OK, the period I suggested for comments has passed, so now I'd
like to ask you to take some time from your busy day and
fill out the following form. The purpose of the survey is
explained in my original posting, which I've reproduced below,
after the form. Please send completed forms to me directly --
do *not* post them to the list.
Thanks in advance for your help! I plan to start analyzing the
data on Jan. 7, and will report on the results a.s.a.p. afterwards.
Instructor: School:
(Only aggregated data will be released publicly.)
Type of school:
( ) high school
( ) two-year college
( ) moderately selective 4-year school (e.g. Cal State)
( ) highly selective 4-year school (e.g. Berkeley, Harvard)
Type of course:
( ) high-school AP
( ) one-semester conceptual physics
( ) two-semester algebra-based
( ) two-semester calculus-based
( ) three-semester calculus-based
Please list average FCI scores and sample sizes in any applicable
spaces:
Pre-instruction --
Average: Sample size:
Mid-term or administered in chunks over the course of the semester --
Average: Sample size:
Post-instruction --
Average: Sample size:
==============================================================
original posting follows
==============================================================
I have started administering the FCI to my students, and have
gained some valuable information,I think, about what the
students were and were not learning. But I'm also not sure
how to interpret the numbers, since I don't have much to
compare with. The plain averages are not very helpful without
data on what type of school it is and what type of course --
e.g. Harvard engineering students' pre-instruction scores
are better than the post-instruction average among the A
students in engineering physics at the community college
where I teach.
Would anyone be interested in contributing data? I've created
a form, below, but let's wait until Jan. 1 for comments before
anyone starts sending me data. It might turn out that similar
data are already available, or people might point out problems
with my form. In any case, please *don't post filled-out forms
to the list* -- just send them directly to me.
The purpose is simply to provide teachers with some kind of
rough comparison so that they can interpret their students'
scores in light of scores of similar classes at schools with
similar student populations. It will of course not be a scientific
sample.