Engineering Physics II / PHY 205              University Physics Open Source Textbook

Purpose: to help other instructors teaching the same course

Common Course ID: C-ID PHYS 205
CSU Instructor Open Textbook Adoption Portrait

Abstract: This open source textbook is being utilized in a physics course for undergraduate students by Cynthia Trevisan at California State University Maritime Academy. The open textbook provides students with a progression of topics that are covered by most two- or three semester calculus-based physics courses by introducing concepts, as well as by providing examples and application problems. The main motivation to adopt an open textbook was to provide students with a no-cost textbook for the course. Most student access the open textbook in its online format.

Engineering Physics II / PHY 205
Brief Description of course highlights:  This course covers electrostatics, electric charge and force, Gauss’s law, electric potential, voltage, capacitance, resistance, current, direct-current circuits and instruments, magnetic force and fields, Ampere’s law, Faraday’s law, RLC circuits, Maxwell’s equations, and electromagnetic waves.

Student population: This course is designed for engineering majors who have successfully completed semester-long courses of Calculus I, Calculus II, Engineering Physics I, Engineering and Physics I Laboratory. This course also has Engineering Physics II Laboratory as a co-requisite.

Learning or student outcomes:  Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Calculate forces and electric fields due to point charges using Coulomb’s Law.
• Predict the motion of charged particles in electric fields.
• Analyze continuous distributions of charge with symmetry principles to calculate electric fields.
• Determine and describe the structure of electric fields using Gauss’s Law.
• Calculate the potential energy associated with a charge distribution.
• Explain and apply the relationship between electric potential energy and voltage.
• Extract information about electric fields from a map of equipotentials.
• Extract information about electric fields from electric potentials.
• Explain and apply the relationship between voltage, charge, and capacitance.
• Calculate the currents and voltages in a direct-current (DC) circuit by using Ohm’s Law and Kirchhoff’s Laws.
• Calculate the charge and voltage for components in a resistive and capacitive (RC) circuit.
• Identify examples of applications of capacitors in DC circuits.
• Calculate power and energy for different components of a DC circuit.
• Predict the motion of charged particles in magnetic fields.
• Calculate the force on a current in a magnetic field.
• Explain and predict the motion of a DC motor.
• Determine and describe the structure of magnetic fields using Ampere’s Law.
• Compare the behavior of a permanent magnet in a magnetic field to that of a loop of current.
• Predict the induced voltage in a circuit due to Faraday’s Law of electromagnetic induction.
• Explain the operation of a transformer based on Faraday’s Law
• Analyze the behavior of inductance in a circuit along with resistance and capacitance.
• Explain the nature of electromagnetic waves via the interplay between electric and magnetic fields.
  
  

Key challenges faced and how resolved: I found it necessary to supplement the information in the OER textbook to add clarity and to provide problem solving strategies. Although I found the content of the OER textbook to be good, developing new resources to be used with this OER textbook was immensely time consuming for me.

Textbook or OER/Low cost Title:  OpenStax University Physics Volume 2.   ISBN: 1-947172-21-2.  The textbook is available in English and Spanish.

Brief Description:  University Physics is a three-volume collection that meets the scope and sequence requirements for two- and three-semester calculus-based physics courses. Volume 1 covers mechanics, sound, oscillations, and waves. Volume 2 covers thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, and Volume 3 covers optics and modern physics. This textbook emphasizes connections between theory and application, making physics concepts interesting and accessible to students while maintaining the mathematical rigor inherent in the subject. Frequent, strong examples focus on how to approach a problem, how to work with the equations, and how to check and generalize the result.

Please provide a link to the resource:  https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-2

Authors:  
Samuel J. Ling, Truman State University
William Moebs, Formerly of Loyola Marymount University
Jeff Sanny, Loyola Marymount University

Contributing Authors
Gerald Friedman, Santa Fe Community College
Stephen D. Druger, Northwestern University
Alice Kolakowska, University of Memphis
David Anderson, Albion College
Daniel Bowman, Ferrum College
Lev Gasparov, University of North Florida
Lee LaRue, Paris Junior College
Mark Lattery, University of Wisconsin
Richard Ludlow, Daniel Webster College
Patrick Motl, Indiana University Kokomo
Dedra Demaree, Georgetown University
Edw. S. Ginsberg, University of Massachusetts
David Smith, University of the Virgin Islands
Joseph Trout, Richard Stockton College
Kevin Wheelock, Bellevue College
Tao Pang, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Kenneth Podolak, Plattsburgh State University
Takashi Sato, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Student access:  Students have different options to access the resources. The OpenStax textbook can be accessed and viewed online and can also be downloaded in pdf format and on iBooks. Low-cost printed copies of the textbook are available for students to purchase at the campus bookstore or ordered online. Additionally, printed copies of the textbook can be borrowed from the campus library.

Supplemental resources:
The OpenStax textbook offers resources for instructors that include slide templates with figures, cartridges for some LMS, instructors solution guides, and other resources. The resources for instructors for this [particular textbook can be found here: https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-2?Instructor%20resources 

The textbook also offers resources for students, such as getting started guides, student solution guides and detailed solutions to problems, etc. https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-2?Student%20resources

Provide the cost savings from that of a traditional textbook.
Cost Saving Analysis  My proposal involved adopting an open-source textbook for two sections of Engineering Physics II (PHY 205).  I have taught the course in the past, using a Pearson edition of University Physics, by Young and Freedman.  I also made use of the Mastering Physics online homework system that is associated with the textbook.  The price of the current edition of University Physics, Volume 2 (Chapters 21-37) starts at $149.32 (loose-leaf option).  The rental price for an eTextbook for the semester starts at $9.99 per month ($49.95 for the fall semester).  In addition to the textbook, access to the online homework system starts at $79.99 for the semester, and appears to include access to the eTextbook (https://www.pearson.com/en-us/subject-catalog/p/university-physics-with-modern-physics/P200000006855/9780136781998).  This latter subscription would be the least expensive option for students to purchase if I were not to convert my course to low-cost materials.  Additionally, students were required to use a student response device (clicker) for classroom activities.  Currently, the cost of a clicker remote starts at $27.99.   Nowadays, there are app subscription options that start at $15.99 for one semester (https://www.iclicker.com/pricing).  If I had taught this course using the textbook from Pearson, the minimum cost for students would be of $79.99 (18-week access to Mastering) + $15.99 (iClicker app subscription) = $95.98

This past semester, I replaced the Pearson textbook with the OpenStax University Physics Volume 2 textbook (https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-2), ISBN-13: 978-1-947172-27-2 that offers a free digital version.  Print copies of this textbook are available for $24.49.  As stated above, I also adopted WebAssign, a homework system site that offers students tutorials, practice opportunities, just-in-time exercises, instructional videos, free content library, among other resources.   WebAssign is not free, but the cost for students is about $22.95 per semester.  This proposed course conversion translates into a 76.1 % cost reduction for students purchasing the overall least expensive options associated with the Pearson textbook, and translates into an 80.7 % cost reduction for students purchasing the least expensive Pearson textbook print option compared to purchasing the most expensive OpenStax print version.   The total number of students who completed the course was 25.x

 License: OpenStax is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License v4.0

OER/Low Cost Adoption Process

Provide an explanation or what motivated you to use this textbook or OER/Low Cost option.  My only motivation to use this textbook was to save students money.  It is not uncommon for students to incur in many thousands of dollars in debt to pay for college, so I am strongly committed to doing everything within my power to help lessen the burden of future student loan repayments.  The price of tertiary education is already prohibitively expensive for many so, to the extent of my ability, I am inclined to helping make college a little more affordable for those who desire to pursue a college degree.  

How did you find and select the open textbook for this course? I consulted librarians and other faculty. Colleagues within my department were already using this OpenStax textbook, so it was in the best interest of our students to continue with this option.

Sharing Best Practices: I wish I had explored the resources offered by this textbook earlier.   Time is always limited, but I believe that both my students and I would have gotten a lot more out of this textbook if I had invested the time to dive into the available instructor and student resources in depth and to encourage my students to explore all that the textbook has to offer, including simulations and videos.

Describe any challenges you experienced, and lessons learned. I did not have any difficulties in the adoption of this OpenStax textbook. I did, however, invest a significant amount of time creating supplemental materials.  For each textbook chapter, I created an overview set of slides, a more in-depth set of notes/slides, and a deck of slides with conceptual questions.  This was made available to students free of charge on our campus’ learning management system (LMS), and allowed students to access topics in a more distilled way – students frequently can get bogged down in the details.  I also created formula sheets, review sessions and practice problem sets for term exams.  Additionally, I adopted Cengage WebAssign homework system. This wasn't free, but cost each student approximately $23 for the entire semester.  Although WebAssign was supposed to offer some synchronization with our LMS, I was unable to achieve this, so all work involving WebAssign had to be done on directly its own site.

Cynthia Trevisan - Physics professor at California State University, Maritime Academy. 

Please provide a link to your university page: https://www.csum.edu/sciences-and-mathematics/faculty/cynthia-trevisan.html

Please describe the courses you teach.  I regularly teach both calculus-based, and algebra-based lower-division physics courses and physics laboratories. 

Algebra-based physics courses:

• General Physics I (lecture): Topics studied include vectors and scalars, Newton’s laws, statics and dynamics, translational and rotational kinematics, rotational dynamics, work and energy, momentum, conservation principles, equilibrium and elasticity, gravitation, periodic motion and, fluids and buoyancy. 
• General Physics I Laboratory: Explores fundamental principles of kinematics, dynamics, work and energy, momentum, gravitation, simple harmonic motion, and other concepts studied in General Physics I through experimentation.
• General Physics II (lecture): Topics studied include fundamental principles of electrostatics, direct and alternating currents, electromagnetism, optics, quantum physics and nuclear processes, with problem solving.
• General Physics II Laboratory: Explores fundamental principles of electrostatics, direct and alternating currents, electromagnetism, optics, electronmagnetic waves, and quantum physics through experiments. Experiments correspond to the theory learned in General Physics II.

Calculus-based physics courses:

• Engineering Physics I (lecture): Topics studied include a calculus-based approach to vectors and scalars, motion, Newton’s laws, statics and dynamics, translational and rotational kinematics, rotational dynamics, work and energy, momentum, conservation principles, equilibrium and elasticity, gravitation, periodic motion and fluid mechanics. 
• Engineering Physics I Laboratory:  Explores fundamental principles of kinematics, dynamics, work and energy, momentum, gravitation, simple harmonic motion, and other concepts studied in Engineering Physics I through experimentation.
• Engineering Physics II (lecture): Topics studied include a calculus-based approach electrostatics, electric charge and force, Gauss’s law, electric potential, voltage, capacitance, resistance, current, direct-current circuits and instruments, magnetic force and fields, Ampere’s law, Faraday’s law, RLC circuits, Maxwell’s equations, and electromagnetic waves.
• Engineering Physics II Laboratory:  Explores fundamental principles of electrostatics, electric charge and force, electric potential, voltage, capacitance, resistance, direct and alternating current circuits and instruments, electromagnetism, and other concepts studied in Engineering Physics II through experimentation.

 Research Interests:  My research experience is in the field of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, and involves developing theoretical formulations as well as applying modern computational techniques to problems of chemical physics that describe electron-driven chemistry processes and the dynamics of photon-interaction with molecules.  I am a Laboratory Affiliate at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where I conduct research in collaboration with scientists at the Atomic, Molecular and Optical Science Group, Chemical Sciences Division.  Working with first-tier scientists at the Berkeley Lab, I routinely perform state-of-the-art quantum mechanical calculations in the theory of photon and electron collisions molecules. I am currently studying the molecular-frame photoelectron angular distributions for polyatomic molecules that are produced after a core-level or valence electron is removed due to the absorption of an X-ray photon.

Describe your teaching philosophy and any research interests related to your discipline or teaching.  

Teaching is guiding learners on a journey of discovery and intellectual growth.  Students arrive at the classroom with a wide range of experiences and at various stages of educational development.  Prior experiences will have formed mental structures in learners, schemas, that are used to navigate new learning.  Frequently, the understandings that students bring can hinder learning because, particularly in physics, concepts and fundamental principles are many times counterintuitive, and therefore contradict the interpretations that students have formed of the physical phenomena encountered in everyday life experiences.  Past experiences, however, can be used to make the learning environment richer.  Effective teaching, therefore, requires an intricate balance between challenging misconceptions and using the schema that students bring to scaffold new learning.  Because learning is a dynamic process, it entails frequently fine-tuning instructional techniques, as well as the adoption of new pedagogies, when these are shown to better help students learn.  I have found that active learning techniques are critical for consolidating new understanding.  Positive reinforcement of important concepts by retrieving and practicing, interleaving of topics, and embracing challenges help students integrate new concepts.

Over the years, I have also discovered that effective learning involves aspects that go beyond pedagogical techniques and the intellectual work required to grasp new ideas.  I learned about the crucial importance of setting a safe, nourishing environment for students to work in.  It is not possible to learn in situations of high anxiety and stress, or in environments in which students do not feel safe.  I am convinced that the thoughts that student have about themselves and about their ability to learn are impactful and can become powerful obstacles to learning.  Alternatively, helping students build self-confidence can set an effective path toward the achievement of learning goals.

I therefore perceive my role as an educator as multifold.  An important part of my instructional efforts involves guiding students through hands-on activities, having students experience the trial-and-error steps that will help question and debunk misconceptions.  This requires carefully designing activities that will lead students to well-founded conclusions and, consequently, to the joy of intellectual discovery.  It is important to work with students so that they internalize the fact that making mistakes is a natural way of learning and that they should embrace intellectual challenges.  It is also important to encourage students when they become disappointed in their performance by giving them timely feedback and guidance on how to improve, and by helping them realize how much they have accomplished.

Another part of my responsibilities as an educator is to help students internalize their true potential, to help convince them that, with hard work, they can achieve their intellectual goals. There are many actions that can be taken to achieve this. An environment that encourages exploration and helps students view errors as a path towards learning is a first step. Giving students multiple opportunities to practice, retrieve and apply new concepts by creating low-stakes activities can also promote learning. Giving students repeated opportunities to demonstrate what they have learned helps reduce the stress that students are likely to feel if the fate of their success in a course is based solely on their performance on few, high-stakes exams.

Lastly, I perceive the creation of a culture of sincere respect and appreciation of all learners as my moral obligation.  Some of the steps that I take to that end include creating course syllabi that are carefully crafted to use only inclusive language.  Additionally, the first day of class, I ask students to fill out a questionnaire that asks for their name, preferred name or nickname, gender pronouns, how they feel about taking the course, if there is anything they anticipate may interfere with their success in the class, and how I could help.  I also create activities that have students interact with one another following etiquette rules.  These activities invite students to share things about themselves such as the place they call home, something that they are passionate about, and something their peers may not know about them.  The purpose of these activities is to offer the students the opportunity to get to know one another and to know me, and to help create a supportive learning community where each member is appreciated.  There are many other actions that can be helpful in creating and maintaining a safe, respectful learning environment.  Above all, is setting the example of the behavior that one would like students to follow and patiently, but firmly, correcting any deviations from a respectful attitude to all.

College offers students the opportunity of intellectual and personal growth. These stimulating years of discovery can open unimaginable possibilities and have the potential to change the course of a student’s life. For some students, the years spent pursuing their undergraduate degree might be the only higher education experience they encounter. The interactions they engage in with their professors and peers may be their lifetime opportunity to be immersed in the world of ideas, where everything is possible, and where the future is limitless. I am therefore fully committed to do everything within my power to create a learning environment that offers students a space to discover their passions and to thrive, a learning space that allows learners to take advantage of every opportunity of intellectual and personal growth.