Using interactive blackboard chats to promote student learning in physics

The Blackboard Learning System™ is widely used on many college and university campuses today. This paper will explore the use of this system as a teaching and learning tool in introductory physics. Particular emphasis will be placed on the online chat feature available through blackboard. During the fall 2002 pilot semester, students enrolled in an introductory physics course for non-majors at American University made extensive use of live, interactive, online chats when completing homework assignments. These chats were peer-led and instructor-moderated. A Socratic dialogue approach was utilized to help promote deeper understanding of key topics and concepts. To address, in part, the question of whether deeper understanding was actually achieved, results from the force concept inventory (FCI), a widely used multiple-choice, survey-type instrument to assess student understanding of basic mechanics concepts in physics, was used. Pre-/post-test gains are compared for active participants in the online chats and the class as a whole to help ascertain student understanding. In addition, links to student learning styles are explored to determine whether learning style may be a factor in terms of active participation in the online discussions. Highlights of student perceptions regarding the use of blackboard technologies, particularly the online chats was shared.