So why not another collection of interesting arxiv’s with an educational theme?
This first one has a long history, but as the authors wonder, could you try this out near you? Are there some useful geographic features? If not, just move to Italy:
A measurement of the Earth's radius for high school students
Davide Neri
In the Tuscan Archipelago (Italy) it's possible to make an approximate measurement of the Earth's radius from the Elba Island using the Pianosa Island as a ship that appears and disappears on the horizon depending on the observer's height above sea level. The necessary calculations require the mathematical skills of the first two years of high school. The measurement described here refers to a particular geographical location, but it can probably be repeated in similar situations around the world.
Hmm. What next? Maybe less learning, and more about all those turbulent professors. Some physics departments are particularly turbulent, I hear. Marking? We aint doin’ no stinkin’ marking…
Can unions impose costs on employers in education strikes? Evidence from pension disputes in UK universities
Nils Braakmann, Barbara Eberth
The impact of strikes in educational institutions, specifically universities, on employers remains understudied. This paper investigates the impact of education strikes in UK universities from 2018 to 2022, primarily due to pension disputes. Using data from the Guardian University Guide and the 2014 and 2021 Research Excellence Frameworks and leveraging difference-in-differences and regression discontinuity approaches, our findings suggest significant declines in several student related outcomes, such as student satisfaction, and a more mixed picture for student attainment and research performance. These results highlight the substantial, albeit indirect, cost unions can impose on university employers during strikes.
Be sure to let all your frustrations out in the comments. Or not. It’s not like it will help any. But maybe that’s put you to sleep. Are you awoke for this next one? The language might put the traditionalist off, but the content is interesting…
Student gender modulates the intersection of calculus proficiency and calculus self-efficacy in an introductory electricity and magnetism course
Christopher J. Fischer, Jennifer Delgado, Sarah LeGresley, Jessy Changstrom
We assessed changes in calculus proficiency and calculus self-efficacy in a second semester course of introductory physics focused on electricity and magnetism. While all students demonstrated an increase in calculus proficiency, including a possible improvement in calculus transfer to physics, women displayed larger gains than men. Conversely, men showed larger gains in calculus self-efficacy. When combined, these data suggest that student identity modulates the correlation between a student's calculus abilities and their perception or self-evaluation of those abilities. These data highlight a potential contributing factor to gender-related differences in physics self-efficacy as well as the complexity of addressing those differences.
Right, that’s about it for this week. I do like the really diverse selections of stuff one can come across on arxiv…
Next time: putting your smartphone to good use