2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Impact of PhET Interactive Simulation in a Hybrid Physics Course: The Case of Repeating Students

Presented at Engineering Physics and Physics Division (EP2D) Technical Session 1

In the evolving digital education landscape, distance learning and information technologies have significantly reshaped pedagogical practices, introducing opportunities and challenges. This study explores the adaptation of Interactive Lecture Demonstration (ILD), traditionally an in-person educational approach that enhances student engagement and understanding, for online delivery within a hybrid physics course. Specifically, it examines the implementation of a modified online ILD methodology incorporated with PhET simulations in a Chilean private university's first-year physics course, focusing on repeating students. A cross-sectional quantitative analysis was conducted with 33 out of 50 enrolled students participating. The innovative teaching strategy involved a dual-modality approach: demonstrations were introduced during in-person lectures where students made initial predictions, and online collaborative workshops using PhET simulations allowed students to test these predictions. The effectiveness of this method was assessed at the semester's end through a validated conceptual inventory test (DIRECT), aiming to gauge the students' understanding of electrical circuits. Findings indicate that while students showed an initial grasp of basic principles, they faced challenges in applying this knowledge to complex circuit configurations and differentiating between potential differences and current flows, suggesting a gap in deep conceptual understanding. This underscores the importance of targeted instructional interventions and integrating diverse educational tools to improve comprehension and application in realistic scenarios.

Authors

Johanna Antonia Perasso Adunce Universidad Andres Bello, Chile. [biography]

Johanna Perasso is a Physics teacher with over 25 years of experience in teaching sciences at the university level. She completed her master’s degree in Experimental Sciences, focusing on researching students' levels of scientific thinking in the field of sciences. Johanna has participated in projects for designing and implementing strategies to strengthen competencies in STEM; and she is continually involved in designing and evaluating methodologies that help improve students' understanding and attitudes towards sciences. Her genuine interest in improving science teaching and learning has led her to venture into educational research, focusing primarily on the use of technology in active physics learning.
Prof. Angeles Dominguez http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6066-355X Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico; Universidad Andres Bello, Chile [biography]

Angeles Dominguez is a researcher at the Institute for the Future of Education and a Professor at the School of Humanities and Education at Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico. Also, she is currently collaborating with the School of Engineering at the Universidad Andres Bello in Santiago, Chile. Angeles holds a bachelor's degree in Physics Engineering from Tecnologico de Monterrey and a doctoral degree in Mathematics Education from Syracuse University, NY. Dr. Dominguez is a member of the Researchers’ National System in Mexico (SNI-2) and has been a visiting researcher at Syracuse University, UT-Austin, and Universidad Andres Bello. Her main research areas are interdisciplinary education, teaching methods, faculty development, and gender issues in STEM education. She actively participates in several national and international mathematics, engineering, and science education projects.

Download paper (2.18 MB)

Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.

» Download paper

« View session