Active learning exercises in introductory mechanics: results of a two-year study

This paper reports the results of an assessment of an in-class active learning exercise in introductory physics courses. The assessment was conducted to explore conceptual issues in student understanding of Newton´s Laws. The goal of this paper is to explore common misconceptions and student difficulties in mechanics across a wide range of student abilities and backgrounds. Students were made to work, individually and in groups, on an in-class assignment that was specifically designed for this purpose. A preliminary study was published earlier. The in-class active learning exercise was modified, based on the results from this study. We present a comparison of the results from both years. We found that the method students used to solve the assignment differed depending on the version of the exercise provided