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THESIS

20C(

Date

This is to certify that the

thesis entitled

Use of the internet in Teaching Physics

presented by

Robert Lance Mock

has been accepted towards fulfillment
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USE OF THE INTERNET IN TEACHING PHYSICS

By

Robert Lance Mock

A THESIS

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

MASTER OF SCIENCE

Division of Science and Mathematics Education
College of Natural Science

2000

USE OF THE INTERNET IN TEACHING PHYSICS

ABSTRACT

By

Robert Lance Mock

Another source of information for high school physics students is needed.
Course materials were developed for students to use over the intemet, which
included notes, derivations, images, movies, simulations, and problems to solve.
A sample of students would use the online coursework for one entire unit, without
any interaction with the teacher. Upon completion of the unit, these students
took the same test as students who remained in class and received more
traditional instruction, including notes, demonstrations, tactile lab activities,
modeling problem solving, and problem sets.

This process was performed twice. In both trials, the test results were not

significantly different from each other.

Table Of Contents

List of Tables ............................................................................................... v
List of Figures ............................................................................................. vi
Use of the lntemet In Teaching Physics ...................................................... 1
Research Process ........................................................................................ 5
Structure Of The Online Units ...................................................................... 6
The Online Problems ................................................................................. 10
Student Work ............................................................................................. 14
Implementation .......................................................................................... 15
Trial Runs .................................................................................................. 16
Entire Unit Online ....................................................................................... 17
Difficulties Encountered by Online Students .............................................. 20
Administrative Difficulties ........................................................................... 22
Results of Vector Posttest .......................................................................... 23
Results of Momentum Posttest .................................................................. 24
Student Opinions ....................................................................................... 25
Short answer questions and their responses ............................................. 28
Discussion ................................................................................................. 29
APPENDIX A-l: Web Printout of Vector PrelPost Test ............................... 32
APPENDIX A-ll: Web Printout of Momentum PrelPost Test ...................... 33
APPENDIX B-l: Web Printout of the Welcome Page ................................. 35
APPENDIX 3-": Web Printout of a Chapter Goals Page ........................... 36

iii

APPENDIX B-Ill: Web Printout ofa Notes Page ........................................ 37

APPENDIX B-IV: Web Printout of an Activity Page .................................... 39
APPENDIX B-V: Web Printout of a Sample of an Incorrectly Answered
Question .................................................................................................... 40
APPENDIX B-Vl: Web Printout of a Sample of a Correctly Answered
Problem ..................................................................................................... 41
REFERENCES .......................................................................................... 42

iv

List of Tables

Table 1 Raw scores on vector test in columns, percentages at bottom .............. 24
Table 2 Raw scores in columns, average percentage at bottom ......................... 25
Table 3 Question followed by number of students responding ........................... 26

Table 4 General yes/no questions and responses .............................................. 27

List of Figures

APPENDIX A-l: Web Printout of Vector PrelPost Test ....................................... 32
APPENDIX A-II: Web Printout of Momentum PrelPost Test ............................... 33
APPENDIX B-l: Web Printout of the Welcome Page ........................................... 35
APPENDIX 8-": Web Printout of a Chapter Goals Page .................................... 36
APPENDIX B-lll: Web Printout of a Notes Page ................................................. 37
APPENDIX B-IV: Web Printout of an Activity Page ............................................. 39

APPENDIX B-V: Web Printout of a sample of an Incorrectly Answered Question
...................................................................................................................... 40

APPENDIX B-Vl: Web Printout of a Sample of a Correctly Answered Problem ..41

Use of the Internet In Teaching Physics

Students miss my senior level physics classes frequently, for a variety of
reasons, including field trips, illness, and student government responsibilities.
When they return from an absence, there are problems for them and for their
teacher. They may have missed material that is particularly difficult. They may
or may not ask for the work missed. Perhaps a laboratory activity took place,
which is difficult to make up. Students may also copy the lecture notes their
peers took, which may not be reliable. Students making up work may feel rushed
or that they are missing out on the depth of material received by their
classmates. Students who miss class must rely more on their textbook than
those having had the benefit of experiencing a discussion or seeing a
demonstration. Telling a physics student to go home and study the first two
sections of the vectors chapter might be to set them up for failure. In any case,
both the teacher and the student have to deal with the problems and logistics of

make-up work.

Any way to provide students with more exposure to course topics would be
helpful for students even if they had not missed class. The intemet could provide
such a way to help students learn course content. It provides a means of getting
information to the student quickly, and it is already being used to give students a

“Global Lab” where they can connect with people and information all over the

world. (Schrum and Berenfeld, 1997) Students can also be assessed via the
internet. Students could decide when to work, how much time to spend on work,
and if they were ready for some type of assessment. My school currently uses
computer-based lessons in several classes, and lessons requiring use of the
internet are common. Many schools across the nation, including mine, are
beginning to provide a "virtual high school" over the intemet. The State of
Michigan is supporting public school use of a program called blackboardcom to
allow public schools to host online classes for any high school student to take for
credit. While still in early stages of development, this avenue is being explored

by many public schools.

Since the intemet is "easily updated and can be interactive", it can be an ideal
supplement to using a textbook for making up work. (Roblyer, 1997) The
intemet could provide a way to help students with a variety of problems, as
mentioned previously. If there were one more particularly attractive way to
present materials, students who access them could have an advantage. (Brooks,
1997) Sometimes, students who attend class need extra help. Even in a
comfortable environment, some students may feel shy about asking questions. If
students working on their own can't come up with a suitable plan of attack for
their problems, homework assignments can be impossible to complete. Studying
for tests would also be easier if there were some way for students to gauge their

own preparedness. Likewise, some students may feel the need for, or have

more interest in information about a certain topic. They may be interested in a
career related to a topic, and want to see what they may have to deal with in that
line of work. Offering materials online also could provide the means to meet the

needs of students who are ahead of the rest of the class, or behind.

The internet may also provide a fresh medium for students with differing learning
styles. Regardless of their individual learning patterns, the intemet has been
shown to be able to provide materials in a way that benefits students. (Distance
Learning '98) Some students are auditory learners while others require tactile
experiences. Others may learn best from reading text and viewing pictures. If a
particular lecture confuses a student, they may find their textbook helpful.

When the intemet is introduced into the curriculum, using a mix of the traditional
textbook and web-based assignments can be beneficial. (Roblyer, 1997) All
students can reach the same level of achievement with web-based materials,

regardless of their particular learning style. (Distance Learning '98)

Sometimes, there are demonstrations and lab activities that a teacher cannot fit
into a designated time frame, or they did not blend well with the rest of the unit.
Some may find it useful to see these demonstrations in a book or on videotape.
Providing an additional medium such as web-based materials for curriculum

presentation can only be beneficial if students take advantage of it.

In my teaching experience, I have seen what I would call a predisposition toward
thinking that any new method of teaching has some advantage, and that all good
teachers should adopt it. Claims are made that "Through intemet-based courses,
Virtual High School significantly enhances each school's curricular offerings and
integrates the best technologies." (Berman and Tinker, 1997) However, a study
done at the college level showed that when a new student-driven, computer-
based introductory physics course was first offered, its students had a final grade
only slightly higher than their traditional lecture based peers. These students met
at the same time as those in lecture hall situations, but used computer based
lessons to do their course work. Some students from both the traditional and the
computer-based sections went on to take another physics course later. The
grade difference disappeared. (Mottmann, John, 1999) In fact, numerous
studies have reported that there is often “no significant different difference”
between the results of students in traditional classrooms and those learning at a

distance. (Russell, Thomas, 1999)

The project described in this paper was undertaken to determine whether
students working on web based instructional materials had any advantage over
traditional in-class learners. If working with web-based materials could provide
students with an equal footing to their in class peers, then the online format

would deserve more attention.

Many students in the school where this study took place, Beaverton Rural
Schools, come from low socioeconomic levels. There is a very small percentage
of minorities, the most prevalent being a small Hispanic population. At least sixty
percent of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The local area has a
high density of production factories, and these places employ many of our
school’s recent graduates and their close family members. Students in my
physics class tend to be among the most highly-achieving in our school. About
three-quarters of these students go on to attend college the year after graduation

from high school.

Research Process

During July of 1998, I took a course on campus at Michigan State University,
designed to help teachers put pages on the intemet. I produced my first web
page in this class, and have continued publishing pages since. I took an online
physics course myself the following fall semester through MSU. I had a very
worthwhile experience and decided that I should make this resource available to
my students if possible. The next summer, I had the opportunity to work on a
research topic. I spent about four weeks writing resources for my students to use
online. Time was also spent searching the intemet for already existing
resources. The author of the software I would be using later showed me how to

use it, and since then, I have produced and organized resources for several

physics topics, but chose only two of these for this study. The program is
essentially an organizational tool resembling a common intemet browser. It Is
called “Lecture OnLine”, and is currently used by several courses in diverse
areas of study. Online instructions are available for those developing a site with

the software. (Brecht and Kortemeyer, 1999)

Structure Of The Online Units

All students have access the school’s intemet linked computers to work on
course materials. To keep their interest while providing a meaningful Ieaming
experience, the online tasks should be varied.(Roerden, 1997) In my online
course, students were engaged in performing three types of tasks; reading web
pages, solving problems, and using online application software. Specifically,
students had access to the following resources online:

(see appendices B-I through B-Vl for examples):

Chapter goals for understanding
Notes

Equations/derivations

Sample problems

Links to visit outside sites
Simulated hands on activities
Movies

Audio

Consistent organization of the web pages was important so that the students

would have a familiar framework to use. If the format of the materials changed

from topic to topic, students may have wondered if they were doing what they
were supposed to be doing. For this reason, each page was broken into similar

sections with a different heading to tell the students what was in that section.

Each online chapter begins with a page outlining the goals for that chapter so
that the students would have a sense of why they were doing the work. Students
also knew that their tests were written based on these goals. The teacher can
use the software online to see which problems the students have solved and can
read/reply to emails, but the students themselves must decide on their own if

they have mastery in any topic. (Porter, 1997)

The chapter web pages were designed and written to correspond to and take the
place of lecture materials provided traditionally to in-class students. Each page
contained one topic. For example, one page may contain the instmctions on how
to find the slope of a line. I felt that breaking content into smaller "bites" would
make the pages more approachable. I worried that if the pages required
students to scroll up and down too much, they could become bored or

overloaded and not see all the content.

Each individual topic was described and sample problems were given on the
pages. Mathematical derivations were provided in places where I felt they were

of particular use, or showed a special relationship between the facts and the final

equation. Pictures or graphics were included as often as possible, as well as
sample problems with their solutions. Several pages contained movie clips that

could be downloaded and analyzed.

A similar approach that achieved positive results was used in a physics class at
Dickinson College, Pennsylvania. Students used image software to study the
motions of objects in movie files and used physics to see if the motions were
realistic. (Laws and Pfister, 1998) With this format, teacher involvement was
direct, but students spent much of their time interacting with each other and the

technology.

Equations were also given on the web pages. Sometimes important equations
arose directly from the written text, and sometimes I showed their derivation in a
series of steps. In either case, in writing the pages, I tried to show all of the logic

and steps necessary to arrive at a useful equation.

Links provided students with sites to visit for more information, or for some type '
of activity. Some of these sites contained interactive programs, or “applets”
written in Java and run directly in web browsers. (Hwang, Fu-Kwun,2000) Over
ninety percent of all intemet browsers do support Java, and all of our school's
computers are Java-ready, so this was not a problem for my students. All sites

were inspected to be certain that there were was no inappropriate material

presented. No student or instructor knowledge of programming is required, and
the sites provided students with simulations of real world situations. For
example, one applet let students alter the launch angle of a cannon ball to see
the effect of changing trajectory on range. Students could also change the mass
of the ball and see that this had no effect on the range. Sites like these are a
valuable supplement to my web page notes and problems because students
working online could not see any of the demonstrations or participate in
laboratory activities in my room. (see Implementation for further information) By
providing students with a hard copy structured question sheet, I could guide them
through the use of various applets, and lead them toward understanding the

goals for that chapter.

A chat room was provided as part of the web site where students could
communicate instantly with other students who were also currently using the
pages. Messages or questions could be left for others to see. This provided an
ideal environment for cheating, but the students were already working
unsupervised in the school media center.(see Implementation for further
information) To find out how to solve an online problem, a student could easily
find and ask another student who had already completed the problem. An
antidote for this problem is built in to the software. Each student's problem was
worded similarly, but used different variables. Students could not entirely escape

working out the problem unless they had friends willing to do the work for them.

The chat room is intended as a place where students could "share and discuss
data and ideas, and collaborate on problem solving." (Roberts, Blakeslee, Brown,

Lenk,1990)

The Online Problems

The software used to sequence the web pages and write the problems was
written by Dr. Gerd Kortemeyer, a specialist at Michigan State University,. His
presentation is based on creating a separate web browser that operates within
whatever browser 3 student is using. The instructor writes web pages and uses
special tools to sequence them for presentation. The software is titled "Lecture
OnLine". Students call up the proper internet address and log in. From that
point, everything students see is part of the teachers lesson plans. Before
students can enter the site, the instructor must enter some data so that each

student can receive a secret password and a public login name.

Michigan State University offers several courses using this software. Dr.
Kortemeyer allowed me to set up my own class using Lecture OnLine. Upon
entering the site, students initially see a selectable list of chapters for the class.
Once they select a chapter, they then see a list of the pages in that chapter.
They can select any page to view within that chapter. Chapters can contain the

elements described earlier.

10

The online problems could be presented in different formats, listed below.
Keeping the question formats varied helps prevent students from falling into a
routine of repetitive assessments, and helps students who may have a

predisposition against one particular question type.

To use email feedback questions, the teacher writes a typical question and the
student formulates their response and clicks a button to send it to the teacher.
One such feedback question asks students to write the steps involved in finding
the slope of a line. Students are free to be creative in these open-ended

questions.

Another type of question is multiple choice. The teacher makes a list of several
options for the student to choose from and each student sees a specified number
of these options. One of those presented is correct and the rest are incorrect.

Each student sees a different selection of options.

A third type of question true/false. The format is similar to the multiple-choice

questions except that all of the presented options must be answered correctly

(true or false) to get the problem right.

11

Another type of problem uses an image map. Students are asked a question,
and instructed to click on part of an image. For example, if I present a
distance/time graph and tell the student to click the section where the object is
moving most slowly, the student will not get credit until they click their mouse on

the flattest part of the line.

Finally, there are numerical response questions, which I used most. I wrote a
question and provided the software with the proper formula for solving the
problem. When each student is presented with the problem, every student has
different numerical variables within their version. (see appendices B-V and B-Vl)
This type of question forces the student not only to remember information, but

also to apply what they have learned.

It is also possible to make a numerical response question where no math need
be done. For example, one of the questions asked students what their
displacement would be on a circular track if they traveled around the track at a
given speed some given even number of times multiplied by pi. Although every
student had a different given variable multiplied by pi, every student's answer
was zero. This question may seem strange, but I think that it shows how deeply
a student understands the concept. One student may actually choose to use
equations to figure out the answer and then enter "0", while another may

conceptually analyze the relevant information to come up with the same answer.

12

When I took an online course in this format, I felt that this type of question helped
me most, because when I got an answer like zero or some whole number, I
looked at the problem and notes again and after a time I would see the

relationship.

In any format, a teacher can’t anticipate every problem every student will run into
when they are working on their own. (Swift, David, 1991) In the software I used
for this study, when students answered incorrectly, a hint may appear if the
teacher decided to make one for that particular problem. The hint may include a
formula or links to sites where the necessary information may be found. Hints
may also be tuned to the answer that is entered. If a student forgets a negative
sign, then the hint can be adjusted to remind the student that the sign of their

answer is important.

Using email is a viable option for the online students using this software. Near
the top of the screen is a button which when clicked, produces a feedback
screen. The student can ask the teacher a question, make a comment, or
respond to a question using this tool. The teacher response may not be instant,
but the two way communication makes email flexible enough to be useful.

(Porter, 1997)

13

Student Work

Vector analysis is central to any study of physics. Once a student knows how to
approach vector problems, they have a tool they can use to solve many types of
future problems. I chose to develop and document student progress using the
tools mentioned above, on an intemet based unit involving vectors for two
reasons: It comes early in the fall so students would not be entrenched in the
routines that develop in any classroom, and it is a challenging topic. Before
studying vectors, students have mastered one-dimensional motion, constant
(uniform) circular motion, and accelerated motion. While these topics can be
difficult, they are all tied together when learning vectors. The topic uses the
principles previously learned, and it forces the students to use spatial skills to
solve problems. Students from past classes often recall that the vector unit was
the most challenging one they encountered in the first semester of physics.
Traditional in-class students receive lecture notes, see me solve sample
problems, do problem sets, and typically do one laboratory activity, like using

force tables.

Using this unit to study use of the intemet as a teaching tool presents the

teacher and the students with a high level of difficulty. If the intemet format

works with vectors, it will likely work with any other topic in physics.

14

I chose a unit on momentum as a second topic of analysis. Momentum is taught
after vectors, circular dynamics, force, and energy. Momentum lessons can be
made as difficult as many other topics, depending on the instructor of course. I
wanted to see if the nature of the material made either vectors or momentum
better suited to using online materials. If students did well with the vector unit,
then they should do well with the momentum unit. Past students have
commented that momentum is a less difficult topic to learn than other topics they
studied, and that information contained in the earlier vector unit was in integral
part of Ieaming the momentum unit. Traditional in-class students receive lecture
notes, see me solve sample problems, do problem sets, and typically do one

laboratory activity, like using collision carts.

Implementation

The first two or three days of physics class were spent setting the tone for the
year and finding out how much the students already know and remember from
previous classes and experiences. Topics covered include significant figures,

scientific notation, and dimensional analysis.

15

Trial Runs

On the third day of class, I announced that all students would have the
opportunity to participate in a research project: "Every day for the first couple
weeks, six to eight of you will go to the media center to use the intemet to get
class materials." Instantly, four hands went up. There was no way to be sure if
their motivation was curiosity, confidence in their ability, or the desire to be
anywhere other than in class. The topics covered during these first trial run days
were typical of any physics class: conversions, speed, velocity, acceleration,
graphing, and circular motion. Problems solved and work completed in these
trial runs were not assessed as part of this study. Every student in the class was

given a username and password to access the materials.

The next two weeks were spent as follows:

All students came to class on time; we briefly discussed the previous day's
materials, for example, using calculators to find vector components.

The first six to eight volunteers went to the media center computers for the hour
to work unsupervised.

Each day, I gave each of these students a sheet describing their responsibility for

the hour. Usually, this included looking at three or four web pages and solving

16

one or two problems. The in-class students had to do more problems than the
online students, in addition to the lecture notes and sample problems done
together, as well as tactile lab activities. If an online problem proved to be quite
challenging, it could easily consume a significant amount of time. Rather than
focus on the quantity of problems solved, it is better to make students into flexible

problem solvers. (Hilbom, et al.)

As the time went on, it became clear that the intemet material wasn't for
everyone. After only one visit one student asked me, "Can I never leave [for the
media center] again? I need to stay here." Others reacted positively to the
format. A few students repeatedly asked to go, and these students always
completed the work satisfactorily.

Actual time spent on-task during these trial runs is not known. In most cases,
students finished the requirements for that day. Students worked unsupervised,
and could have finished their work in a short time, having time to browse the

internet.

Entire Unit Online

Near the end of the first two weeks, I announced that a more involved stage of
the study (involving vectors, and later momentum) was coming. Six or so

students would spend either or both units using web-based materials in the

17

media center. Most of those participating in the first trial also worked in the
second trial. Upon completion of the online unit, these students would come
back to class and take the same test that the in class students would take. I tried
to emphasize all of the risks, chiefly that the in class students would have the
benefit of instant interaction with the teacher all hour, while the online students
would have to rely on each other, the chat room, and email contact with the
instructor. All students would be taking the same test at the end of the unit.

I also mentioned the possible benefits to them, like being unsupervised and the

potential for having free time if they finished the work early.

I chose volunteers for this part of the study who had already shown an aptitude
for using the intemet format as evidenced by performance on the trial runs. This
reduced my worries about whether the students I sent would really do the work.
A previous study at Penn State showed that when students worked on their own
using computers, accountability was a problem. In their case, the physics
instructors tried to address this by having group reports at the end of class

sessions. (Dimeo and Sokol, 1997)

Since I had seen the results of everyone's previous trips to the media center, I
had more confidence that the ones who went for the extended online sessions
would complete the requirements. On the first day of the vector unit, 12 students

volunteered. I put their names in a hat and drew seven. I would have liked to

18

have had a larger sample size, but I only had nineteen students in only one

physics class. Furthermore, space in the media center was limited.

The assignment was clear: use all of the materials presented in the vector
chapter and complete all of the online problems in that chapter. Using the
regular class text was optional. I do not know how much use the online students
made of this resource. The time frame to complete the unit was not concrete.
The intemet students had exactly the same number of days as the in class
students. It was the in class section that would determine the test date, although

I could tell the intemet section students that it would likely be about two weeks.

After the vector test, (see appendix A-I) we spent several weeks on circular
dynamics, force, and energy. All students were in class. There was intemet
material available, but only as a supplement to class materials. I have no record

of how much these materials were actually used.

Upon completion of the energy unit, I again asked for volunteers to use online
materials for the unit on momentum. This time there were seven volunteers, and
five of these had previously worked through the intemet vector section. The
student who declined the second time had done poorly on the unit test, and felt
that he would be better served by being in class. Again, after about two weeks

all students took the same unit test (see appendix A-ll), and the online students

19

filled out a qualitative survey about their internet experience (see tables 3 and 4).

Difficulties Encountered biLOnane Sttgents

Some students said that at times they felt isolated from me. If they had a

question, they could not get it answered quickly. They had to ask their peers or
send me an email message. I responded to all email questions after school the
day I received them. Responding to questions from a larger section of students

could be a significant problem for an instructor.

The chat room did not often work for any students in the media center. There
could be several reasons for this, but the most likely is our school's intemet
server. This machine limits chat access by students to school hours. Students
trying to get into the chat room got a special "access denied" page from the
school's server. Lecture OnLine software is recommended to be used with the
Netscape® browser, and we use a Microsoft® product on a VVIndows NT®

server.

Twice during this study, our intemet server failed. Our power supply in
Beaverton is sometimes unreliable, and whenever the power fluctuated, the
server crashed. Both times this happened, school was not in session, so this

was not a big problem, but it did cause significant worry for me.

20

By design, some online problems were very difficult; some problems were
difficult inadvertently. A few problems were copied from a sophomore level
college physics class offered at Michigan State University. If the student
answered incorrectly, a hint would appear. Several students commented that the
hints were sometimes too vague and unhelpful. This was sometimes by design,
so students would have to re-read the materials and formulate several different
plans of attack for the problems. Likewise, sometimes the hints were too helpful,
almost providing the solution. In writing the questions, it was a real challenge for

me to make the hints enlightening, but not too helpful.

The unit tests included application type problems. Online students had no hands
on experiences; they had only simulated experiences, while in-class students
performed tactile laboratory activities. A test question may appear simple to a
student who has done a related lab activity but look foreign to a student who has
only had virtual activities. Conversely, a test question that is related to one of the
virtual activities may be more difficult for the in-class students. For this reason, I
tried to make test questions that neither leaned more toward the in-class

students' experiences nor the online students' experiences.

Some students do not have intemet access at home. Students with access at

home could spend much more time studying the material. Also, the in-class

21

students could view the online material anytime if they wished. For this reason,
the in-class students with intemet access at home had an advantage. It is not

known if they exploited this advantage.

Administrative Difficulties

I often found myself worried that my students in the media center were
misbehaving or just surfing the internet for fun. My concerns were dismissed by
the media specialist, who routinely informed me that my kids were well mannered

and always appeared to be on task.

I also worried that I had made a mistake in setting up the online problems. More
than once I got email feedback from students stating that they had “tried
everything” and couldn’t get a specific problem right. I also must admit that more
than once the students were right. On one occasion, I forgot that the software
did all of its calculations in “radian” mode, so I had to account for this if I wanted
students answers in degrees. The whole world can see the mistakes with the
online class because I provided a generic login for the general public to use. The
possibility exists that a mistake could go undetected for an extended period of
time because students blindly trust the software and assume that the problem is

a mistake made by themselves. (Leonard, 1997)

22

I also wondered if the online students were cheating on the problems. They
could do this by merely waiting for someone else to get one done and ask how
they did it. I had experienced this personally in an online physics class I took
through Michigan State University. It used the same software I was using in my
class. On the night a set of problems had to be done, the chat room was full of
people asking for help. One night, I gave some vital information needed to solve
a problem to another student. Later, the professor told me that this was one of
the pitfalls of this software, and that he was not bothered by it because the online
problems were only a portion of the course grade. Also, one could view these
evens as “collaboration”, which is supported by many educators. I came to
agree with this atitude myself, because on any given night my online students are

likely calling each other asking for help with difficult problems.

Results of Vector Posttest

Students had little to no previous experience with vectors, as indicated by the
mathematically oriented pretest given before the first two week session on
vectors, which yielded very poor results, typically below 25%. The posttest given
to all students was the same exam and worth 46 points. The results are reported

in Table 1.

23

 

Table 1
Raw scores on VBCtOI' test in CfJIUmeSI gercentages at bottom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ONLINE STUDENTS IN CLASS STUDENTS
31 28
32 4O
42 38
37 31
21 25
26 45
15 28
26
3O
28
36
Possible Points=48 39
Standard Deviation=9.26 Standard Deviation=6.49
Range=1 5-42 Range=25-45
AVG=61 % AVG=68°/o

 

 

Using a t test on these results showed no statistical significance between the two
groups. The t value is 1.02, and the probability of this result, assuming the null
hypothesis, is 0.321. Discarding the highest and lowest scores from each group
further reduces the difference between them. The standard deviations were

large in both groups, possibly due to differences in interest ability.

Results of Momentum Posttest

The posttest for the momentum unit included all the questions in the pretest as
well as a section of application/math questions. Five of these students had also

done the vectors unit online. The results of the posttest are given in Table 2.

24

 

Table 2
Raw scores in columnsl average greentage at bottom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ONLINE STUDENTS IN CLASS STUDENTS
57 61
56 64
62 46
51 65
46 32
51 55
46 41
42
56
55
52
Possible Points=70 65
Standard Deviation=5.5 Standard Deviation=10.64
Range=46—62 Range=41 -65
AVG=75% AVG=76%

 

A t test performed on these results showed no statistical significance. The t
value is -.OO70. The probability of this result, assuming the null
hypothesis, is 0.979. Again, the standard deviations were large, but the means

were almost identical.

Student Opinions

Below are survey questions and responses given to the seven participants in the

two week online sections.

25

 

Table 3

 

 

Question followed by number of students responding
QUESTIONS: VECTORS MOMENTUM NEITHER

 

Which was a 2 5
better section
overall for you?

 

Was either topic 2 4 1
better suited for
being online?

 

 

 

Which session 1 5 1
gave you more

free time?

Which topic do 6 1

you suppose Mr.
Mock spent more
time on?

 

 

 

 

I find it interesting that the students found the momentum unit easier, yet still

correctly guessed that I worked more on the vector unit.

26

 

Table 4
General yes/no guestions and responses

 

QUESTION YES N UNSURE
0

Was the material in 4 3 0

depth enough?

 

Was the test suitably 5 2 0
similar to the practice
test?

Did the in-class students 4 1 2
have an advantage over
you?

Did the chat room ever 4 3 0
work for you (even
once)?

Was there enough 7 O 0
material online for you to
look at?

Did you visit the linked- 3 2 2
to sites that were not
made by me?

Did you view any of the 5 1 1
downloadable movies?
Did the movies help 3 2 2
your understanding?
Did you use the Java 7 O O
applets?
Did the applets help 5 2 0
your understandim?
Should there have been 3 4 0
more problems to solve?
Were the hints to the 5 0 2
problems helpful?
Could online classes 4 2 1
ever be just as good as
in class sections?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students participating in the momentum unit also completed a survey. Some

comments were made by more than one student, but this instance is not shown.

27

Short answer guestions and their responses

QUESTION 1:What was the best part of being in the online section?

Work at own pace.

Could "take a day off".

Self motivated people could succeed.
Group effort.

New way to Ieam.

No pencil needed.

No written work.

Random problem variables made it so others couldn't just get my answers.

QUESTION 2:What was the worst part of being in the online section?

Didn't always have equations needed.

No teacher present.

Not enough on angular momentum.

Not enough sample problems.

Chat room never worked in school.

If no one got something, there was no one to ask.

DO YOU HAVE Suggestions for improvement?

Bigger practice test.
More detailed examples.
More explanations.
More equations.

28

Discussion

The similarity of the results of the two sections to each other shows the
usefulness of the internet as a medium for course presentation. Sample sizes
were small and result ranges were large, but it is apparent that students did use
the online material, as reflected by test scores. However, since the web-based
learners volunteered to use the intemet format, their test scores may be an
indication that this group possessed personal abilities that allowed them to
perform as well as their in class counterparts. (Schulman, A. H. and Sims, R. L.
1 999)

Through personal contacts, another local physics teacher has already arranged
to have his students access my online materials. I hope he and others will
contribute to the site by sending me suggestions. If several of us get together
and we each contribute the ideas that we have found to work best, the site can

only improve.

I hope to offer someday an entire semester of high school physics online for
credit to students in my district. Possibly, other local districts may have an

interest in this option, and the State of Michigan is supporting such an enterprise.

However, putting so much independence in the hands of high school students

may limit the effectiveness of any totally online course. In one mail

29

correspondence physics course, only forty percent of those who began
completed it. (Baath, 1980) This suggests to me that while an online course can
be successful, some type of teacher interaction, like a recitation meeting once a
week, is necessary to keep students moving in a predetermined direction.
Recently, our district technology coordinator proposed that our school place
materials on a website called blackboardcom, which is supported by the State of
Michigan. Upon evaluation of the resources on this site, I have found the Lecture
OnLine resources to be superior because the instructor can more easily
manipulate course variables and page appearance. Also, the state supported
site so far lacks a way to produce mathematical problems, which I feel are

necessary to any study of physics.

The immediate future will see me working to improve the quality and number of
pages already on the site. I am not very concerned at this point with overloading
the site because students can peruse the pages as quickly as they wish.
Perhaps a survey at the end of each year could help me decide how the site

should evolve.

Students continued to make remarks about the materials that had been added,
telling me that some of them kept visiting the site. Perhaps they will continue to
drop in just to look around in the future. If the site is interesting enough to draw a

bored adolescent, then it may be contributing to their interest in science in

30

general.

I believe that putting materials online is one of the best things I have done as a
teacher. It helps the students by providing them with another information source.
They can also test their mastery by doing the problems. After they graduate,

they can always return to the site when they eventually take physics in college.

The website has also proven very valuable to my normal teaching strategies. If I
need to think of a sample problem to solve in front of class, I can visit the site and
see if there is anything that is appropriate. Also, an occasional perusal of the
pages helps me brush up on topics and helps me be sure I am not skipping
anything important. I have even used the site to produce a few overheads rather
than spend time making a powerpoint presentation. Since my school has large
televisions in every room, I have also shown students around the site in class.
We worked out a few online problems together, first inputting incorrect
responses, then revising our plan of attack until we got it right. This could be a

resource for any other physics teacher with internet access.

I am particularly interested in finding more Java applets because they seemed to
be an important resource for students. I do not see myself Ieaming how to
program, but I intend to continue looking for useful websites with physics

information because more are created continuously.

31

APPENDIX A-l: Web Printout of Vector PrelPost Test

 

A cannonball is launched at 350m/s at an angle of 20°
above the horizontal. What is its maximum height?
meters

A 20 unit long vector points at 300° measured counterclockwise
from the +X axis. Find its Y coordinate.
unfis

 

 

 

 

Find the sum (resultant) of these two vectors.
A=50units @ + 60°

B=30units @ +140°

C= units @ °

  

A skater on a frictionless lake hits a puck directly North at 13m/s. A breeze
blows from the West and steadily accelerates the puck Eastward at 1.5m/s/s. How far will
the puck be from the skater in 105econds?

meters
Extra credit. . ..
For the cannonball in problem #1, with what speed does it hit the ground?
HINT :Must consider more than just the Y velocity. m/s

32

APPENDIX A-ll: Wep Printout of Momentum PrelPost Test

Billiard ball "A" is moving at 1111/5 and is about to strike another stationary billiard ball
"B". If ball "B" ends up going .3m/s at 20° below the +X axis, what does ball "A" do?
(speed and direction)

Find momentum of a .2Kg steak knife flying at 4m/s.

Somebody drops the lid of a drum, and it rolls across a floor at 2m/s. R=.3m, m=2Kg,
I=.5mr2

Find its angular momentum.

Find it linear momentum.

A torque wrench has a handle that is .5 m long. I need a total of 700N to loosen a fitting.
If I pull at 90° at the handle end, what minimum force must I pull with?

If the fitting from the previous problem is in an awkward spot and I have to grip the
handle at .25m and at an angle of 45°, how much force must I use?

A 2m long 2Kg rod is hanging by a string from its middle. A lKg rock flying at 4m/s
hits the end of the rod so that all of the rock's linear KE goes into making the rod spin.
What is the angular momentum of the rod? '

I=mL2/12

(HINT: KEN: is involved with the solution of this problem)

1)The unit of momentum is
a) m/s b)Kg*m/s c)Kg*m/52 d)Kg*m2/sz e)none of the above

33

2)If you increase the time two colliding object are in contact, the force on the objects...
a)increase b)decrease c)remains the same

3) Another way of saying "change of momentum over time". ..
a)force b)acceleration c)impulse d)speed e)none of these

4) In a frictionless setting, a resting mass "2m" is hit by mass "m", which is moving at
some velocity "v". If the "m" mass sits still right after the collision, how fast will the
"2m" mass be going?

a).5v b)v c)2v (1) can't tell from what's given

5) If wheat is dropped straight down into a train car as it rolls along (on a frictionless
track ), the train car will...
a) speed up b)slow down c)continue on at same speed

6)the unit of torque is
a)m/s b)kg*m/s c)Kg*m/52 d)Kg*m2/52 e)none of these

7)You push on a doorknob and put torque on a door. If you changed the angle of your
applied force away from 90 degrees, the torque on the door would...
a) go up b) go down c) stay the same

8) If your are twice as heavy as a friend, you would have to sit __ times closer to the
fulcrum of a seesaw for it to balance.
a)2 b)3 c)4 (1) none of these

9) A planet spins. If its radius were to become halved (all else remaining constant), it
would spin...

a) faster b)slower c)same speed

11 If you moved twice as fast, your momentum would increase _ times.
a)2 b)4 e)no change

12 If a moving object becomes twice as heavy, its momentum would increase _ times.
a) 1.5 b) c4 (1) no change

34

APPENDIX B-l: ng Printout of the Welcome Page

Welcome. You have found the physics stuff. It is of
course a work in progress.

Please look around and let me know what is useful (or not
useful).

Suggestions are always good too.

To see everythig here, you ought to have the quicktime
plugin (free) from apple.com.

Also, the chatroom works best with netscape.

RM

 

35

APPENDIX B-ll: Wep Printppt of 3 Chapter Goals Page

@7571

*Understand difference between vectors and scalars

*Use trigonometric functions to find vector X & Y components

*Be able to add and subtract vectors

*Understand/ analyze the situation described by, "static equilibrium"

36

APPENDIX B-lll: Web Printogt of 23 Notes Page

 

Two equal forces push on a ball (we will say that each force is 1 Unit). The forces
act at 90° to each other.

What is the net force on the ball?

Do you want to just say that the answer is "2"? Don't be too hasty! If both
forces were pushing IN THE SAME DIRECTION, then you would be right.
Here‘s what you do...

STEP 1 :Visualize the problem...(a sketch is always a good idea)

 

 

Here I chose to draw the vectors along the X & Y axes.
I could have drawn them anywhere, but using the axes will save me busywork
later on.
STEP 2: Find the X and Y coordinates of each vector...(I call the one pointing
up "A" and the other "B")
Ax=0
Ay=1
Bx=l
By=0
Now you see why I chose to draw the vectors on the axes! That step was easy!
STEP 3: Add the vectors...
Ax+Bx = 0+1 = 1
Ay+By = 1+0 = 1
STEP 4: Use the Phytagorean Theorem to find the resulting force...
1² + 1² = resultant²
so resultant = sqrt(2) = 1.42 units
At what angle does this force act?
Look again at the drawing... hopefully your common sense is screaming at
you...

37

 

The blue line is half way between the two original
vectors.
Can we prove this?
We know that the X component =1 and that the Y component = 1. To find the
angle in degrees above the +X axis, we can use the tangent function...
tanO = opposite side/ adjacent side
0 = l/tan(0pp/adj) = 1/tan(1/1) = 45° Hopefully this was your common
sense answer tool
NOTE: On many calculators, to get the 1/tan to happen, you would hit "shift" or "inv" or

maybe "2nd". I suggest you check it out on your calculator. Test it with this: the inverse
tangent of l is 45.

38

APPENDIX B-IV: Web Printout of an Activity Page

 

Print this page, then go to this site:
http://webphysics.davidson.edu/Applets/TaiwanUniv/collisionlD/collisionlD.html
Here you will find a java applet that simulates collisions.

There are several variables you can change:

MASS: change the mass of either object by right or left clicking on the mass while the
applet is paused.

VELOCITY: click and drag the yellow arrow for either mass while the applet is
paused.

RESTITUTION COEFFICIENT: this value describes how "elastic" the collision
is. set at one, all of the kinetic energy is conserved; set at zero and the masses stick
together.

FRAME OF REFERENCE: there are four to choose from the lab; this is how we
are used to seeing things (with us standing still) massl or mass 2; see how it looks from
the ball's point of view (so the ball stays still) the center of mass; you see things move in
relation to the center of mass (is stays stationary)

EXPERIMENT 1: Click reset. Aim the velocities at each other and set them to 30 (one
will be negative). Click start. Describe the motion of the center of mass (the "X")
EXPERIMENT 2: Click reset. Aim the velocities at each other and set them to 30.
Change the Restitution Coefficient to zero and click start. What happens?

Describe the motion of the center of mass.

EXPERIMENT 3: Click reset. Set the velocity of one of the masses to zero. Click
start. What happens upon collision? What is the speed of the hit ball? What is the speed
of the previously moving ball? How does the speed of the "X" relate to the speed of the
moving ball?

EXPERIMENT 4: Click reset. Set the restitution coefficient to zero. Click start. What
happens to the velocity of the "X" after the collision?

EXPERIMENT 5: Click reset. Change the mass of one of the balls. What happens to
the center of mass (the "X") as you change the mass?

EXPERIMENT 6: Click reset. Change the flame of reference to "ml ". Make both of
the masses the same. Set the restitution coefficient to "1". Click start. NOTE: It is very
hard for people to understand how others see the world! Now you see things as massl
would see them. Describe what you see.

39

APPENDIX B-V: Web Printout of a Sample of gp Incorrectly Answered Question

  

 

One previous attempt to solve.

 

You are using a wrench to

loosen a rusted nut. Your torque Is 290 Newtons and you are pushing with 200 Newtons. Ifyour

force is applied at 60 degrees, where are you gripping the wrench (meters fi'om nut center)?

You entered 5

This is not the correct result.

use: r = (torque)/(sin theta)(F)

Please enter answer here (within 5 percent accuracy):

 

I s

 

 

l swm'tresut!

 

 

 

 

 

Previous attempts for user demo

 

1 Log Entry i Remark 1 . From

 

 

Sat Jul 15 13:28:16 2000 is

l-

hamsss-zlaialipmicnnet

 

 

 

40

-------

APPENDIX B-Vl: Web Printgut 0L3; Sample of afCorrectlv Answered Probfim

 

 
  

9

‘ ~ :2 previous attempts to solve.

 

 

 

Vector A is 87 Units long, at 26 degrees above
the +X axis. Vector B is 81 Units long, and aims at 84 degrees
above the +X axis. Find the length in "Units" of the resultant.

You entered 141

 

Find X and Y components of each vector...

 

Ax = 87 00526 = 78.213 Ay=87 sin26 = 38.019

 

 

Bx=8l cos84=8.424 By=8lsir184=80514

 

Add together the X's

 

78.213 + 8.424 = 86.637

 

Add together the Y‘s

 

38.019 + 80.514 = 118.533

 

Then use the pythagorean theorem to find the hypotenuse. ..

 

 

the scfitare root of(86.637 "2 + 118.533 "2 ) = 146.819

 

 

 

jPrevious attempts for user demo

Fri Jul 9 21:47:28 1999 |147 |- m613-24.dia1ip.mich.net
Fri Jul 9 21:47:52 1999 |l4l j- m613-24.dialip.miclma

 

 

 

 

41

REFERENCES

Baath, John A., 1980. Postal Two-Way Communication in Correspondence
Education, Baath, pp. 91-2

Barman, Sheldon; Tinker, Robert, 1997The World's Limit in the Virtual High School,
Educational Leadership, v55, n3, pp. 52-54, November 1997

Brecht ,J. and Kortemeyer, G, 1999. Instructor Interface User Manual
[Online] Available
http://lecture.Iite.msu.edulLOManuall

Brooks, David W., 1997. Web Teaching, Plenum Press, pg.25

Dimeo, Robert M. and Sokol, Paul E., 1997. The Dynamic Physics Virtual Leaming
Environment, The Physics Teacher February, vol35,#2, pp.84-85

Distance Learning '98., 1998 Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Distance
Teaching and Leaming (14“, Madison, WI, August 5-7)

Hilbom, Robert C., 1996, Physics at the Crossroads
American Association of Physics Teachers, Sept. Section III

Hwang, F .,2000. NTNU Virtual Physics Laboratory
[Online] Available
http://www.phy.ntnu.edu.twfjavaflndex.html

Laws, Priscilla and Pfister, Hans 1998. Using Digital Video Analysis in Introductory
Mechanics Projects, The Physics Teacher May,AAPT vol36,#5, pp. 282-283

Leonard, William J., 1997. Dangers of automated data analysis, The Physics
Teacher, April, pp. 220-222

Mottmann, John, 1999. Innovations in Physics Teaching - A Cautionary Tale,
The Physics Teacher, February, vol37,#2, pp.74-76

Porter, Lynette R., 1997. Virtual Classroom
John Wiley and Sons, Pg.105

Roberts, Blakeslee, Brown, Lenk, 1990. Integrating Telecommunications into
Education, Prentice-Hall, Pg.116

Roblyer, MD, 1997. Integrating the lntemet Into Your Classroom
Prentice-Hall, pp. 18-19.

42

Roerden, 1997.NE T LESSONS: Web-Based Projects For Your Classroom
Songline Studios, Inc and Roerden, pg.284

Russell, Thomas L., 1999. The No Significant Difference Phenomenon
Institute for Higher education Policy, pg.3

Schrum and Berenfeld, 1997. Teaching and Learning in the Information Age, Allyn
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Schulman, A. H. and Sims, R. L.,1999. THE. Journal
Vol 26, No.11 June, Nova Southeastem University, pp.54-56

Swift, David, 1991. Telecommunications in the Classroom
Educational Technology Publications, Inc., pg.40

43