Overview of potential assessments >Perceptions of Interdisciplinary Bridges

We are trying to develop a template that would analyze the Perceptions of Interdisciplinary Bridges survey. To do this we (Chandra & Vashti) were trying to think through what kinds of category systems we might want such a template to automatically produce in order to support the kinds of claims we want to make (and constrain the kinds of claims we don't want made).

Thinking about Building Claims

The PIB was designed to help us flesh out some of the hypotheses we were seeing about the different kinds of connections we are building/not building in the NEXUS/Physics class. In thinking about clustering these items we were thinking about the kinds of claims we would like to be able to make. Some of the things we thought about include:

• Differences between biology and physics: 
• Students think biology is complex and physics is simple.
• The utility of mathematics: 
• When we have student report on the relationship between math and biology they are primarily thinking of numerical calculations and not of equations. 
• In the NEXUS/Physics class we have impacted student views on the connections between math and biology (with some nuance in understanding which ways we have impacted these views).
• In the NEXUS/Physics class we have impacted student views on the utility of mathematics. 
• The utility of simple models: 
• In the NEXUS/Physics class we have impacted the ways students view the utility of simple models.
• Students think simple models are useful in both biology and physics.
• Students enter the NEXUS/Physics course thinking simple models are relatively useful. 
• Sense of connectedness: 
• Students enter the NEXUS/Physics class with low expectations about the degree of connections between physics and their other science courses.
• The NEXUS/Physics class impacts students sense of connection between biology and physics. 
• Connections with other instruments:
• A high sense of connectedness is correlated with a an "expert-like" view of expectations in physics.
• A high sense of connectedness is correlated with a an "expert-like" view of expectations in biology. 

A couple of things we are wary about folks making claims about (because our survey doesn't get at these well):

• Students have a different sense of the relationship between math & biology than they do of math & physics.
• We are comfortable with the claim: Students see equations as more relevant to physics than to biology.
• The NEXUS/Physics course has impacted students sense of connections between "the disciplines."
• We are comfortable with claims about connections between specific disciplines. 
• We impacted students sense of the biology-math connection more so than the physics-biology connection.
• We can compare biology-math connection, general to the physics-biology connection. We don't want the bigger question said without noting that there are different kinds of specificity under those.

Thinking about Clusters

The major clusters:

In trying on these claims, we see 4 major clusters of questions that we want to capture on this survey. (Note that we believe items may be counted in multiple clusters.)

1. Disciplinary Connections (not a total score)
1. Degree of connections analyzed by bins of: yes connections/ no connections
2. Degree of connections analyzed by binds of: some to lots of connections/few to no connections
3. Bring in ideas from biology/chemistry courses
4. Connections between math & biology (general)
5. Connections between biology & physics (general)
2. Utility of simple models (include a total score)
1. Simple models - physics
2. Simple models - biology
3. Utility of mathematics (include a total score)
1. Equations
1. physics
2. biology
2. Numerical calculations
1. physics
2. biology
4. Connection between mathematics and biology (include a total score)
1. Equations - biology
2. Numerical calculations - biology
3. Math & biology (general)

Note: There is an intentional asymmetry behind cluster 4 in the connections between math and biology, but not having a connections between math and physics. In designing the survey we did not have as many questions unpacking the relationship between physics and mathematics, and we think from other work that this relationship is more tight for students than biology and mathematics.

Questions in each cluster (with "Expert" scoring)

1. Disciplinary Connections (not a total score)
1. Degree of connections analyzed by bins of: yes connections/ no connections (1 item)
1. Do you expect to see connections between what you learn in this course and your other science courses?  
1. Yes, lots of connections
2. Yes, some connections
3. Yes, a few connections
4. No, no connections 
2. Degree of connections analyzed by binds of: some to lots of connections/few to no connections (1 item)
1. Do you expect to see connections between what you learn in this course and your other science courses?  
1. Yes, lots of connections
2. Yes, some connections
3. Yes, a few connections
4. No, no connections  
3. Bring in ideas from biology/chemistry courses (1 item)
1. To be successful in this course, I don't expect to have to bring in ideas from my other science courses. (R)
4. Connections between math & biology, general (4 items)
1.  Math provides another way of describing biological phenomena, but rarely provides a deeper or better understanding.
2.  Ideas I learned in math are rarely useful in biology. (R)
3.  It is beneficial to me, as a biologist, to also be proficient in math. 
4. Mathematics helps me make deeper sense of biological phenomena.   
5. Connections between biology & physics, general (8 items)
1. Time should not be taken out of physics courses to present biology. (R)
2. Time should not be taken out of biology courses to present physics. (R)
3. My biology background helps me do problems in physics class.
4. It is beneficial to me, as a biologist, to also be proficient in physics.
5. Ideas I learned in physics are rarely useful in biology.  (R)
6. Physics helps me make sense of biological phenomena. 
7. Ideas I learned in biology are rarely useful in physics. (R)
8. Physics is largely irrelevant for understanding biological processes. (R) 
2. Utility of simple models (include a total score - 10 items)
1. Simple models - physics (5 items)
1. Simple models are useful in physics
2.  To help you solve a problem in physics, you sometimes need to leave out details.
3. Most physics ideas are too complex to describe with an equation (R) 
4. Most simplifications in physics are done without a good reason. (R)
5.  When I make a simplification in a physics problem, I want it to be justified. 
2. Simple models - biology (5 items)
1. Simple models are useful in biology 
2. To help you solve a problem in biology, you sometimes need to leave out details.
3.  Most biology ideas are too complex to describe with an equation. (R) 
4. Most simplifications in biology are done without a good reason. (R)
5.  When I make a simplification in a biology problem, I want it to be justified. 
3. Utility of mathematics (include a total score - 10 items)
1. Equations (6 items)
1. physics (3 items)
1. Equations help me make deeper sense of physical phenomena.
2.  Equations are rarely useful in physics. (R)
3.  Most physics ideas are too complex to describe with an equation. (R) 
2. biology (3 items)
1. Equations help me make deeper sense of biological phenomena.
2. Equations are rarely useful in biology. (R)
3. Most biology ideas are too complex to describe with an equation. (R)
2. Numerical calculations (4 items)
1. physics (2 items)
1. Numerical calculations are rarely useful in physics. (R)
2.  Numerical calculations help me make deeper sense of physical phenomena. 
2. biology (2 items)
1. Numerical calculations are rarely useful in biology. (R)
2.  Numerical calculations help me make deeper sense of biological phenomena. 
4. Connection between mathematics and biology (include a total score - 9 items)
1. Equations - biology (3 items)
1. Equations help me make deeper sense of biological phenomena.
2. Equations are rarely useful in biology. (R)
3. Most biology ideas are too complex to describe with an equation. (R) 
2. Numerical calculations - biology (2 items)
1. Numerical calculations are rarely useful in biology. (R)
2.  Numerical calculations help me make deeper sense of biological phenomena.  
3. Math & biology, general (4 items)
1. Math provides another way of describing biological phenomena, but rarely provides a deeper or better understanding.
2.  Ideas I learned in math are rarely useful in biology. (R)
3.  It is beneficial to me, as a biologist, to also be proficient in math. 
4. Mathematics helps me make deeper sense of biological phenomena.    

Open questions:

1. Should there be a "total" score on the PIB?
2. Should there be a "biology" score and "physics" score that collapses across the clusters?
1. Should there be an alignment between disciplinary expectations divided by biology and physics?
1. Biology: simple models in bio; equations in bio; numerical calculation in bio
2. Physics: simple models in phys; equations in phys; numerical calculation in phys
3. Should there be an alignment between answering the disciplines subquestions score?