Chronicling a successful secondary implementation of Studio Physics

Abstract

The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) has taught its first-semester calculus-based introductory physics course (Physics I) using a hybrid lecture/Studio Physics format since the spring of 1997. Starting in the fall of 2007, we have been converting the second semester of our calculus-based introductory physics course (Physics II) to a hybrid lecture/Studio Physics format, beginning from a traditional lecture/lab/recitation course. In this paper, we document the stages of this transformation, highlighting what has worked and what has not, and the challenges and benefits associated with the switch to Studio Physics. A major goal in this study is to develop a method for secondary implementations of Studio physics that keeps the time and resource investments manageable. We describe the history of Studio at CSM and characterize our progress via several metrics, including pre/post Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM) scores, Colorado Learning About Science Survey scores (CLASS), exam scores, failure rates, and a variety of qualitative observations. Results suggest that Studio has increased student performance and satisfaction despite an aggressive expansion of class sizes in the past few years. Gains have been concentrated mostly in problem-solving skills and exam performance (as opposed to conceptual survey gains), in contrast to what has sometimes been seen in other studies.