Re: [Phys-L] Evaluation tests

[Robert Cohen <Robert.Cohen@po-box.esu.edu>]

Since some of the questions are taken from the BSDT, I am not free to distribute it.

No, we haven't used it as pre/post.  We know that there is very little correlation between the score on it and the student grade in precalc, although there seems to be a stronger correlation between a B-or-better grade in precalc and the score on the math survey.

I also want to mention that when I speak with students who do poorly, I find that they are NOT incapable* of doing math.  Rather, their weakness can be traced to some time in their past (typically 6th grade, for whatever reason) when they found that it took too long to "make sense" of the math and they were "encouraged" to just do things by rote instead.  From then on, they went through algebra, geometry, trigonometry and sometimes even calculus surviving by rote, without understanding anything of what they were doing.

I have found that this is not something that can easily be addressed, particularly if they are being asked to learning physics at the same time.

________________________________________
From: Phys-l [phys-l-bounces@phys-l.org] on behalf of Anthony Lapinski [Anthony_Lapinski@pds.org]
Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2013 9:52 AM
To: Phys-L@Phys-L.org
Subject: Re: [Phys-L] Evaluation tests

I, too. Could not find it online, only a few sample math questions...


Phys-L@Phys-L.org writes:
> On Dec 16, 2013, at 18:23 PM, Robert Cohen wrote:
>
> > We have found a very strong correlation between students passing this
> course with a C or better and our own survey, which is based partly on
> Jerome Epstein's "Basic Skills Diagnostic Test" (BSDT) and focuses a
> great deal on proportions and the meaning of algebraic letters (variable
> and unit abbreviations) vs. numbers.  The key is to ask as simple a
> question as possible that still reveals the weakness.  For example,
> without the help of a calculator, which is bigger: 25/27 or 15/17?
> >
>
> I'd love to see a copy of this survey if I could.  Have you ever
> administered it as a pre/post test in a physics class?  It'd be
> interesting if the physics class, as opposed to a math class, having an
> impact on improving this sort of thinking.
>
>
>                       thanks,
>
>                               Brian Blais
> --
> Brian Blais
> bblais@bryant.edu
> http://web.bryant.edu/~bblais
> http://brianblais.wordpress.com/
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Forum for Physics Educators
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