Carl Wieman

About

Carl Wieman holds a joint appointment as Professor of Physics and of the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. He has done extensive experimental research in atomic and optical physics. His current intellectual focus is on undergraduate physics and science education. He has pioneered the use of experimental techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of various teaching strategies for physics and other sciences. Additionally, he served as Associate Director for Science in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Wieman is also an Emeritus Faculty member, a member of the Academic Council in Physics, and participates in programs related to Learning Sciences and Technology Design, among others. His research interests include Brain and Learning Sciences, Higher Education, Science Education, and Teachers and Teaching.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Political Science
• Social Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Mathematics education
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Medicine
• Pedagogy
• Medical education

Selected publications

• Perspectives on Active Learning: Challenges for Equitable Active Learning Implementation

  Journal of Chemical Education · 2022 · 56 citations

  Studies suggest that active learning positively impacts the student learning experience. However, the supporting data are mostly aggregated across different demographic groups, and hence little is known about equity in active learning implementation and how it may vary across diverse populations and different instructional components. This perspectives article offers ideas for how introductory chemistry instructors can foster both equitable and active learning implementation for all students. Se…

  PublisherDOI

• Examining the potential and pitfalls of ChatGPT in science and engineering problem-solving

  Frontiers in Education · 2024-01-18 · 55 citations

  articleOpen access

  The study explores the capabilities of OpenAI's ChatGPT in solving different types of physics problems. ChatGPT (with GPT-4) was queried to solve a total of 40 problems from a college-level engineering physics course. These problems ranged from well-specified problems, where all data required for solving the problem was provided, to under-specified, real-world problems where not all necessary data were given. Our findings show that ChatGPT could successfully solve 62.5% of the well-specified pro…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Employing technology-enhanced feedback and scaffolding to support the development of deep science understanding using computer simulations

  International Journal of STEM Education · 2024-07-11 · 33 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Constructivist learning theories consider deep understanding of the content to be the result of engagement in relevant learning activities with appropriate scaffolding that provides the learner with timely and substantive feedback. However, any group of students has a variety of levels of knowledge and cognitive development, which makes providing appropriate individual-level scaffolding and feedback challenging in the classroom. Computer simulations can help meet this challenge by provi…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Cognitive framework for blended mathematical sensemaking in science

  International Journal of STEM Education · 2023-03-07 · 19 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Background Blended mathematical sensemaking in science (“Math-Sci sensemaking”) involves deep conceptual understanding of quantitative relationships describing scientific phenomena and has been studied in various disciplines. However, no unified characterization of blended Math-Sci sensemaking exists. Results We developed a theoretical cognitive model for blended Math-Sci sensemaking grounded in prior work. The model contains three broad levels representing increasingly sophisticated wa…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Global perspectives of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on learning science in higher education

  PLoS ONE · 2023-12-07 · 18 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  The COVID-19 pandemic required higher education institutions to rapidly transition to Emergency Remote Instruction (ERI) with little preparation. Discussions are now underway globally to learn the lessons of COVID-19 and to use this knowledge to shape the future of learning science in higher education. In this study, we examined the experiences of instructors and students to ERI in three universities across three continents-America, Europe, and Australia. We measured the instructional strategies…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Physics Education Technology Project

  NSF · $443k · 2005–2009

• Creating a new assessment tool for quantitative critical thinking in introductory lab courses

  NSF · $299k · 2016–2021

Frequent coauthors

• Eric Cornell

  Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics

  317 shared

• C. J. Myatt

  MBio Diagnostics (United States)

  107 shared

• Carol E. Tanner

  106 shared

• M. R. Matthews

  99 shared

• B. P. Masterson

  98 shared

• Nathan R. Newbury

  National Institute of Standards and Technology

  96 shared

• Jacob Roberts

  Colorado State University

  88 shared

• D. Sesko

  National Institute of Standards and Technology

  87 shared

Education

• Ph.D, Physics

  Stanford University

  1977

• Bachelor, Science

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  1973

Awards & honors

• $4 million prize for education research (2020)

Similar researchers at Stanford University

• John Mitchellh-90
• Rich Shavelsonh-82
• Philip Andrew Fisherh-80