Lewandowski Group - ECLASS

ECLASS for Instructors

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What is E-CLASS?

The Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics (E-CLASS) was developed as a broadly applicable assessment tool for undergraduate physics lab courses. At the beginning and end of the semester, the E-CLASS assesses students' views about their strategies, habits of mind, and attitudes when doing experiments in lab classes. Students also reflect on how those same strategies, habits of mind, and attitudes are practiced by professional researchers. Finally, at the end of the semester, students reflect on how their own course valued those practices in terms of earning a good grade.

In response to frequent calls to transform laboratory curricula to more closely align it with the skills and abilities needed for professional research, the E-CLASS is a tool to assess students' perceptions of the gap between classroom laboratory instruction and professional research.

E-CLASS Statements

  1. When doing an experiment, I try to understand how the experimental setup works. (q01)
  2. If I wanted to, I think I could be good at doing research. (q27)
  3. When doing a physics experiment, I don't think much about sources of systematic error. (q03)
  4. If I am communicating results from an experiment, my main goal is to have the correct sections and formatting. (q22)
  5. Calculating uncertainties usually helps me understand my results better. (q06)
  6. Scientific journal articles are helpful for answering my own questions and designing experiments. (q19)
  7. I don't enjoy doing physics experiments. (q24)
  8. When doing an experiment, I try to understand the relevant equations. (q10)
  9. When I approach a new piece of lab equipment, I feel confident I can learn how to use it well enough for my purposes. (q28)
  10. Whenever I use a new measurement tool, I try to understand its performance limitations. (q05)
  11. Computers are helpful for plotting and analyzing data. (q11)
  12. I don't need to understand how the measurement tools and sensors work in order to carry out an experiment. (q02)
  13. If I try hard enough, I can succeed at doing physics experiments. (q26)
  14. When doing an experiment, I usually think up my own questions to investigate. (q13)
  15. Designing and building things is an important part of doing physics experiments. (q15)
  16. The primary purpose of doing a physics experiment is to confirm previously known results. (q30)
  17. When I encounter difficulties in the lab, my first step is to ask an expert, like the instructor. (q16)
  18. Communicating scientific results to peers is a valuable part of doing physics experiments. (q18)
  19. Working in a group is an important part of doing physics experiments. (q20)
  20. I enjoy building things and working with my hands. (q23)
  21. I am usually able to complete an experiment without understanding the equations and physics ideas that describe the system I am investigating. (q09)
  22. If I am communicating results from an experiment, my main goal is to make conclusions based on my data using scientific reasoning. (q21)
  23. When I am doing an experiment, I try to make predictions to see if my results are reasonable. (q12)
  24. Nearly all students are capable of doing a physics experiment if they work at it. (q25)
  25. A common approach for fixing a problem with an experiment is to randomly change things until the problem goes away. (q17)
  26. It is helpful to understand the assumptions that go into making predictions. (q04)
  27. When doing an experiment, I just follow the instructions without thinking about their purpose. (q14)
  28. I do not expect doing an experiment to help my understanding of physics. (q29)
  29. If I don't have clear directions for analyzing data, I am not sure how to choose an appropriate analysis method. (q07)
  30. Physics experiments contribute to the growth of scientific knowledge. (q31)

Example Report

Design and Validation of E-CLASS

An example of the three-tiered question format used on the E-CLASS.

An example of the three-tiered question format used on the E-CLASS.

While the overall validation of theÌýE-CLASS is ongoing, the surveyÌýhas been preliminarilyÌývalidated and administered in all levels of undergraduate physics classes. Validation studies have included: iterativeÌýstudent interviews to ensure that students interpret and respond to the survey items as expected;Ìýfaculty review to establish a baseline for expert-like responses and ensure that all items are meaningful and aligned with instructors' goals for laboratory physics courses; and correlations of students' E-CLASS scores with their final grades in their lab courses.Ìý
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E-Class Design

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CanÌýthe E-CLASS be customized for individual courses or other scientific disciplines? ÌýThe short answer is no. ÌýThe E-CLASS instrument has been validated in its current form, and the addition, removal, or manipulation of any items or formatting on the assessment could potentially invalidate the survey. ÌýChanges to the survey would require extensive re-testing to ensure that they did not meaningfully disrupt either students' or experts' responses to and/or interpretation of anyÌýitems or the assessment as a whole. Ìý

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Administering the E-CLASS

Any instructor interested in administering the E-CLASS in their physics laboratory course should complete theÌýÌýprior to their course start date. ÌýAfter completing the Course Information Survey, the process will be as follows:

  • Shortly after completing the survey, instructors will receive an email containing a link to the pre-instruction E-CLASS survey that they can distribute to their students at the start of the course. Ìý
    • WeÌýstronglyÌýrecommendÌýthat instructors provide an incentive for students to completeÌýthe survey, such as giving it as an assignment or offering extra credit. Even a small incentive typically yieldsÌýmuch higher response rates, which will allow the survey results to provide a more accurate picture of your course.
    • TheÌýsurvey will remain open for 7 days, at which pointÌýinstructors will receive a follow-up email containing the names and ID number for all students who completed the pre-survey. ÌýIt is important that all students complete the pre-instruction survey within the firstÌý7 days of the course or laboratory section; responses received after this cutoff will be discarded. Ìý
  • At least 7 days before the end of the course, instructors will receive an email containing a link to the post-instructionÌýsurvey. Ìý
    • This survey will remain open for 7 days, at which pointÌýinstructors will again receive an email containing the names and ID numbers for all students who completed the post-survey.
  • After the post-survey has closed, instructors will receive a report with aggregate data onÌýtheir students' responses and comparisons to similar-level courses. ÌýThis report is designed toÌýfacilitate the use of the E-CLASS as a formative assessment tool. ÌýAn example report can be seenÌý. Ìý

If you are an instructor who hasÌýpreviously administered the E-CLASS and would like to provide feedback on the E-CLASS Instructor Reports, please email us atÌýeclass@colorado.edu.

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Contact Us

Please direct your questions or thoughtsÌýdirectly to our research team at:Ìýeclass@colorado.edu

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