I have projects in four broad areas which I will outline below.

Assessment in Physics Laboratories (and beyond)

My research collaborative has implemented lab curricula across disciplines utilizing the Argument Driven Inquiry framework. We are developing a assessments within each discipline grounded in both the ADI framework and the NGSS Science Practices.

Collaborators:

  • Dr. Joi Walker
  • Dr. Katy Hosbein
  • Dr. Mark Sprague
  • Dr. Feng Li
  • Annalisa Smith-Joyner

Group Exams

I have active research projects looking at different aspects of student dynamics present in group exams. These include both social dynamics, How do students choose who they will work with? and cognition, How do group exams shape student conceptions about physical ideas?

Collaborators:

  • Dr. Hunter Close
  • Cody Blakeney
  • Timothy Sault
  • Erik (Tyler) Carr
  • Aaron Bain

Learning Assistant social dynamics

At Texas State, they have created a learning assistant program built on the model developed at the University of Colorado-Boulder. We are studying how Learning Assistants interact in their weekly prep session, focused on questions of collaborative structure and how they integrate their identity as both physics student and physics teacher.

Collaborators:

  • Dr. Eleanor Close
  • Marshall Adkins
  • Austin McCauley

Pathways through STEM

Student participation in STEM, in general, and physics, in particular, is an interesting subject to me. We want students to evaluate all aspects of our program including potential entry and exit points for our programs. How do students get into STEM? How do the programs that we create to support students actually work? What kinds of techniques can we use to visualize the pathways through STEM that effectively communicate with university, statewide, and national stakeholders.

Collaborators:

  • Dr. Kevin White
  • Patricia Malcolm
  • Ryan Mezera