Biography

Websites:
Website
Research with Rowan

Education:
Ph.D., Physics, University of Maine
M.S.T., Physics, University of Maine
B.S., Physics, University of Maine

Research Expertise:
Physics Education 

I study how people think about and learn physics. My major work has focused on developing instructional strategies for advanced undergraduate thermal physics courses. My current research centers on how students use and reason about mathematics in both introductory and advanced physics courses, and the ways in which they synthesize various pieces of information to form a coherent understanding of a particular topic. I am particularly interested in using statistical analyses to measure how student understanding of a particular topic changes during a course.

Honors and Awards:
Outstanding Colleague Award, 2024
Excellence in Scholarship of Teaching & Learning Research Award, 2022
Invited Plenary Speaker at the Foundations and Frontiers of Physics Education Research Conference, 2017

Professional Memberships:
American Association of Physics Teachers 
American Physical Society

Selected Publications:
T. I. Smith and N. Bendjilali. Motivations for using the item response theory nominal response model to rank responses to multiple-choice items. Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res., 18, 2022

S. White Brahmia, A. Olsho, T. I. Smith, A. Boudreaux, P. Eaton, and C. Zimmerman. Physics Inventory of Quantitative Literacy: A tool for assessing mathematical reasoning in introductory physics. Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res., 17, 2021

T. I. Smith, K. J. Louis, B. J. Ricci, and N. Bendjilali. Quantitatively ranking incorrect responses to multiple-choice questions using item response theory. Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res., 16, 2020

S. White Brahmia, A. Olsho, T. I. Smith, and A. Boudreaux. Framework for the natures of negativity in introductory physics. Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res., 16, 2020

T. I. Smith, W. M. Christensen, D. B. Mountcastle, and J. R. Thompson. Identifying student difficulties with entropy, heat engines, and the Carnot cycle. Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res., 11, 2015