UMass Amherst SRRI -- PERG

Physics Education Research Group

Contact(s):

During 2008-2009, PERG (a.k.a. UMPERG) is transitioning from UMass to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where it joins the UNCG Department of Physics & Astronomy.

PERG is a team of physicists studying knowledge, cognition, learning, and teaching about physics and other sciences. We investigate fundamental questions in the cognitive science of physics learning and expertise; develop pedagogic techniques and curricula; and promote effective instruction within our university and around the world.

PERG was founded by Prof. William Gerace, a theoretical nuclear physicist, who began research into physics education in 1976. He was joined in turn by Jose Mestre, Robert Dufresne, and William Leonard, all of whom completed doctoral dissertations in theoretical nuclear physics before joining the educational research effort. Ian Beatty joined later, completing a Physics Ph.D. with a dissertation in physics education research. Over the years, UMPERG has employed and worked with many undergraduate and graduate students.

UMPERG was originally a research group within the UMass Department of Physics as well as a founding element of SRRI; in later years, it was solely affiliated with SRRI.

The information below may become increasingly obsolete as time passes. Caveat emptor.

Latest PERG News

PERG Moves from UMass to UNCG
03/20/2009 - 9:47pm
Beatty talks about TLT project for STEM Institute
11/24/2007 - 11:23pm

Current PERG members:


Beatty, Ian D.	Research Assistant Professor of Physics (and SRRI webmaster)
Feldman, Allan	Professor, Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies, School of Education
Leonard, William J.	Research Associate Professor, Physics; Lecturer, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Ekaterina (Katya) Ites	Graduate Student, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Harris, Robby	Ed.D. Student, Teacher Education & Curriculum Studies
Lee, Hyunju	Ed.D. Student, Teacher Education & Curriculum Studies
Ortiz, Edgardo	Ph.D. Student, Physics
Kline, Perie	Undergraduate Assistant (Physics Major)
Quirk, John	Undergraduate Assistant (Physics Major)
Schiff, Kristin	Undergraduate Assistant (Physics Major)

PERG publicatons (reprints, preprints, technical reports, etc.):

See PERG's share of the SRRI publications list.

Current PERG projects:

This list is not complete.

TLT

Teacher Learning of Technology-Enhanced Formative Assessment

TLT is a five-year research project studying how secondary science and mathematics teachers learn to use an electronic "classroom response system" to implement a specific pedagogical approach called Technology-Enhanced Formative Assessment (TEFA).

ConMap

Computer-based assessment tools for probing physics students' conceptual knowledge structures

Traditional problem-based exams are not reliable tools for diagnosing students' knowledge and guiding pedagogical intervention; new tools grounded in cognitive science and educational research are nee

Past PERG projects:

This list is definitely not complete!

Every Decision Counts (EDC)

Developing and researching the impact of an alternative format for multiple-choice assessment

Standard multiple-choice assessments, for which there are 4 incorrect and exactly one correct choice, are efficient to implement but imprecise and difficult to interpret.

RRA

Researching the Role of Qualitative Analysis

RRA was a research project on the combined impact of qualitative analysis and reasoning activities and formative assessment on the attitudes, conceptual understanding, skills, and problem-solving prof

A2L Project

Assessing-to-Learn: Continuous Formative Assessment for Physics Instruction

There has been considerable interest in assessment, especially in view of the goals set forth in reform documents, such as the NRC's National Science Education Standards.

Minds*On Physics Project

Developing and field testing a research-based curriculum for high school physics

To learn about the finished Minds·On Physics product, see the MOP entry in our Resources section.

Knowledge Broker

Exploring technology for next-generation classroom response systems

Effective pedagogy --- identifying students' initial understanding and misconceptions, engaging their minds in the activity of learning, continually monitoring their individual progress, and adjusting

Published PERG "products":

Minds*On Physics

A constructivist, active-learning curriculum for high school physics

MOP is a one-year curriculum for high school physics. It is the result of a materials development project supported by the National Science Foundation, and its design was guided by educational research findings. The curriculum integrates topics traditionally taught at different times of the year, and students are expected to develop conceptual understanding of physics while improving problem-solving proficiency.

Scientific Reasoning Research Institute

PERG