Course Description This calculus-based introductory physics course is recommended for those students majoring in science or mathematics, but is also suitable for those with prior experience with calculus. The course satisfies a physical sciences requirement for the biological sciences major. The course covers the topics of mechanics, heat, and sound. The class meets twice a week for a 50 minute lecture given by a faculty member, twice a week for a 50 minute discussion and one three hour lab per week, the latter two led by a Teaching Assistant. Approximately 250 students enroll in this course every semester, of which approximately 50% are biological science majors, 32% are physical science majors (such as physics or chemistry), and 13% are engineering majors. The lesson was performed over half way through the semester, during a unit on fluids, and only took place within the 3 hour lab of one week, in which the students have been working in the same groups throughout the semester.

Executive Summary The goal of the lesson is for students to develop an understanding of how physics is connected to biology through the building of physics models of biological phenomena. We developed three versions of the lesson, evaluating Versions 1 and 2 and making changes based on those evaluations. In Version 1 students engaged in model building activities and were asked to develop physics-based models for a variety of biological and physiological facts. In Version 2 significant modifications were made to address difficulties students had in meeting the learning goals of Version 1. In particular, the number of different biological facts students were asked to model was reduced significantly, and more attention was paid to developing students' model building skills. Only minor modifications were made in Version 3 to help provide more feedback and a clearer framework for model building to students. We found that students suffered from several difficulties that prevented them from achieving the learning goals: a lack of conceptual understanding; underdeveloped models; and a lack of reflection on the models that they built. The revisions in the lesson were designed to address these difficulties, resulting in a lesson, which provides ample opportunities for feedback to students on the model building process and how it helps to make connections between physics and biology

Printer Friednly Version of Complete Report Model building lesson complete report

The Lesson Student worksheet version 1 (with pre-lab) Student worksheet version 2 (with pre-lab) Student worksheet version 3 (without pre-lab) Student worksheet version 3 (just pre-lab) Student worksheet version 3 (model answers) TA guide for version 3

The Study Observational protocol for version 1 We don't have observational protocol for version 2 and 3 because we did not conduct a focused observation for those versions. Summary of student response to version 1 (section by section) Summary of student response to version 2 (only for selected sections) Assessment rubric for version 2 (only for selected sections)