these barriers relate to their prior mathematical training and spatial reasoning skills?

Project Tasks:

• Review educational literature on spatial reasoning and mathematical visualization in physics education

• Conduct think-aloud-interviews with students to identify specific misconceptions or cognitive hurdles.

• Analyze common errors in exam and homework submissions to map patterns.

• Based on the findings, provide recommendations to the lecturer on what types of interventions might address it.

Deliverable: A report summarizing the identified barriers, supported by student data and literature, and a set of recommendations for further investigation or intervention.

Lecturer’s Challenge: “In our introductory chemistry labs, we’ve noticed that students from underrepresented backgrounds—particularly women and students of color—report lower confidence in their lab skills, even when their performance is comparable to their peers. We want to understand the root causes of this confidence gap and how it affects their engagement and persistence in chemistry.”

Research Question: What factors contribute to the lower self-reported confidence in lab skills among underrepresented students in introductory chemistry courses, and how do these factors relate to classroom climate, stereotype threat, or prior educational experiences?

Project Tasks:

• Review literature on stereotype threat, belongingness, and classroom climate in STEM education.

• Conduct anonymous surveys or interviews with students to explore their perceptions of lab environments, instructor interactions, and peer dynamics.

• Analyze survey/interview data for patterns, especially among students from underrepresented groups.

• Observe lab sessions to document instructor-student and student-student interactions, focusing on equity and inclusion.

Deliverable: A report summarizing the identified barriers to confidence and engagement, supported by student data and literature, and a set of recommendations for creating more inclusive lab environments.

Lecturer’s Challenge: “In our engineering statics course, students need to master vector math and free-body diagrams, but many find the repetitive practice tedious and disengage. We want to design a gamified practice tool that increases motivation and provides immediate, targeted feedback.”

Research Question: What gamification elements (e.g., immediate feedback, adaptive difficulty, progress tracking) are most effective at increasing student motivation and performance in practicing vector math and free-body diagrams for engineering statics?

Project Tasks:

• Research gamification in STEM education, focusing on mechanics that enhance motivation and learning (e.g., progress bars, leaderboards, adaptive difficulty).

• Storyboard a simple game or interactive tool that aligns with course learning objectives.

• Develop a simple prototype (e.g., using paper or a simple digital tool).

• Test the prototype with students and gather usability and engagement data.

Deliverable: A prototype of the gamified tool, a user guide, and a short report on the design process and student feedback.

Lecturer’s Challenge: “Our physics problem sets often use examples (e.g., sports, engineering) that may not resonate with all students, particularly those from diverse cultural or socioeconomic backgrounds. We want to redesign a set of problems to include culturally relevant contexts, ensuring that all students see themselves reflected in the material and feel motivated to engage.”

Research Question: How can incorporating culturally relevant contexts into physics problem sets improve student engagement, motivation, and performance, particularly for students from underrepresented backgrounds?

Project Tasks:

• Research culturally responsive teaching and its impact on student engagement in STEM.

• Collaborate with students from diverse backgrounds to identify contexts (e.g., cultural practices, local industries, or everyday experiences) that are meaningful to them.

• Develop a prototype set of physics problems using these contexts, ensuring alignment with course learning objectives.

• Pilot the problems with a small group of students and collect feedback on relevance, engagement, and perceived difficulty.

Deliverable: A set of culturally relevant physics problems, accompanied by a rationale document explaining the educational principles and evidence behind the design, as well as student feedback and suggestions for further refinement.

Lecturer’s Challenge: “We recently flipped our calculus course for life sciences students: lectures are now pre-recorded, and class time is used for problem-solving and group work. We want to evaluate whether this approach improves student understanding and engagement, especially for students with varying math backgrounds.”

Research Question: Does a flipped classroom approach, compared to traditional lectures, improve student understanding and engagement in calculus for life sciences, particularly for students with diverse math backgrounds?

Project Tasks:

• Compare performance on key assessments (e.g., midterm and final exam questions) between this year’s cohort and previous years.

• Conduct focus groups with students to gather qualitative feedback on their learning experience.

• Analyze data for trends, especially among students with different prior math preparation.

Deliverable: An evaluation report summarizing the impact of the flipped classroom on student learning and engagement, with recommendations for future iterations.

Lecturer’s Challenge: “We introduced peer instruction (using clickers and small-group discussion) in our large introductory biology lectures. We want to know if this method improves conceptual understanding and retention, especially for abstract topics like cellular respiration.”

Research Question: To what extent does peer instruction, compared to traditional lecture, enhance conceptual understanding and retention of abstract topics (e.g., cellular respiration) in introductory biology, and how do students perceive its effectiveness?

Project Tasks:

• Collect and analyze clicker data to assess participation and correctness of responses.

• Compare exam performance on conceptual questions between sections using peer instruction and those using traditional lecture.

• Interview students and teaching assistants about their experiences with peer instruction.

• Review literature on peer instruction in biology education to contextualize findings.

Deliverable: A presentation and written summary of the evaluation, including strengths and limitations of peer instruction in this context, and suggestions for improvement.