Multiple choice diagnostic tests are becoming increasingly popular in the physics education community to measure student understanding of basic concepts. Further research is needed to assess the effectiveness of this use. We have developed open ended examination questions that correspond to several items on the most widely used diagnostic, the Force Concept Inventory (FCI).¹ The questions were included on final exams of introductory calculus-based physics classes at the University of Maryland. The FCI was administered during the last week of the semester in these classes. Correlation between student performance on the FCI and the complementary exam questions will be discussed.

* Supported in part by NSF grants RED-9355849 and DUE-9552465.
¹ D. Hestenes, M. Wells, and G. Swackhammer, "Force Concept Inventory", Phys. Teach. 30:3 141-158 (1992).

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University of Maryland	Physics Department	PERG UMD	Abstract Listing