Physics education research, electronic materials, and the musings of Christopher Moore, Ph.D.

rokcch wrote:

I do not know how to frame th question other than it involves the gravitational constant 9.8m/s

You know both the ball's initial position and initial velocity, and you know the ball's subsequent (after it leaves the student's hand) acceleration. You should be able to determine everything you need to know about the ball's motion (i.e., how high the ball travels before its speed slows to zero, how long it takes for the ball to reach that height, and and how long it then takes for the ball to fall to the ground).