Marina Milner-Bolotin

BSc, MSc, MA, PhD
Adjunct Professor

Specialization

Physics Education

Research Projects

My research is in the area of Physics Education. I am especially interested in exploring the following areas:

• How modern technology, such as Logger Pro, clickers and computer simulations, affects student learning in large as well as in small science courses.
• How to introduce active learning in large introductory science courses to facilitate student learning and increase their interest in science.
• How to bring science to the larger community outside the university: science outreach activities.
• How to create a learning environment in introductory science courses which encourages every student, especially women, minorities and students who are the first generation university students to be successful.
• How to design inquiry-based labs to facilitate students learning in undergraduate science courses.
• How to create effective interdisciplinary science courses to help students from outside of physics see the relevance of physics to their lives and future careers.
• How to create effective training of Teaching Assistants.

Selected Publications

Marina Milner-Bolotin, (2007), "Teachers as Actors: The Implications of Acting on Physics Teaching", The Physics Teacher, Vol. 45, Issue 10, October 2007, p. 58-60.

Marina Milner-Bolotin, Tetyana Antimirova, (2007), "Physics Education in Canada: Recent Developments", Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journal, Vol. VI, Issue 1, September 2007, p. 28-29.

Milner-Bolotin, M., Rachel F. Moll, "Physics Exams Reconsidered: Using Logger Pro Technology to Evaluate Student Understanding of Physics", The Physics Teacher, (Accepted for publication - July 2007).

Milner-Bolotin, M., "Creating Interdisciplinary Community to Facilitate a Scholarly Approach to University Teaching: Lessons Learned from UBC Faculty Certificate Program", accepted for publication to the International Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (May 2007).

Milner-Bolotin, M., Kotlicki A., Rieger G, (2007) "Can students learn from lecture demonstrations? The r ole and place of Interactive Lecture Experiments in large introductory science courses", The Journal of College Science Teaching, Jan,-Feb, p.45-49.

Milner-Bolotin, M., (2007) "Building Bridges between the Scientists and the Teachers to Bring the Joy of Science to British Columbia Students" (accepted for publication, summer 2007 issue), The Science Scope, National Science Teachers Association.

Milner-Bolotin, M., Dan Phelps. (2006) Inquiry-Based Activities for Teaching Electromagnetism, Workshop at the BC Science Teachers Professional Development Day, TRIUMF, October 20, 2006, www.bcapt.ca

Milner-Bolotin, M. (2006), "Demonstration of a variable tension in the pendulum's string" (in press), Newsletter of the Ontario Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers, Ontario, Canada.

Milner-Bolotin, M. (2006), "Tips for Using Peer Response System (Clickers) in Large Introductory Science Classes", Tapestry: Centre for Teaching and Academic Growth Newsletter, Fall 2006, Issue 13, p. 7-8. The University of British Columbia.
http://www.tag.ubc.ca/resources/tapestry/.

Milner-Bolotin, M. (2005, July 13-16 2005). "The Role and Place of Imagination in Contemporary Science Education: A case study of the introductory physics course". Paper presented at the 3rd International Conference on Imagination and Education, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Dan Phelps, Marina Milner-Bolotin, (2005), "A Model-Based View of Science Education -- Improving on "Predict, Observe, Explain", Momentum (The Journal of the Science Teachers' Association of British Columbia), 3-4.

Marina Milner-Bolotin, (2004), "Tips for Using a Peer Response System in the Large Introductory Physics Classroom", The Physics Teacher, Vol. 42, Issue 8, April 2004, p. 47-48.

Marina Milner-Bolotin, April 2002, "Using technology to promote active learning in Science and Mathematics", three-hour long workshop, presented at the College Reading and Learning Association Annual Conference, Rutgers, NJ.

Marina Milner-Bolotin, Marilla D. Svinicki, "Using online resources to promote active learning in physics teaching", Technology Source, December 2001.

Marina Milner-Bolotin, 2001, "The Effects of Topic Choice in Project-Based Instruction on Undergraduate Physical Science Students' Interest, Ownership, and Motivation", unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, May 2001, The University of TX at Austin.

Rebekah Sidman-Taveau & Marina Milner-Bolotin, "Constructivist Inspiration: A Project-based model for L2 learning in virtual worlds", presented at TEX FLEC (Texas Foreign Language Education Conference), March 22-23, 2001. Published in: Texas Papers in Foreign Language Education: Fall 2001, Vol. 6, No 1.

Marina Milner-Bolotin, "Creating Community among the Graduate Teaching Assistants: Benefits, challenges and lessons learned", Journal of Graduate TA Development, Vol. 8, No. 2, Summer 2001, p. 66-70.

Marina Milner-Bolotin, "From Student Misconceptions to Active Science Learning: Making a difference in Science classrooms", a workshop presented at the First TA/AI Conference From Survival to Success: Enhancing the TA/AI Experience, The University of TX at Austin, January 11, 2001

Marina Milner-Bolotin, "How Simple are Simple DC Circuits? Helping Future Elementary School Teachers Understand Simple Concepts of Electricity", 15-minute paper, Fall Joint Meeting of the TX Section of the APS and AAPT, Rice University, Houston, TX, October 28-29, 2000

Marina Milner-Bolotin, Marilla D. Svinicki, "Using Technology to Enhance Physics Teaching in the Project-Based Physical Science Course for Nonscience Majors", 15-minute paper, Fall Joint Meeting of the TX Section of the APS and AAPT, Rice University, Houston, TX, October 28-29, 2000.

Marina Milner-Bolotin, Marilla D. Svinicki, "Teaching Physics of Everyday Life: Implementing project-based instruction in the physical science course for nonscience majors", Experiential Learning Conference, Fresno, CA, CSU, September 28-29, 2000.

Marina Milner-Bolotin, Marilla D. Svinicki, (2000), "Annotated Bibliography of Inquiry-Based Learning", solicited paper, Educational Advancement Foundation, 96 p.

Marina Milner-Bolotin, Marilla D. Svinicki, (2000), "Teaching Physics of Everyday Life: Rediscovering Project-Based Instruction", Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Vol. 1, (1), pp.25-40.

Marina Milner-Bolotin, Marilla D. Svinicki, "Teaching Physics of Everyday Life", Contributed paper, Spring 2000 Meeting of the TX Section of American Physical & Physics Teachers Society, TX A&M University, March 9-11, 2000.

Marina Milner-Bolotin, (1997), "Challenging Problems in Mathematics", Weizmann Institute of Science, Youth Activities Section, Rehovot, Israel, 50 p. (In Hebrew).