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Articles 1 - 30 of 35
Full-Text Articles in Education
Time As A Line: Helping Children Make Abstract Ideas Concrete, Rachel Mae Stenner
Time As A Line: Helping Children Make Abstract Ideas Concrete, Rachel Mae Stenner
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
This is a math education project that included research, a lesson plan, and actual in the classroom work with students. Under the advisement of Dr. Rebecca Borowski, I looked into how time, an abstract idea, is taught to young children who are just starting to learn what measurement is, and examined how teachers can better teach time as a more concrete topic. This focused on the idea of turning the abstract time concepts that are thrown at children into the more abstract ideas of both circular and then linear number lines, using physical materials to help guide the process.
Can Women Science?: A Climate Survey To Address Gender Inequity In Wwu’S Geology And Physics/Astronomy Departments, Raina Shaw
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
This research study aims to assess and analyze gendered differences in student perceptions of the environment and climate in WWU’s Geology and Physics & Astronomy Departments. Underlying hypotheses involve the perceptions, comfort, and discrimination of women and gender minorities in male-dominated spaces. We also theorize that these gendered differences will increase with seniority and more so within physics than in geology. In addition to testing these hypotheses, we sought to collect relevant student feedback on factors that influence their perceptions of the climate & environment, to identify areas for future study and formal program assessment. From 56 respondents, this study …
Cross-Disciplinary Learning Index: A Quantitative Measure Of Cross-Disciplinary Learning About Energy, Todd Haskell, Emily Borda, Andrew Boudreaux
Cross-Disciplinary Learning Index: A Quantitative Measure Of Cross-Disciplinary Learning About Energy, Todd Haskell, Emily Borda, Andrew Boudreaux
Physics & Astronomy
The structure of many science programs at the college level assumes that students are able to draw on and integrate ideas from multiple disciplinary contexts. However, most assessment tools focus on learning in the context of a single discipline. We describe the development and validation of an instrument to measure how well students are able to combine energy ideas from different disciplines into a coherent understanding of a phenomenon. The final version of the instrument consists of a pair of multiple-choice online assessments, along with a metric calculated from the assessment scores: the cross disciplinary learning index (CDLI). The items …
Making Upper-Level Math Accessible To A Younger Audience, Allyson Roller
Making Upper-Level Math Accessible To A Younger Audience, Allyson Roller
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
Symmetry is all around us. It appears on fabrics and on the buildings that surround us. Believe it or not, there is actually quite a bit of math that goes into generating these patterns, which are known as the seven frieze patterns. In my work, I explain how each unique pattern is generated using different types of symmetries. I also created a PDF of a children’s book about frieze patterns to ensure that people of all ages have the opportunity to learn about seemingly complex patterns.
Physics Inventory Of Quantitative Literacy: A Tool For Assessing Mathematical Reasoning In Introductory Physics, Suzanne W. Brahmia, Alexis Olsho, Trevor I. Smith, Andrew Boudreaux, Philip Eaton, Charlotte Zimmerman
Physics Inventory Of Quantitative Literacy: A Tool For Assessing Mathematical Reasoning In Introductory Physics, Suzanne W. Brahmia, Alexis Olsho, Trevor I. Smith, Andrew Boudreaux, Philip Eaton, Charlotte Zimmerman
Physics & Astronomy
One desired outcome of introductory physics instruction is that students will develop facility with reasoning quantitatively about physical phenomena. Little research has been done regarding how students develop the algebraic concepts and skills involved in reasoning productively about physics quantities, which is different from either understanding of physics concepts or problem-solving abilities. We introduce the Physics Inventory of Quantitative Literacy (PIQL) as a tool for measuring Quantitative Literacy, a foundation of mathematical reasoning, in the context of introductory physics. We present the development of the PIQL and evidence of its validity for use in calculus-based introductory physics courses. Unlike …
More Than Meets The Eye; Accessibility Of Scientific Information Through Art, Rachael Barrows
More Than Meets The Eye; Accessibility Of Scientific Information Through Art, Rachael Barrows
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
Science is inaccessible to learn in a myriad of ways. Financially it can be difficult to get information. It can also be hard to look up information on your own without knowing what to look for. Teaching science also involves a lot of reading that can be difficult for some disabilities. Through art, however, science can become more accessible, both to share and to learn. Visual learning benefits understanding and retention of information as well as creates clearer holistic concepts. Through paintings, this project shares some scientific information, exploring a way to share and teach science that is more accessible.
Wandering Whatcom Falls, Hailey Schmidt
Wandering Whatcom Falls, Hailey Schmidt
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
Wandering Whatcom Falls is an interactive walking loop focused on connection and ecosystems. It takes place at Whatcom Falls and runs as a scavenger hunt with 7 different activities throughout the loop.
Designing Research-Based Instructional Materials That Leverage Dual-Process Theories Of Reasoning: Insights From Testing One Specific, Theory-Driven Intervention, Mila Kryjevskaia, Mackenzie R. Stetzer, Beth A. Lindsey, Alistair Mcinerny, Paula R. L. Heron, Andrew Boudreaux
Designing Research-Based Instructional Materials That Leverage Dual-Process Theories Of Reasoning: Insights From Testing One Specific, Theory-Driven Intervention, Mila Kryjevskaia, Mackenzie R. Stetzer, Beth A. Lindsey, Alistair Mcinerny, Paula R. L. Heron, Andrew Boudreaux
Physics & Astronomy
[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Curriculum Development: Theory into Design.] Research in physics education has contributed substantively to improvements in the learning and teaching of university physics by informing the development of research-based instructional materials for physics courses. Reports on the design of these materials have tended to focus on overall improvements in student performance, while the role of theory in informing the development, refinement, and assessment of the materials is often not clearly articulated. In this article, we illustrate how dual-process theories of reasoning and decision making have guided the ongoing development, testing, and analysis …
Toward A Framework For The Natures Of Proportional Reasoning In Introductory Physics, Andrew Boudreaux, Stephen E. Kanim, Alexis Olsho, Suzanne W. Brahmia, Charlotte Zimmerman, Trevor I. Smith
Toward A Framework For The Natures Of Proportional Reasoning In Introductory Physics, Andrew Boudreaux, Stephen E. Kanim, Alexis Olsho, Suzanne W. Brahmia, Charlotte Zimmerman, Trevor I. Smith
Physics & Astronomy
We present a set of modes of reasoning about ratio and proportion as a means of operationalizing expert practice in physics. These modes, or natures of proportional reasoning, stem from consideration of how physicists reason in context and are informed by prior work in physics and mathematics education. We frame the natures as the core of an emerging framework for proportional reasoning in introductory physics, that will categorize the uses of proportional reasoning in introductory physics contexts, and provide guidance for the development of reliable assessments. We share results from preliminary assessment items indicating that university physics students have difficulty …
Framework For The Natures Of Negativity In Introductory Physics, Suzanne W. Brahmia, Alexis Olsho, Trevor I. Smith, Andrew Boudreaux
Framework For The Natures Of Negativity In Introductory Physics, Suzanne W. Brahmia, Alexis Olsho, Trevor I. Smith, Andrew Boudreaux
Physics & Astronomy
Mathematical reasoning skills are a desired outcome of many introductory physics courses, particularly calculus-based physics courses. Novices can struggle to understand the many roles signed numbers play in physics contexts, and recent evidence shows that unresolved struggle can carry over to subsequent physics courses. Positive and negative quantities are ubiquitous in physics, and the sign carries important and varied meanings. The mathematics education research literature documents the cognitive challenge of conceptualizing negative numbers as mathematical objects—both for experts, historically, and for novices as they learn. We contribute to the small but growing body of research in physics contexts that examines …
Nimbleknow User Documentation, Camille Estee Ottaway
Nimbleknow User Documentation, Camille Estee Ottaway
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
NimbleKnow User Documentation is an Honors Project by Camille Ottaway
NimbleKnow is a simple web application that teachers can use to pose questions which students can then answer using their basic smartphones or tablets. In order to accommodate ESL learners our application includes translation features. Having a user-friendly classroom technology can promote more engagement and collaboration between students and faculty alike in a classroom environment.
Conformal Geometry Of Polygons, Michael Albert
Conformal Geometry Of Polygons, Michael Albert
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
Conformal maps are functions from subsets of the complex plane to the complex plane that locally preserve angles. Our goal is to understand conformal maps that pass to and from polygonal domains. In order to do so, we derive some of the basic theory of harmonic functions on simply connected domains. In particular, our goal with the first few sections is to prove the Schwarz Reflection principle. Using this, as well as other tools from complex analysis, we give an in-depth explanation of Tao’s proof of the Schwarz-Christoffel formula. This is a differential equation that allows one to compute a …
Quick Guide To Plant Families Of Western Washington, Maggie Hayward, John D. Tuxill, James M. Helfield
Quick Guide To Plant Families Of Western Washington, Maggie Hayward, John D. Tuxill, James M. Helfield
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
This guide is an expanded version of a booklet designed to help students identify native plants in western Washington. It has been expanded to include invasive and ruderal taxa commonly found in riparian areas. The purpose of this guide is to provide practical help for identifying plant families, and to facilitate a basic understanding of plant morphology. By observing morphological characteristics such as leaf arrangement and structure, the user can narrow an unidentified species down to the family level. Because this book does not go to the species level, it is meant to be used as a companion to other …
Do Men Matter? In Statistics, Probably, Michael Kelly
Do Men Matter? In Statistics, Probably, Michael Kelly
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
In statistical genetics, there are several parameters of a dataset which a researcher might, but which are difficult to estimate in practice. In this paper, we will be focusing on allele frequencies, null alleles, inbreeding coefficients and, to a certain extent, beta values. A common technique for obtaining these values, developed by Amy Anderson and her co-workers, is to jointly estimate all of them using an EM-algorithm and the method of maximum likelihood. Despite this technique being effective in general, it is currently unable to deal with males at X-linked markers. The purpose of this project is to modify the …
Preliminary Impacts Of Constructed Log Jams On Streambed Topography And Bed Temperature On The South Fork Nooksack River, Sam Kaiser
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
Salmon are an essential part of the culture, ecology and economy of the Pacific Northwest region of North America, but populations of some ecotypes are declining. One specific population, the Puget Sound chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), is listed as threatened under terms of the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). The decline of this ecotype has implications not only for humans but also for all links of the ecosystem such as the populations of southern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) which prey predominately on chinook salmon. Major threats to these fish include overharvest and habitat degradation due to …
Equity In Stem: Utilizing Student Experience To Better Inform Policy And Practice, Natasha Hessami
Equity In Stem: Utilizing Student Experience To Better Inform Policy And Practice, Natasha Hessami
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
As women and people of color continue to pursue higher education and other advanced degrees, the STEM field consistently lags behind in diverse representation and leadership. There is a critical need to address the structural barriers marginalized groups face to accessing and succeeding in STEM and invest both time and money into innovative student-centered solutions. This project outlines the development of the CSE Student Ambassador program and implementation recommendations, the development and presentation of seminars focused on equity in the Biology and Chemistry departments, and general recommendations for faculty to make classroom and lab spaces more inclusive.
Deblurring Images, Jamie Mcmullen
Deblurring Images, Jamie Mcmullen
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
Let the matrix B be a blurred version of a sharp image represented by the matrix X. Given B, we would like to recover X.
To accomplish this, we construct linear models of the blurring process that produced B from X. The idea is that we could then reverse the blurring to reproduce the original image.
For example, if the blurred image satisfies
B = CXRT
for some invertible matrices C and R, then we could recover X as
X = C-1B(RT)-1.
However, the blurring model …
The Energy Imbalance Market: Environmental Benefits Of Regional Market Integration In The West, Kristen E. Tarr
The Energy Imbalance Market: Environmental Benefits Of Regional Market Integration In The West, Kristen E. Tarr
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
Compared to other regions of the United States, the Western electric grid is fragmented and balkanized, due to lack of regional market coordination. As the West anticipates the growth of renewable energy, there is an evident need for regional market interconnection. The Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) is the first sub-hourly regional power-trading market in the West, allowing Western utilities to buy and sell electricity across the diverse geographic region (EIM, 2018a). By tapping into the flexibility and diversity of regional production profiles, the EIM reduces the variability and intermittency of renewable power. According to the 2017 quarterly benefits report, from …
This Is Not A Brain, Allison Wusterbarth
This Is Not A Brain, Allison Wusterbarth
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
An exploration of machine learning and its ethical consequences.
(Slides for the discussion are at the end of the file.)
Reduced Light Availability Diminishes Mycorrhizal Growth Response Of Invasive Forb, Regina O'Kelley
Reduced Light Availability Diminishes Mycorrhizal Growth Response Of Invasive Forb, Regina O'Kelley
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form mycorrhizae, a common, well-studied symbiotic relationship. Controls on the magnitude and direction of plant mycorrhizal growth response (MGR) remain obscured. Specifically, the influence of light availability in the MGR of an invasive forb, spotted knapweed Centaurea stoebe, has not been studied. Greenhouse studies exploring the growth response of knapweed to arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) often fail to report light intensity levels, which could impact the quality of their data. I conducted a greenhouse experiment studying the MGR in spotted knapweed under shaded and unshaded conditions, designed to approximate light availability in ambient greenhouse and full-sun …
The Global Energy Crisis, Katie Calhoun
The Global Energy Crisis, Katie Calhoun
Facing the Future Lessons
The world is at an energy tipping point. Countries and communities can choose to be proactive or wait and be reactive, however it is much less costly to do the former. In this project, high school environmental science students will examine the current energy use and concerns in a named country or community, analyze the pros and cons of the current energy situation and how it effects the social, economic and environmental aspects of the culture, then create a more sustainable, resilient plan for that country.
Keep Calm And Learn O-Chem, Hope Spargo
Keep Calm And Learn O-Chem, Hope Spargo
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
This project is an illustrated introductory guide to organic chemistry, featuring stories, metaphors, and fundamental concepts.
Predicting College Students’ Online Help-Seeking Behavior: The Effect Of Learning Proficiency, Interest, Prior Knowledge, Epistemological Belief, And Problem Difficulty, Qiang Hao, Brad Barnes, Robert C. Branch, Ewan Wright
Predicting College Students’ Online Help-Seeking Behavior: The Effect Of Learning Proficiency, Interest, Prior Knowledge, Epistemological Belief, And Problem Difficulty, Qiang Hao, Brad Barnes, Robert C. Branch, Ewan Wright
Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications
Help seeking has been identified as a learning strategy manifesting capacities for self-regulated learning (Aleven, et al., 2003). Nevertheless, there is evidence that students often encounter barriers in help seeking in classroom settings. This may involve difficulties in identifying helpers or hesitation in approaching helpers due to anxiety or a lack of self-confidence (Ryan & Shin, 2011). Aided by web technology, students may not need to face such barriers when seeking help. Moreover, communicating with experts online or utilizing search engines makes abundant relevant information accessible, and is arguably less intimidating than face-to-face interactions. As a result, students seeking online …
Sehome Hill Arboretum Trail Decommissioning Follow Up, Calvin Heslop
Sehome Hill Arboretum Trail Decommissioning Follow Up, Calvin Heslop
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
Maintaining accessible trail networks for recreation and travel is an important part of management in the Sehome Hill Arboretum in Bellingham Washington. Trails aid in bringing people into the arboretum so they can appreciate and enjoy what it has to offer. Additionally trails serve the purpose of limiting human impact to known and maintained areas. Unofficial “social” trails can be detrimental to both the accessibility and ecological function of the Arboretum. By adding to the existing trail network, these social trails can confuse park visitors as well as decrease the aesthetic value of the arboretum. Additionally, repeated traffic by hikers …
Soil Conditions And Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Spore Abundance And Distribution In Dewatered Reservoir Sediments After Dam Removal, Kari Clausen
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
Many dams in the U.S. are reaching the ends of their lifespans and dam removal as a form of river ecosystem restoration is becoming more prevalent. Revegetation of newly exposed sediments is an important aspect of ecosystem recovery after dam removal. Understanding the soil environment left behind after dam removal is important for understanding revegetation and ecosystem recovery trends. Physical soil properties and soil biota communities help to determine the success of plants colonizing exposed sediments after reservoirs are drained. I investigated soil properties and biota after dam removal by looking at the Elwha Dam Removal in Olympic National Park, …
Nickel Phosphide On Boron-Doped Alumina: New Catalysts For Heteroatom Removal Reactions, Catherine E. Miles
Nickel Phosphide On Boron-Doped Alumina: New Catalysts For Heteroatom Removal Reactions, Catherine E. Miles
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
The effects of boron addition to an alumina (Al2O3) support on the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) properties of nickel phosphide (Ni2P) catalysts have been investigated. The B-Al2O3 supports were prepared by a wetness impregnation method using boric acid (H3BO3) to dope the alumina support with 0-7.2 wt% B, yielding a boron oxide (B2O3) layer of monolayer thickness on the surface of the Al2O3 support. Ni2P precursors were prepared on the B-Al2O3 supports in two ways: 1) impregnation …
Summer Climate And Western Spruce Budworm Outbreaks In The Pacific Northwest, Melinda Vickers
Summer Climate And Western Spruce Budworm Outbreaks In The Pacific Northwest, Melinda Vickers
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
Western spruce budworm outbreaks occur yearly with devastating effects for forests across Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. However, as of yet, the relationship between these outbreaks and summer climate is poorly understood. In this study, I compared western spruce budworm outbreak records from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia with June-August temperature and precipitation records between 1975 and 1995. This research reveals interesting patterns in the correlation between drought conditions and western spruce budworm outbreaks. My results necessitate further study examining the potentially significant relationship between summer drought conditions and western spruce budworm outbreaks.
Fish Abundance And Habitat Recommendations Of The Lake Whatcom Tributaries, Ariel Edwards
Fish Abundance And Habitat Recommendations Of The Lake Whatcom Tributaries, Ariel Edwards
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
The tributaries of Lake Whatcom, Austin/Beaver, Anderson, Olsen, and Smith Creeks, provide essential habitat for many fish species native to the Pacific Northwest. However, development in the watershed has contributed to habitat alterations and even degradation of habitat quality. In this report, fish abundance and diversity, and habitat quality is compared both temporally, and among different streams. Anderson Creek was found to have the greatest species diversity. Cutthroat trout was the most abundant fish at each stream throughout the study period and was observed at every study site. Restoration recommendations for each stream were aimed at supporting existing native fish …
The World Before Calculus: Historical Approaches To The Tangent Line Problem, Lindsay Skinner
The World Before Calculus: Historical Approaches To The Tangent Line Problem, Lindsay Skinner
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
Pierre de Fermat and René Descartes were two brilliant 17th century mathematicians who have had lasting impacts on modern mathematics. Descartes laid the groundwork for the Cartesian coordinate system that is frequently employed in modern mathematics and Fermat’s last theorem vexed the mathematics community until Wiles’ proof was published in 1995. Amidst their many ground-breaking accomplishments these two men produced solutions for another mathematical problem - developing a general method to find the tangent line to a curve.
In spite of their apparent genius, neither man’s method had the lasting impact of their other works. Descartes’ and Fermat’s methods were …
How Accurate Are Physics Students In Evaluating Changes In Their Understanding?, Therese Claire, Tija L. Tippett, Andrew Boudreaux
How Accurate Are Physics Students In Evaluating Changes In Their Understanding?, Therese Claire, Tija L. Tippett, Andrew Boudreaux
Physics & Astronomy
An assessment question involving Newton’s 2nd law was administered in a physics course for preservice elementary teachers before and again after instruction. The posttest included a prompt asking students to describe the specific ways their thinking changed. Student reasoning was coded for physics content accuracy; many students exhibited changes from primitive, experientially-based reasoning to more formal reasoning. Students' self-reported reflections were then compared to the differences in the pre- and posttest codes. We find that many students do not identify substantive changes in their reasoning, while other students reflect at only a surface level. We also find that some students …