N. Sanjay Rebello
Associate Professor
Address:	503 Cardwell Hall
Phone:	(785) 532-1539
E-mail:	srebello@phys.ksu.edu
Personal Webpage
Ph.D. Brown University, 1995
Sc.M Brown University, 1992
B.Sc. Birla Inst. of Tech & Science, India, 1989

Research Area

Physics Education

Trajectories of Learning & Transfer of Problem Solving Expertise from Mathematics to Physics to Engineering

Our project is a step in creating a knowledge base on the evolution of students’ problem solving skills over the span of three years of STEM courses.  We investigate the development and transfer of problem solving skills in undergraduate mathematics, physics and engineering courses.  In 2009 we followed a cohort group of engineering majors through two semesters of a calculus-based physics course sequence in spring (20 students) and fall (16 students).  Each semester, we conducted four teaching interviews with each student – one after each exam.  In each interview we first presented students with a familiar problem that they had previously solved on an exam followed by two problems in which information was presented in different representations – graphical or functional.  We found that students had several difficulties in interpreting the graphs and functions and investigated the hints and other scaffolding to enable students to overcome these difficulties.  We also found that the sequence in which the graphical and functional problems were presented to the students made a difference in the difficulties that students encountered while solving the problems. Based on our research, in 2010 we will create instructional scaffolding to enable students to transfer their problem solving skills across representations.

Integrating Digital Text in Design-Based Science Classrooms          

This is a collaborative project with faculty at Wisconsin, Auburn and Bentley University.  The main goal is to further the understanding of integrating conceptual learning from computer simulations and hands-on activities in a design based learning context.  In 2009 we followed a cohort of 16 engineering majors enrolled in Engineering Physics I (spring) and subsequently in Engineering Physics II (fall).  Each student was interviewed eight times over two semesters.  The goal of the teaching interviews was to investigate students’ development of problem solving skills as they tackle problems in different representations – numerical, graphs and functions. We documented student difficulties as well as the hints provided to overcome these difficulties.  We are further analyzing these data from the perspective of cognitive resources and students’ capabilities utilizing the framework for epistemic games.

Integrating Experimentation and Instrumentation in Upper-Division Physics

A successful experimental physicist must understand physics concepts as well as the techniques of modern instrumentation.    To accomplish this goal we have students in PMI work on a capstone project after completing material in electronics hardware and LabVIEW software.   In their capstone projects students revisit and automate an experiment previously learned in the MPL-APL courses using their knowledge of LabVIEW and electronics.  In 2009 we developed scaffolding to facilitate students’ completion of three capstone projects in PMI in spring 2009.  We assessed students’ learning after they completed these projects through their responses to written questions as part of their project report as well as an oral presentation.   In fall 2009 we researched the use of theoretical frameworks and strategies for facilitating and assessing unstructured problem solving in the context of the capstone projects. In 2010 we will implement these frameworks and strategies as well as develop scaffolding for capstone projects in spring. 

Recent Support

• National Science Foundation
• Department of Education

Recent Selected Publications

“Representational Task Formats and Problem Solving Strategies in Kinematics and Work,” Bashirah Ibrahim and N. Sanjay Rebello, Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research, 8, 010126 (2012). [link]

“Teaching integration with layers and representations: A case study,” Joshua Von Korff and N. Sanjay Rebello, Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research, 8, 010125 (2012). [link]

“Differences in visual attention between those who correctly and incorrectly answer physics problems,” Adrian Madsen, Adam M. Larson, Lester C. Loschky, and N. Sanjay Rebello, Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research, 8, 010122 (2012). [link]

“Simple Activities to Improve Students’ Understanding of Friction at the Microscopic Scale,” Edgar D. Corpuz and N. Sanjay Rebello, The Physics Teacher, Vol. 50, No. 5, pp. May 2012, 293-205.

“Exploration of Factors that Affect the Comparative Effectiveness of Physical and Virtual Manipulatives in an Undergraduate Laboratory,” Jacquelyn J. Chini, Adrian Madsen, Elizabeth Gire, N. Sanjay Rebello and Sadhana Puntambekar, Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research, 8, 010113 (2012). [link]

 “Investigating students mental models and knowledge construction of  microscopic friction. Implications for curriculum design and development, Parts I and II,” Edgar D. Corpus and N. Sanjay Rebello, Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research, 7, 020102- 020103 (2011). [link]

“Students' Difficulties with Integration in Electricity,” Dong-Hai Nguyen and N. Sanjay Rebello, Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research 7, 010113 (2011). [link]

"Method for analyzing students’ utilization of prior physics learning in new contexts,"  D.L. McBride, D. Zollman, & N.S. Rebello, Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research, Vol. 6., 020101 (2010).  [link]

"Studio optics: Adapting interactive engagement pedagogy to upper-division physics," C.M. Sorensen, D.L. McBride, & N. S. Rebello, American Journal of Physics, 79, 320 (2011) [link]

"Transfer of learning in problem solving in the context of mathematics and physics,"   N.S. Rebello, L. Cui, A.G. Bennett, D.A. Zollman, & D.J. Ozimek. In D. H. Jonassen (Ed.), Learning to Solve Complex Scientific problems. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates, (2007). [link]

"Dynamic Transfer: A Perspective from Physics Education Research.," N.S. Rebello, D.A. Zollman, A.R. Allbaugh, P.V. Engelhardt, K.E. Gray, Z. Hrepic, et al. (2005).  In J. P. Mestre (Ed.), Transfer of Learning from a Modern Multidisciplinary Perspective (pp. 217-250). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing Inc. [link]

full publication list