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Calculus-enhanced energy-first curriculum for introductory physics improves student performance locally and in downstream courses

Sarah E. LeGresley, Jennifer A. Delgado, Christopher R. Bruner, Michael J. Murray, and Christopher J. Fischer
Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 15, 020126 – Published 13 September 2019
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Abstract

Here we demonstrate the benefits of a new curriculum for introductory calculus-based physics that motivates classical mechanics using a modified version of Hamiltonian mechanics. This curriculum shifts the initial focus of instruction away from forces and the associated vector mathematics, which are known to be problematic for students, to the scalar quantity energy, which is more closely aligned with their previously established intuition, and associated differential and integral calculus. We show that implementation of this calculus-enhanced “energy-first” curriculum resulted in higher normalized gains on the Force Concept Inventory exam for all students and improved performance in downstream engineering courses for students with lower ACT math scores. In other words, the downstream benefits were largest for students with lower math abilities who also pose a larger retention risk. This new curriculum thus has the potential to improve student retention by specifically helping the students who need help the most, including traditionally underserved populations who often have weaker mathematics preparation. We propose future work to investigate whether this new curriculum has lowered the math transference barrier to learning in introductory physics, resulting concomitantly in improvements in student learning of classical mechanics and in student fluency with applied mathematics.

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  • Received 29 March 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.020126

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Physics Education Research

Focus

Key Image

Teaching Energy Before Forces

Published 13 September 2019

A calculus-based introductory physics course that postpones the challenges of vectors by starting with energy concepts improves students’ learning.

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Authors & Affiliations

Sarah E. LeGresley, Jennifer A. Delgado, Christopher R. Bruner, Michael J. Murray, and Christopher J. Fischer*

  • Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, 1251 Wescoe Hall Drive, 1082 Malott Hall Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA

  • *Corresponding author. shark@ku.edu

Article Text

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Issue

Vol. 15, Iss. 2 — July - December 2019

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