Shawn M Willis, Randall E Carlson, Jessica H Dwyer
The United States Air Force Academy Department of Physics incorporates a supplemental journal to complement the calculus-based physics textbook used in each of its introductory physics courses. The journals are designed to promote deeper student examination of the material and to identify areas of student difficulty. Integrating worked examples and explanatory question sets into the journal is a teaching strategy the department implemented to encourage students to think more critically about physics concepts and establish or strengthen scaffolding. The feedback gleaned from student answers informs an instructor’s process for selecting appropriate lesson activities aimed at helping resolve student misconceptions. Instructors also use Just-in-Time Teaching assignments to garner awareness of the cognitive status of the class, which allows them to tailor learning experiences accordingly. The faculty recently administered surveys to the introductory physics students to gain insight about the following three key areas: a) the overall value students placed on the journal exercises, b) which elements of the journal students viewed as most useful, and c) how the journals might have influenced student use of the textbook. The results indicate that the journals may have a detrimental effect on textbook usage and that the journals may not promote the desired deeper student examination of introductory physics concepts. This calls to question whether learning from a textbook is a skill that should be cultivated as well as how the Air Force Academy Department of Physics can more effectively stimulate students to carry out a rich examination of physics concepts prior to in-class exposure to the material. Such concerns could be a function of the journal content itself, the students’ approach to completing the journal exercises, or both.
