Problem-Solving Framework in Upper-Division Electromagnetism Tutorials: First Semester vs. Second Semester

In a multi-semester project, we have been examining the effectiveness of explicit implementation of problem-solving frameworks in a first-semester upper-division electromagnetism course. Specifically, we have developed a set of tutorials structured on an explicit problem-solving framework, e.g. from the Minnesota model for introductory physics,* adapted where appropriate within the tutorial. Recently, we have begun preliminary qualitative comparisons between this first-semester intervention and a similar intervention in the paired second-semester electromagnetism course. Throughout the involved sections, data was taken through interviews with students, post-tutorial self-assessments, and by examining students’ work on both the tutorials and on related exam problems. We present a preliminary qualitative analysis on how a problem-solving framework implemented through tutorials affect student problem-solving success on paired exam problems; how students have perceived the usefulness of the tutorials structured around the framework; and how students’ views of the intervention may change from the first semester to the second semester.



*e.g. J. Docktor, J. Dornfeld, E. Frodermann, K. Heller, L. Hsu, K. A. Jackson, A. Mason, Q. Ryan, and J. Yang, Assessing student written problem solutions: A problem-solving rubric with application to introductory physics, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 12, 010130 (2016).