Explicit Implementation of Problem-Solving Frameworks in Tutorials and a Comparison to the Conventional Approach of Designing Tutorials

As part of a more comprehensive study on tutorials in upper-division physics, we study the effects of explicitly structuring tutorials around problem-frameworks compared to existing approaches of designing tutorials. During the Fall 2024 semester, we tested two sets of tutorials in a first-semester upper-division course on electromagnetism, one which was structured explicitly on a problem-solving framework based on the Minnesota model for introductory physics,* and another informed by existing literature on a more conventional tutorial approach. Throughout the semester, data was taken from a sample of 24 students through surveys, interviews, post-tutorial self-assessments, students' work on tutorials and on exams, and observing students while they solved problems related to tutorial topics. It seems that when students use such a tutorial, the change in format of tutorial seems to have little effect on exam scores, but that students are thinking more consciously about aspects of physics problems other than simply arriving at a correct answer. A larger sample size may help refine quantitative results, such as those pertaining to the exam scores.