About the series
Numerous concept inventories exist in various stages of maturation. The most well-known, the Force Concept Inventory, proved instrumental in transforming pedagogical practices in introductory physics courses. Unfortunately, progress was slow, with 13 years between the initial publication and Richard Hake's eye-opening study (6000+ students) demonstrating the ineffectiveness of traditional instruction to facilitate gains in conceptual understanding. The engineering community caught on in the late 1990s, with instruments in topics such as thermodynamics, statics, fluid mechanics, and electromagnetics. Only a few have attained widespread dissemination to reach a publishable development stage. Literature reviews and professional contacts have unearthed concept inventories in a range of other STEM disciplines, including the natural sciences, chemistry, and calculus.
This workshop will focus on evaluating the current state of STEM concept inventories, identifying the extant inventories and topical gaps that may give birth to new instruments. As a means to accelerate the developmental timeline, dissemination and analytical methods will be highlighted. Activities will generally include a presentation by those with expertise in concept inventory development, analysis, and deployment, followed by breakout sessions wherein attendees will continue to discuss the pertinent topic. Outcomes include a collection of summary documents from developers, strategies for enhanced dissemination and application of existing inventories, and a list of untapped content domains, all of which will contribute toward broader awareness and utilization of concept inventories.
