Faculty Profiles

Research on the use of visual cueing & feedback to facilitate problem solving We investigate the use of visual cueing and feedback to improve problem solving skills in STEM. Visual cueing has been shown to facilitate solving problems in which the visuospatial component is central to the problem.

Facilitating student learning using physical and virtual manipulatives We compare physical and virtual manipulatives, and their combinations and sequencing in terms of the ways in which they facilitate learning of physical concepts and their applications to the engineering design. Investigating the instructional scaffolding necessary for use of each manipulative in learning.

Infusing pedagogical content knowledge into a physics course for future elementary teachers We integrate pedagogical content knowledge into the fabric of the course so that future elementary teachers can recognize the relevance of learning physics concepts and using reform-based pedagogy in their future roles in the classrooms of tomorrow.

Selected Publications

• “Linking Attentional Processes and Conceptual Problem Solving: Visual Cues Facilitate the Automaticity of Extracting Relevant Information from Diagrams,” Amy Rouinfar, Elise Agra, Adam M. Larson, N. Rebello, Lester C. Loschky, Frontiers in Psychology 5:1094, 2014. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01094. [link]
• “Distinguishing between Change and Amount Infinitesimals in First-Semester Calculus-based Physics,” Joshua Von Korff and N. Sanjay Rebello, American Journal of Physics, 82, 695-705, 2014. [link]
• “Shifting College Students’ Epistemological Framing Using Hypothetical Debate Problems,” Dehui Hu and N. Sanjay Rebello, Physical Review Special Topics – Physics Education Research, 10, 010117, 2014. [link]
• “Using Conceptual Blending to Describe How Students Use Mathematical Integrals in Physics,” Dehui Hu and N. Sanjay Rebello,Physical Review Special Topics – Physics Education Research, 9, 020118, 2013. [link]
• “Understanding Student Use of Differentials in Physics Integration Problems,” Dehui Hu and N. Sanjay Rebello, Physical Review Special Topics – Physics Education Research 9, 020108, 2013. [link]
• “An Interactive and Intelligent Learning System for Physics Education,” Lakshman S. Myneni, N. Hari Narayanan, N. Sanjay Rebello, Amy Rouinfar, and Sadhana Puntambekar, IEEE Transactions on Learning Technology, 6(30), 228-239, 2013. [link]
• “Role of Mental Representations in Problem Solving: Students’ Approaches to Non-Directed Tasks,” Bashirah Ibrahim and N. Sanjay Rebello, Physical Review Special Topics – Physics Education Research, 9, 020106, 2013. [link]
• “Can Short Duration Visual Cues Influence Students’ Reasoning and Eye Movements in Physics Problems?” Adrian Madsen, Amy Rouinfar, Adam M. Larson, Lester C. Loschky and N. Sanjay Rebello, Physical Review Special Topics – Physics Education Research 9, 020104, 2013. [link]
• “Representational Task Formats and Problem Solving Strategies in Kinematics and Work,” Bashirah Ibrahim and N. Sanjay Rebello ,Physical Review Special Topics – Physics Education Research, 8, 010126, 2012. [link]
• “Differences in visual attention between those who correctly and incorrectly answer physics problems,” Adrian Madsen, Adam M. Larson, Lester C. Loschky, and N. Sanjay Rebello, Physical Review Special Topics – Physics Education Research, 8, 010122, 2012. [link]