Developing an Assessment Task to Elicit Blended Mathematical Sensemaking in Science for Students in Introductory E&M

To understand how students approach complex problems, we can utilize a framework of blended mathematical sensemaking in science ("Sci-Math sensemaking"). While directly assessing students' Sci-Math sensemaking can be difficult, it is an important area of work, especially within the understudied context of introductory electricity and magnetism (E&M). Situated within a larger multi-institutional and cross-disciplinary NSF award (DUE-2235487, DUE- 2235413, DUE-2235641, and DUE-2235311), we aim to develop a physics task that can be used on an exam to elicit students' Sci-Math sensemaking in an introductory E&M course. Using a modified version of Evidence Centered Design and the Three-Dimensional Learning Assessment Protocol, we will create a physics task to examine the core physics idea that interactions are mediated by fields. During this process, we intend to investigate the specificity of the published core idea and consider how other cross-cutting concepts & scientific practices in E&M relate to the core idea. This poster will focus on the physics task creation and development process.