Conveners
Innovative strategies at University: 137,152,184,181
- Chairman: Paul Logman
Innovative strategies at University: 043,097,132
- Chairman: Gerald Feldman
Innovative strategies at University: 041,060,166,187
- Chairman: Dagmara Sokolowska
Innovative strategies at University: 037,116,125
- Chairman: Ian Bearden
Description
UNI: Innovative strategies and pathways to improve physics education at university
In complex thermal systems in which the heat capacity varies with temperature, such as a typical Debye solid like silicon, the effective number of active degrees of freedom at any temperature can be defined from the internal energy in combination with equipartition. This allows for a conceptual picture of thermal equilibrium as well as elucidation of the link between the Boltzmann and...
Problem solving is an integral part of teaching and learning physics, however, the research shows that by solving traditional problems students do not develop coherent knowledge. In the technological era there is a high demand for professionals of different areas with higher level thinking skills and scientific abilities characteristic for physicists. To help the students to learn to act and...
In this research a model of teaching and learning within the University introductory physics course was designed implementing selected interactive engagement (IE) methods within the original course format. This model has been used for 10 years within the study programme of future physicists and physics teachers and compared with the traditional lecture and problem solving methods. The results...
Making substantiated decisions is an important critical thinking skill. In this study we look at students substantiating their choice of apparatus for experiments. Students’ choices were registered and they were asked about the reasoning behind their choice. About three quarters of our population reasoned only by intuition. However, having students choose from similar apparatus that differ...
We present a characterization of undergraduate physics teachers' approaches to the pedagogy of derivations. Six teachers were interviewed and to analyze the data, we are developing an analytical framework, comprising three categories: Algorithmic approach b) Representational approach and c) Model building approach. Analysis shows evidence of cohering clusters of practices and value systems....
The students’ difficulties around dialectical argumentation in Physics problem-solving tasks are studied through acoustic, interaction, and argumentative analyses. Our case study with teacher students shows that they struggle with their conceptual understanding – leading to uncertainty and therefore no debate – but also with the social norms of not challenging the other learners’ ideas. We...
The development and trial of a laboratory exercise dealing with rotational motion using vector quantities such as angular momentum, torque, and moment of inertia have been evaluated through interviews with students. The lab consists of two parts, rolling cylinders down a slope, and exploring a rotating bicycle wheel. The second part allows the students to determine the wheel's moment of...
Students’ being active in their approach to learning and learning from each other has been shown to lead to good learning outcomes. Several approaches use multiple-choice questions (MCQs) to achieve this. However, the discussions often proceed in ways unanticipated by the teacher, and we still do not understand how these discussions work in many contexts. Therefore, we videotaped discussions...
Radio waves are essential part of communication technologies as well as basic physics education. Understanding electromagnetic waves requires skills in mathematics and knowledge of the phenomena. Still, data from radio technology may pleasantly surprise an inexperienced or mainly solution-oriented student. The research considers the effect of two different teaching approaches at BA-level. We...
. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread through the world, universities switched overnight from in-person to remote teaching and learning. This immediate switch to remote teaching caused a negative impact on laboratory components of physics courses. Remote laboratory delivery illustrated the widespread need for high quality virtual science laboratory resources and served as the catalyst for...
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of school teachers is promoted worldwide and broadly researched. At the same time, academic teachers’ CPD is rarely addressed. Usually, science faculty members prove themselves to be high-level researchers, but at the same time, their interpersonal skills, pedagogical knowledge, and attitude of self-reflection on teaching are very limited. To address...
The aim of this work is to detect university students' difficulties in kinematics with variable acceleration in relation to different representation systems (graphical and algebraic) in order to define the Learning Demands. Thus, design bases of a TLS (Teaching-Learning Sequence) are laid. An open-ended questionnaire has been designed and validated in relation to the epistemological keys and...
This paper presents a preliminary reflection on the Physics with Elements of Biophysics course taught at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Wroclaw for biology students. Preliminary research on biology students' motivation and attitude towards learning physics, as well as the results of the course evaluation are included. The analysis of the obtained results will help...
Vector fields, differential operators, and the integral theorems of Gauss and Stokes are a central part of Maxwell's equations to describe electric and magnetic fields. For physics applications, a conceptual understanding is of particular importance, which often causes difficulties for students. Therefore, previous research emphasizes the need to foster conceptual knowledge by...
