To promote B.C. post-secondary educators and students who are committed to exploring and improving student learning and who are eager to conduct and share their research.
Project Lead/Fellow: Meghan Costello
Institution: University of Northern British Columbia
Project Title: Effectively moving away from traditional proctored exams in first-year physics courses
Research description:
Meghan is researching how we can effectively move away from traditional proctored midterm and final exams in first-year physics courses in a way that will improve student motivation and understanding of the course material.
“I will be teaching a first-year, non-majors physics course fully online during both the summer and fall semesters at UNBC,” shared Meghan. “Rather than using predominantly textbook-style questions on assignments and exams, I am planning to incorporate a variety of question styles (i.e., project questions answered via video, interactive questions involving online simulations, and revised calculation questions with increased emphasis on explaining the underlying theory). I expect that these question styles will lead to more student questions during office hours, as well as increased student participation in tutorial sessions and increased student collaboration with peers.”
Research Blog Posts:
- Effectively Moving Away from Traditional Proctored Exams in First-Year Physics Courses
- Effectively Moving Away from Traditional Proctored Exams in First-Year Physics Courses: Part Two
Research Reel:
Project Summary Video: