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.

Megan sits on a bench in a striped sweater, smiling.

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.”

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Project Summary Video: