Matthew W Guthrie

University of Connecticut | UConn · Department of Physics

There have been numerous calls for physics instructors to utilize active learning in their courses. Many research-based instructional strategies also suggest the use of group work. However, instructors frequently revert back to didactic instructional styles and make modifications to research-based instructional strategies to suit their students' ne...

Special relativity beyond its basic treatment can be inaccessible, in particular because introductory physics courses typically view special relativity as decontextualized from the rest of physics. We seek to place special relativity back in its physics context, and to make the subject approachable. The Lagrangian formulation of special relativity...

In two earlier studies, we developed a new method to measure students’ ability to transfer physics problem-solving skills to new contexts using a sequence of online learning modules, and implemented two interventions in the form of additional learning modules designed to improve transfer ability. The current paper introduces a new data analysis sch...

In two earlier studies, we developed a new method to measure students' ability to transfer physics problem solving skills to new contexts using a sequence of online learning modules, and implemented two interventions in the form of additional learning modules designed to improve transfer ability. The current paper introduces a new data analysis sch...

Interpretation of student behavior in online learning platforms based on log data is complicated by not being able to directly observe the learner. In this paper, we attempt to identify data patterns that signal either guessing on assessment problems or disengaging from the task for students while working through homework modules in an introductory...

Interpretation of student behavior in online learning platforms based on clickstream data is complicated by not being able to directly observe the learner. This leads to difficulties in understanding inherently unobservable effects on the students’ clickstream data. For example, we try to calculate the amount of time that each student spent studyin...

Interpretation of student behavior in online learning platforms based on clickstream data is complicated by not being able to directly observe the learner. This leads to difficulties in understanding inherently unobservable effects on the students’ clickstream data. For example, we try to calculate the amount of time that each student spent studyin...

This study examines whether including more contextual information in data analysis could improve our ability to identify the relation between students’ online learning behavior and overall performance in an introductory physics course. We created four linear regression models correlating students’ pass-fail events in a sequence of online learning m...

This paper expands on previous work to derive and motivate the Lagrangian formulation of field theories. In the process, we take three deliberate steps. First, we give the definition of the action and derive Euler-Lagrange equations for field theories. Second, we prove the Euler-Lagrange equations are independent under arbitrary coordinate transfor...

This study examines whether including more contextual information in data analysis could improve our ability to identify the relation between students' online learning behavior and overall performance in an introductory physics course. We created four linear regression models correlating students' pass-fail events in a sequence of online learning m...

An earlier study using sequences of online learning modules found that a significant fraction of undergraduate students were unable to solve similar new problems after learning from an online problem solving tutorial. The current study examines the effectiveness of two methods to improve students’ subsequent problem solving performance. First, an “...

We compared students’ learning behavior when completing identical online calculus-based physics homework assignments organized in two ways. One was designed for mastery learning where content is divided into smaller units, and students are required to attempt the assessment once before accessing the content. Students can proceed to the next unit af...

This study investigates patterns in students’ learning and problem-solving behavior as they proceed through a sequence of 10 mastery-based online learning modules and how these patterns correlate with overall course outcome. Students' interaction with each module, as measured by analyzing the platform log data, was categorized into nine different s...

This study investigates patterns in students’ learning and problem-solving behavior as they proceed through a sequence of 10 mastery-based online learning modules and how these patterns correlate with overall course outcome. Students' interaction with each module, as measured by analyzing the platform log data, was categorized into nine different s...

Mastery-based online (MBO) learning has been the focus of recent studies aimed at improving the effectiveness of online physics education. While traditional instruction, practice, and assessments are organized separately in larger units, MBO learning integrates these elements into learning module sequences, enabling students to proceed based on ind...

In an earlier study involving a sequence of three online learning modules, we found that college students lack the ability to transfer their learning from an online problem-solving tutorial to solving similar new problems. In the current study, we examined the effectiveness of two methods attempting to improve students’ ability to transfer. First,...

Mastery-based online (MBO) learning has been the focus of recent studies aimed at improving the effectiveness of online physics education. While traditional instruction, practice, and assessments are organized separately in larger units, MBO learning integrates these elements into learning module sequences, enabling students to proceed based on ind...

The Lagrangian formulation of classical mechanics is widely applicable in solving a vast array of physics problems encountered in the undergraduate and graduate physics curriculum. Unfortunately ,many treatments of the topic lack explanations of the most basic details that make Lagrangian mechanics so practical. In this paper, we detail the steps t...

Many existing studies analyzing log data from online learning platforms model events such as accessing a webpage or problem solving as simple binary states. In this study, we combine quality information inferred from the duration of each event with the conventional binary states, distinguishing abnormally brief events from normal or extra-long even...

Many existing studies analyzing log data from online learning platforms model events such as accessing a webpage or problem solving as simple binary states. In this study, we combine quality information inferred from the duration of each event with the conventional binary states, distinguishing abnormally brief events from normal or extra-long even...

We present a new method for measuring the effectiveness of online learning resources, through the analysis of time-stamped log data of students' interaction with a sequence of online learning modules created based on the concept of mastery learning. Each module was designed to assess students' mastery of one topic before and after interacting with...

Comparing students, schools, and districts to one another in order to form an understanding of performance on a standardized test is common across the country. If the comparison groups aren't carefully chosen, these comparisons are often not useful or can be completely invalid. In this talk, I will discuss the Texas Education Agency's current group...

The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) was administered from Spring 2003 to Spring 2012 to every public school student in the state of Texas. Student test scores from the mathematics portion of the test were analyzed in this study. These standardized test scores form a large and complex data set which cannot be easily understood. Simpl...

What are the primary factors that make one school similar to another? The Texas Education Agency utilizes the Euclidean distance between a small number of factors (e.g. total number of students and the percentage of students who qualify for free/reduced price lunch) to sort schools into comparison groups. While this is helpful in limited contexts,...

From 2003 to 2011, every student in the Texas public school system from 3rd to 11th grade took the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). We analyze the student scores for the mathematics portion of this test using a nonlinear, nonparametric model inspired by fluid mechanics for the study of semi-deterministic data. This model has been us...