Master Lecturer, Director of Teaching and Learning Support

Research Interests:

Physics Education Research

Our group works in the field of physics education research (PER) and is interested in the impact of student-centered, active-engagement, interactive learning environments on students, on instructors, and at the institutional level. Current research projects investigate the implementation of large-scale research-based assessments of student learning using the LASSO 2.0 platform, the use of computer simulations in group-centered learning activities through the VIPER project, the development of communities of practice formed by undergraduate Learning Assistants working with graduate Teaching Fellows and faculty, and the self-efficacy beliefs of women and underrepresented minorities in physics classes.

Select publications (undergraduate authors indicated by †):

  • Jayson M. Nissen, Ian Her Many Horses, Ben Van Dusen, Manher Jariwala, and Eleanor W. Close, Tools for identifying courses that support development of expertlike physics attitudes, Physical Review Physics Education Research 17, 013103 (2021), doi: 10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.17.013103.
  • Ben Van Dusen, Mollee Shultz, Jayson M. Nissen, Bethany R. Wilcox, N.G. Holmes, Manher Jariwala, Eleanor W. Close, H.J. Lewandowski, and Steven Pollock, Online administration of research-based assessments, American Journal of Physics, 89, 7-8 (2021), published online: 23 Dec 2020, doi: 119/10.0002888.
  • Sheila Sagear†, Emily Allen, Andrew Duffy, and Manher Jariwala, Student learning outcomes with hybrid computer simulations and hands-on labs, Proceedings of the 2020 Physics Education Research Conference, Virtual Conference, July 22-23, 2020, edited by Steven Wolf, Michael B. Bennett, and Brian W. Frank, doi: 1119/perc.2020.pr.Sagear.
  • Alexa McQuade†, Jayson Nissen, and Manher Jariwala, Characteristics of institutions with Learning Assistant programs: An equity investigation, Proceedings of the 2020 Physics Education Research Conference, Virtual Conference, July 22-23, 2020, edited by Steven Wolf, Michael B. Bennett, and Brian W. Frank, doi:1119/perc.2020.pr.McQuade.
  • Manher Jariwala, Emily Allen, and Andrew Duffy, Investigating simulation use on student learning outcomes in introductory physics, Proceedings of the 2019 Physics Education Research Conference, Provo, UT, July 24-25, 2019, edited by Y. Cao, S. Wolf, and M.B. Bennett, doi: 1119/perc.2019.pr.Jariwala.
  • Alexis V. Knaub, Manher Jariwala, Charles R. Henderson, and Raina Khatri, Experiences of postdocs and principal investigators in physics education research postdoc hiring, Physical Review Physics Education Research 14, 010152 (2018), doi: 10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.14.010152.
  • Jayson M. Nissen, Manher Jariwala, Eleanor W. Close, and Ben Van Dusen, Participation and performance on paper- and computer-based low-stakes assessments, International Journal of STEM Education 5, 21 (2018), doi: 1186/s40594-018-0117-4.
  • Alex Becker, Bennett Goldberg, and Manher Jariwala, Self-Perception of Teaching Fellows and Learning Assistants in Introductory Physics Classes, Proceedings of the 2016 Physics Education Research Conference, Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016, edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:1119/perc.2016.pr.007.
  • Peter Garik, Luciana Garbayo, Yann Benétreau-Dupin, Charles Winrich, Andrew Duffy, Nicholas Gross, and Manher Jariwala, Teaching the Conceptual History of Physics to Physics Teachers, Science & Education (2015) 24: 387, doi:1007/s11191-014-9731-9.

    Research Support

    • Collaborative Research: Scaling Undergraduate STEM Transformation and Institutional Networks for Engaged Dissemination (SUSTAINED), National Science Foundation #DUE-1525354 (PI).
    • Developing Simulations for Introductory Physics with Feedback from Learning Assistants, National Science Foundation #DUE-1712159 (co-PI).

    Honors/Awards:

    • Outstanding Research Mentor Award, Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, Boston University (2021)
    • Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching, Office of the President, Boston University (2016)
    • Neu Family Award for Excellence in Teaching, College of Arts and Sciences, Boston University (2015)
    • Gitner Family Award for Innovation in Teaching with Technology (with A. Duffy, B. Goldberg, and P. Mehta), Office of the Provost, Boston University (2014)

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