Bridging the Gap Between
Physics 33 & Math 14
Maribeth Oscamou
Norm Paris
Math & CS Department
The Gap
 Math
14 (Multivariable Calculus) and Physics 33 (Physics for Science &
Engineers III) cover many connected topics
 Neither
is a prerequisite for the other and many students take them
concurrently
 Some
of the math needed in Physics 33 isn’t covered until end of the quarter
in Math 14 or at all
 Differences
in notation make the connections difficult for students to realize
Our Idea
 Created
5 Math & Physics video modules (administered through Camino)
bridging content
 Used
iPad app (Explain Everything) for the videos
 Each
module consisted of:


1-2 videos (less than 10 minutes each)

5 questions (comprehension and feedback)
Offered as extra credit in Fall 2014 in 3 sections of Math 14
Questions of Interest
 Will
students’ motivation or interest in Math and Physics change when they
better understand their connection through these modules?
 Will
students’ comprehension of Physics 33 and Math 14 improve when they
better understand their connection through these modules?
Student Participation
 70
students completed 1 or more module and 27 of these completed all 5
modules.

On average, 50 students completed the questions in any given module.
Impact on Students’ Reported Motivation
 We
asked students the following question (on a 5 pt scale):
“This video provided me with useful connections between
Math 14 and Physics 33”
 Results
by Module:
Module 1 mean: 3.98 +/- 0.76
Module 2 mean: 4.16 +/- 0.69
Module 3 mean: 4.19 +/- 0.82
Module 4 mean: 4.29 +/- 0.68
Module 5 mean: 4.29 +/- 0.74
5 pt scale
1 – Strongly Disagree
2 – Disagree
3 – Undecided
4 – Agree
5 - Strongly Agree
Impact on Students’ Reported Motivation
 On

the final module, we asked students questions regarding all modules:
“Overall these 5 Math/Physics modules increased my motivation to learn and
understand the math topics in Math 14”


Results: 3.83 +/- 0.70
“Overall these 5 Math/Physics modules increased my motivation to learn and
understand the physics topics covered in Physics 33”

Results: 3.63 +/- 0.97
Impact on Students’ Comprehension
 Analyzed
comprehension in 2 ways:

Student feedback

Comprehension questions in each module

1 multiple choice question

1 more challenging comprehension question requiring students to upload
supporting work
Impact on Students’ Comprehension
 Student

Feedback:
We asked students the following question (on same 5 pt scale):
“The topics covered in this video were explained clearly.”
Results: Average for all 5 modules was 4.19 +/- 0.67
 Comprehension

Questions
Students earned on average 60/100 on comprehension questions
Student Participation
Student Suggestions for Improvement
3
most common suggestions:

Provide more examples

Create easier comprehension questions

Alter the timing of Math 14 & Physics 33 so that there is more of an overlap
between the two courses
New Changes in Math Calculus Sequence
 Math
& CS Department STEM committee met with members of all STEM
departments to get feedback on topics in calculus sequence used in their
discipline
 As
a result, Math & CS Department just approved a proposal to change both
the topics and the order of topics covered in the Calculus sequence
 Proposed
changes result in better syncing and coverage of topics needed and
used in Physics 33
 Also
compiled a list of sample/application problems of calculus applied in
other disciplines
Future Use of Modules
 Videos
and comprehension questions are openly available to any interested
faculty member who would like to use them
 Questions
used in the modules provide potential HW or in-class questions to
show applications of calculus in physics