Author Date

2026-2

Degree Name

BS

Department

Physics and Astronomy

College

Computational, Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Defense Date

2026-02-13

Publication Date

2026-03-25

First Faculty Advisor

John Colton

First Faculty Reader

David Neilsen

Second Faculty Reader

Andrew Mason

Honors Coordinator

Karine Chesnel

Keywords

Physics Education Research, Problem Solving, Tutorials, Electricity and Magnetism, Upper-division

Abstract

We study the effects of implementing a problem-solving framework in tutorials intended for use in upper-division electricity and magnetism courses. These tutorials were integrated into an electricity and magnetism course in Fall 2024, and were compared alongside a set of tutorials on the same topics which did not include the problem-solving framework. We performed a mixed-methods analysis on exam scores, interviews, and survey responses from students who were in the class. Students seem to prefer the tutorials that implement the problem-solving framework, and these tutorials seem to assist students with conceptual understanding somewhat; however, the qualitative data on conceptual understanding is not statistically significant given the small class size. We also provide here an analysis on upper-division physics students’ problem-solving practices, and insights on how our data can inform tutorial design and physics instruction.

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