Integrating noise into PhET simulations to promote student learning of measurement uncertainty

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Liu, Qiaoyi, Blackman, Matthew, Geschwind, Gayle, Carter, Catherine, Perkins, Katherine K., Lewandowski, H. J.
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866911185672077312
author Liu, Qiaoyi
Blackman, Matthew
Geschwind, Gayle
Carter, Catherine
Perkins, Katherine K.
Lewandowski, H. J.
author_facet Liu, Qiaoyi
Blackman, Matthew
Geschwind, Gayle
Carter, Catherine
Perkins, Katherine K.
Lewandowski, H. J.
contents Understanding concepts and practices of measurement uncertainty is a core competency of physicists and engineers, and many physics lab courses aim to have students learn these ideas. However, there is strong evidence that these goals are often not met. To address the challenge of improving students' proficiency with measurement uncertainty concepts and practices, we designed and developed a new PhET simulation, Projectile Data Lab (PDL), featuring statistical noise and measurement tools in the context of projectile motion. We integrated this simulation into the Common Online Data Analysis Platform (CODAP), creating an instructional platform for collecting and analyzing data from the simulation, and designed three simulation-based instructional activities for instructors to use in their lab courses. We describe the pedagogical design of the new simulation, the PDL+CODAP instructional platform, and the associated instructional activities. We highlight how the targeted learning goals guided the pedagogical design, as well as how these three instructional tools (the simulation, the PDL+CODAP platform, and the lab activity) work together and leverage the affordances of each to scaffold learning. The goal of this work is to provide a model of how noise-enhanced simulations and activities can be designed to enhance student learning of measurement uncertainty.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_25769
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Integrating noise into PhET simulations to promote student learning of measurement uncertainty
Liu, Qiaoyi
Blackman, Matthew
Geschwind, Gayle
Carter, Catherine
Perkins, Katherine K.
Lewandowski, H. J.
Physics Education
Understanding concepts and practices of measurement uncertainty is a core competency of physicists and engineers, and many physics lab courses aim to have students learn these ideas. However, there is strong evidence that these goals are often not met. To address the challenge of improving students' proficiency with measurement uncertainty concepts and practices, we designed and developed a new PhET simulation, Projectile Data Lab (PDL), featuring statistical noise and measurement tools in the context of projectile motion. We integrated this simulation into the Common Online Data Analysis Platform (CODAP), creating an instructional platform for collecting and analyzing data from the simulation, and designed three simulation-based instructional activities for instructors to use in their lab courses. We describe the pedagogical design of the new simulation, the PDL+CODAP instructional platform, and the associated instructional activities. We highlight how the targeted learning goals guided the pedagogical design, as well as how these three instructional tools (the simulation, the PDL+CODAP platform, and the lab activity) work together and leverage the affordances of each to scaffold learning. The goal of this work is to provide a model of how noise-enhanced simulations and activities can be designed to enhance student learning of measurement uncertainty.
title Integrating noise into PhET simulations to promote student learning of measurement uncertainty
topic Physics Education
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.25769