Exploring a Novel Visuo-Haptic Interface for Physics Education

Physics constitutes a fundamental science discipline that underpins various STEM fields and represents the cornerstone for future workforce proficiency in technology. Yet, physics is also known for its reputation as one of the most academically demanding subjects. In particular, comprehending foundational mechanics concepts like force and moment poses a significant challenge due to their abstract nature, making them difficult to grasp through traditional laboratory experiences.

Moreover, high school students with a low socioeconomic status tend to avoid enrolling in physics classes, partly due to their low physics self-efficacy and sense of not belonging in the physics classroom. This project will leverage low-cost tablet computers and force sensors to permit high school students to engage with interactive augmented reality (AR) learning experiences that integrate both visual and haptic feedback, supported by complementary curriculum modules covering Newtonian mechanics and electrodynamics.

By creating an affordable AR platform that integrates force sensing and force visualization in real time, and connects physical manipulations to the free body diagrams typically used to represent forces, formerly abstract concepts are made concrete. This project thus aims to make physics education (and the careers dependent on it) accessible to a broader range of students.

This project will construct a low-cost force sensing platform capable of measuring both 3D contact and non-contact forces and moments, integrated with a tablet computer that will use AR to visualize 3D forces and moments. The companion curriculum modules will target Newton’s Third Law and electromagnets, encouraging learners to visually and tactilely explore their properties.

The work will use a design-based research approach to ask: (1) In what ways do students employ interactive visualizations of force vectors, and what new learning opportunities and practice does this experience offer both students and educators?; and (2) To what extent do visuo-haptic experiences impact students’ understanding of science concepts relating to force and moment vectors? The first question will be addressed via a controlled lab-based study with 45 high school students and 8 physics teachers, where a rich array of data will be collected, including think-alouds, participants' generated work, field notes from researchers, classroom videos, screencast recordings, interviews with both students and teachers, and a survey designed to collect de-identified demographic and socioeconomic information, prior academic achievements, science knowledge, and experience with AR technology.

The second question will be addressed via a pilot study in a high school, which will administer Force Concept Inventory pre-and post-tests to contrast students who use the developed device and curriculum against students using a pen-and-paper lesson. The results from both studies will shed light on how learners make sense of physics concepts with a multisensory visuo-haptic learning experience, and the extent to which these experiences might improve physics learning.

This project is funded by the Research on Innovative Technologies for Enhanced Learning (RITEL) program that supports early-stage exploratory research in emerging technologies for teaching and learning.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.