INTRODUCTION
A frequently stated primary goal of introductory physics courses is for students to learn and be able to apply the
major concepts and principles of physics. Despite this, many factors indicate that this goal is not accomplished in
the majority of physics classrooms. Therefore it is important to re-examine the product of physics classes as they
are now, the methods by which it is produced, and measures that can be taken to improve the overall quality of
physics education. Many of these problems can be solved or improved upon by adding an aspect of technology to
enhance the educational process. Technology can improve the quality of education while also making it more
efficient. An example of this is a computer assisted personalized approach (CAPA), a computer system developed
and used at Michigan State University. CAPA has attributes that may be a step in relieving some of the difficulties
in physics education.
SIGNS AND CAUSES OF PROBLEMS
Several things are occurring within the physics education system that should be taken as warning signs by physics
professors. The first would be a loss of students in courses. Of the students that initially enroll in a two semester,
calculus based, introductory physics course, the national trend has been that approximately half have dropped the
class by the end of the second semester. These students leave the course out of frustration, citing the course to be
too hard. Second, the number of physics majors is declining. A very small percentage of the students in these
courses actually continue taking physics classes or major in physics. Finally, students do not appear to gain as much
out of their courses as is necessary. The students who do complete the course leave without having much ability to
reason qualitatively about the processes of physics and do not retain much of what they have learned for any
significant period of time. Additionally, a vast difference exists between what professors believe they taught their
students and what the students felt they actually learned.
These problems that have surfaced in physics education may find their roots in various sources. One is the lecture
method used by many professors. This method involves the professor lecturing for a straight hour without any
feedback or interaction from the students. This then adds the assumption that the students will accept and be able to
understand the material exactly as it is presented. Also, it makes the students be passive learners, who write down
what they are told, but do not really think about it. Additionally, the main focus of what is taught tends towards the
mathematical side. New principles generally are taught through a mathematical representation instead of a
conceptual idea. Most introductory physics students will not be able to make a strong connection between this
equation and the physical situation associated with it. The information also is not presented in any sort of coherent
structure that will help the students tie all ideas together. Students are rarely given a foundation of basic conceptual
physics to build the rest of their knowledge upon. They are given individual details and then left to discover the big
picture on their own.
Also adding to the problem is the nature of the homework problems that the students are given. The vast majority of
homework questions are numerical and can be done with a formula strategy, often referred to as “plug and chug.”
Students scan the problem for the given and unknown variables, find an equation that uses those variables, and then
solve for the unknown. This method is successful in that it leads quickly to the correct answer. However, it is
simply manipulation of equations and rarely forces the student to actually consider any physics principles. Students
who do not pick up on the concepts during class are not likely to pick them up this way either. Another
disadvantage to these numerical problems is the ease with which students can copy each other’s work. The
shortcomings of these homework assignments continue with the way in which they are graded. By the time the
students’ homework assignments are returned, the students will not remember where they had trouble and their basic
train of thought throughout the assignment. Therefore, they will not be able to pinpoint exactly where something
went wrong, and also are not likely to put much effort into correcting their mistakes, since they cannot regain the
points.
Conceptual understanding is neglected both in work done inside and outside class. Instead, the focus is on the
numerical applications of concepts. However, this easily turns into mathematical manipulation with little attention
paid to the fact that there are concepts behind these applications. Therefore, students who enter the class with some
misconceptions about the way the physical world works may leave the class with the same misconceptions since
students are so rarely force to put their conceptual knowledge to the test.