"Curriculum design for teaching Simple Harmonic Motion Tutorials in Introductory Physics, Prentice Hall, 2002."

We have developed research-based curriculum for first-year undergraduate physics students concerning wave motion in Physics. This initiative builds on the conceptual tutorials in introductory physics [1] and extends it to include Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM). The emphasis of these tutorials is not on solving the standard quantitative problems found in traditional textbooks, but on the development of important physical concepts and scientific reasoning skills. In order for meaningful learning to occur, students need more assistance than they can obtain through listening to lectures, reading the textbook, and solving standard quantitative problems. It can be difficult for students who are studying physics for the first time to know what they do and do not understand and to learn to ask themselves the type of questions necessary to come to a functional understanding of the material. Therefore these tutorials provide a structure that promotes the active engagement of students in the process of learning physics. The tutorials comprise of an integrated system of pre-tests, worksheets, homework assignments and post-tests. In a pre-test, students are asked to answer conceptual and mathematical problems prior to taking the tutorial. During a tutorial session, students work together on worksheets that consist of carefully sequenced tasks and questions to guide them through the reasoning necessary to construct concepts and to apply them in real-world situations. The tutorial homework reinforces and extends what is covered in the worksheets. Post-test questions then assess the progress made by the students.ReferenceL.C. McDermott, P.S. Shaffer et al, Tutorials in Introductory Physics, Prentice Hall, 2002.