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Difficulty: MediumLogical Arguments and Causal Relationships

A large public university introduced interactive virtual laboratory simulations across its online introductory physics courses to address high course drop rates. In the semester following the introduction of these simulations, overall course completion rates increased by 22%22\%, and average student ratings for course engagement doubled. The university administration concluded that the interactive virtual laboratory simulations directly caused the increase in student retention by helping students visualize complex physical concepts.

Select the statement that most strongly supports the university administration's causal conclusion, and select the statement that most strongly undermines it. Make exactly one selection in each column.

  • Statement that most strongly SUPPORTS the causal conclusionIn a concurrent control trial within the same semester, physics sections utilizing the virtual simulations had significantly higher retention rates than identical physics sections taught without the simulations by the same instructors.
  • Statement that most strongly UNDERMINES the causal conclusionAt the start of the semester, the university lowered the minimum passing score for introductory physics from 70%70\% to 55%55\%.

Answer

The statement that most strongly supports the conclusion is the concurrent trial showing higher retention in sections with virtual simulations compared to identical sections without them taught by the same instructors. The statement that most strongly undermines the conclusion is that the university lowered the minimum passing score from 70%70\% to 55%55\% at the start of the semester.
To support the causal claim, we need evidence isolating the virtual labs as the factor driving retention. The controlled comparison between sections with and without simulations taught by the same instructors directly reinforces the causal connection. To undermine the causal claim, we need an alternative factor that explains the higher completion rates; lowering the passing grade threshold from 70%70\% to 55%55\% provides a direct alternative explanation for why more students completed the course.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the author's core causal claim
Claim: Interactive virtual laboratory simulations directly caused the 22%22\% increase in student course completion rates.
Evaluating support or weakness requires isolating the explicit cause (virtual labs) and effect (completion rate increase).
2
Evaluate candidate statements to find the strong supporter
The statement comparing identical sections with and without simulations taught by the same instructors isolates the virtual lab variable, eliminating instructor bias and external temporal factors.
Controlled comparison directly strengthens a causal link by demonstrating that the effect occurs when the cause is present and does not occur to the same degree when the cause is absent.
3
Evaluate candidate statements to find the strong underminer
The statement regarding lowering the passing grade from 70%70\% to 55%55\% introduces an obvious alternative explanation for why completion rates rose.
Introducing a viable alternative cause for the observed outcome weakens the argument that the virtual labs were responsible for the increase.

Key Concept

Causal Arguments and Alternative Explanations in Two-Part Analysis
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Topics

Logical Arguments and Causal Relationships

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