2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Board 415: Understanding Magnetism Concepts Through Augmented Reality: A Qualitative Analysis

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session

Many physics and engineering students struggle with conceptual understanding of electricity and magnetism concepts that involve visualizing abstract 3D models. An augmented reality (AR) app called MARVLS: Physics II E/&M developed for a smartphone or tablet, allows students to interact with many different conceptual models in a second semester introductory physics course. In this study, we examine how students develop conceptual understanding as they interact with an augmented reality model representing the magnetic field surrounding a long current bearing wire in the MARVLS App. A grounded theory framework is used to analyze semi-structured interviews with students as they use the App through guided interactions with the AR models. This study examines how students incorporate manipulable AR visualizations into their conceptual understanding of magnetism concepts.

Authors

Michele W. McColgan Siena College [biography]

Michele McColgan is a professor in the department of Physics & Astronomy at Siena College. In addition to teaching physics and electronics courses for the department, she’s also served as the director of informal STEM programs at Siena. She’s developing MARVLS (Manipulable Augmented Reality Models to Learn Spatially) for general physics, plasma physics, chemistry, and engineering. MARVLS Apps are available on the App and Google Play Store. In 2022, she received an NSF grant to develop and study the impact of using MARVLS in the physics classroom. She started a small business called MARVLS, LLC.
Dr. Jason Morphew http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5971-214X Purdue University, West Lafayette [biography]

Jason W. Morphew is an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. He earned a B.S. in Science Education from the University of Nebraska and spent 11 years teaching math and science at the middle school, high school, and community college level. He earned a M.A. in Educational Psychology from Wichita State and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Dr. George E Hassel Siena College [biography]

George Hassel is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Siena College. He earned a PhD in Physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as part of the New York Center for Studies on the Origins of Life. Prior to that, he earned a BS in Physics from Widener University with a Secondary Teaching Certificate.
Junior Anthony Bennett http://orcid.org/https://0009-0004-6441-3805 Purdue University, West Lafayette [biography]

I am a Graduate Research Assistant, and Lynn Fellow pursuing an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Engineering Education majoring in Ecological Sciences and Engineering (ESE) at Purdue University, West Lafayette IN. I earned a Bachelor of Education in TVET Industrial Technology – Electrical from the University of Technology, Jamaica, and a Master of Science in Manufacturing Engineering Systems from the Western Illinois University. I am a Certified Manufacturing Engineer with the Society for Manufacturing Engineers and have over a decade professional experience in higher education across Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
Dr. Megan Clark Kelly Siena College [biography]

Megan Clark Kelly is a developmental psychologist who specializes in child and adolescent social and cognitive development and the contextual variables that influence decision making.

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