Active learning using online interactivity

Preparation for classes and interactivity are core components of active learning. Both of these components can be implemented in ways enabled by technology, using online resources and activities. This presentation will discuss a range of online strategies to support active learning, from the viewpoint of at least a decade’s work on implementing active learning in a variety of university physics courses. A particular focus has been the development and evaluation of online learning modules.  “Five Minute Physics” was originally envisaged as lecture preparation material. Its concise text, videos/animations and quizzes with instant feedback are designed to provide students with a fundamental understanding of course material, preparing them for interactive in-class activities. Once it was proven that students actually use this resource, its content was extended.  An introductory-level service course has a complete suite of Five Minute Physics modules covering the course material. These have been consistently nominated by students over many semesters (pre-COVID, at the height of the pandemic crisis, and now), as one of the best aspects of the course.  Initially, student engagement with interactive simulations that were incorporated in Five Minute Physics varied widely. We have since integrated simulations in learning tasks, for example, small-group worksheets for tutorials. Students across a number of courses have responded very positively to use of online simulations, reporting gains from simulation-based activities, and describing how simulations helped their learning. In the rapid transition to new delivery modes prompted by COVID-19, we attempted to retain advantages of active learning – supported by technology. In recent semesters, for a first-year course with hundreds of students, consisting of lectures, tutorials and practicals, most students experienced a blend of online and face-to-face teaching. Interactive lectures have been achieved online, and in simultaneous face-to-face/online mode. Tutorials on-campus and online have used the same activities, based on online interactive simulations and small-group discussion. Student attitudes to the use of online simulations in both situations have been overwhelmingly positive. Student engagement in in-person tutorials was relatively high. In online tutorial sessions, engagement was generally lower, the productive student discussion varied dramatically, but engagement improved over the semester with tutors working to encourage discussion. As we aim to address contemporary and future challenges in physics education, technology-enabled strategies will continue to offer interesting possibilities to support active learning. REFERENCE Five Minute Physics. http://teaching.smp.uq.edu.au/fiveminutephysics

Student experiences of virtual reality - a case study in learning special relativity

We present a study of student learning through the use of virtual reality. A software package is used to introduce concepts of special relativity to students in a game-like environment where users experience the effects of travelling at near light speeds. From this new perspective, space and time are significantly different to that experienced in everyday life. The study explores how students have worked with this environment and how these students have used this experience in their study of special relativity. A mixed method approach has been taken to evaluate the outcomes of separate implementations of the package at two universities. Students found the simulation to be a positive learning experience and described the subject area as being less abstract after its use. Also, students were more capable of correctly answering concept questions relating to special relativity, and a small but measurable improvement was observed in the final exam

Developing a virtual physics world

In this article, the successful implementation of a development cycle for a physics teaching package based on game-like virtual reality software is reported. The cycle involved several iterations of evaluating students' use of the package followed by instructional and software development. The evaluation used a variety of techniques, including ethnographic observation, surveys, student focus groups and conventional assessment. The teaching package included a laboratory manual, instructional support materials and the Real Time Relativity software that simulates a world obeying special relativistic physics. Although the iterative development cycle was time consuming and costly, it gave rise to substantial improvements in the software user interface and in the students' learning experience

Heat: An Inquiry-based Physics Laboratory for Life Sciences Students

We have developed an inquiry-based first-year undergraduate experiment to investigate heat transfer. Students consider the real-world problem of how the temperature inside a building is influenced by various factors. Students develop their understanding of heat transfer through scaffolding experiments, and then construct a simple model house, and monitor its internal temperature when exposed to ambient conditions over a 24-hour period. In a following session, based on their acquired knowledge, teams design and test a model building according to their own chosen goal (constant-temperature house, greenhouse, etc.). As an extension, students also examine the insulating characteristics of animals. Class observation, analysis of student responses and survey data show that the activity successfully engages students, better motivating them to understand the physics involved. They have to deal with problems that arise during the experiments and discuss solutions with their group members. They encounter other interesting questions as they try to achieve their goal, and learn more science in the process. The aspects of this activity that work particularly well are the realism of the scenario, a degree of student ownership of experiments, and controlled variation in what students do through the design choices possible

Managing active learning processes in large first year physics classes: The advantages of an integrated approach

Turning lectures into interactive, student-led question and answer sessions is known to increase learning, but enabling interaction in a large class seems aninsurmountable task. This can discourage adoption of this new approach – who has time to individualize responses, address questions from over 200 students and encourage active participation in class? An approach adopted by a teaching team in large first-year classes at a research-intensive university appears to provide a means to do so. We describe the implementation of active learning strategies in a large first-year undergraduate physics unit of study, replacing traditional, content-heavy lectures with an integrated approach to question-driven learning. A key feature of our approach is that it facilitates intensive in-class discussions by requiring students to engage in preparatory reading and answer short written quizzes before every class. The lecturer uses software to rapidly analyze the student responses and identify the main issues faced by the students before the start of each class. We report the success of the integration of student preparation with this analysis and feedback framework, and the impact on the in-class discussions. We also address some of the difficulties commonly experienced by staff preparing for active learning classes

Integrated, concise, mobile and interactive: adapting e-learning modules to different disciplines and contexts

We have developed a series of online modules to support students, implemented in physics, mathematics and chemistry, with cohorts from first to third year. Usage analytics, surveys and interviews show that students actively engage with these resources. Our online modules utilise HTML5 to provide interactive elements, video, imagery, text, audio and formative quizzes in an integrated, concise and mobile format. We had a variety of reasons for implementing these modules based on the needs of our disciplines and students. We all recognised the availability and effectiveness of simulations and animations within our disciplines, and the efficacy of short activities incorporated into courses to provide formative assessment and feedback. We also recognised the ubiquity of internet-capable devices in students’ habits, and so made our resources viewable on a range of devices (phone, tablet, computer), able to be used whenever and wherever students have the inclination to do some study. The first implementation, in physics, was for preparation for classes with an emphasis on active learning. The vast majority of students actively engaged with these resources, which were linked to a small amount of bonus assessment. Students indicated substantially higher levels of preparation using these modules than with previous interventions, including assessed preparation based on reading textbooks. The clear preference of students to use their smartphone or other device in preference to reference books drove us to develop a similar quick reference resource to use while in the lab. In extending to other situations, we have applied what we have learned, adopted components, and adapted to the specifics suited to each situation. In maths, interactive simulations have been used to highlight the relationship between the behaviour of the physical systems that ordinary differential equations (ODE’s) describe and different graphical representations of the equations’ solutions. Students are able to change parameters and see the solutions evolve in time. Presented in multi-panel format for simultaneous viewing, these visualisations have proved to be valued by students as helping to gain understanding of the target topics. In chemistry, existing high-quality web-based animations/simulations have been integrated into modules that have been structured to promote self-directed learning, adopting a design template proven to engage students. Students are choosing to utilise these resources that we have developed for a variety of university science/maths courses. Designed for initial use as introductions to content (either as preparation for class, remedial revision, or extension activities), the modules are being used extensively by students as aids in the lead-up to assessments. We plan to develop more modules to facilitate the learning and development of students within our disciplines, and to support other STEM academics developing similar modules. Our presentation will overview our design, show data indicating how students engage with the online activities, and students’ behaviours and comments in response to these modules

An integrated approach to active learning

We describe an integrated approach to active learning in a large first-year undergraduate physics class. A key feature of our approach is that we facilitate intensive in-class discussions by requiring students to engage in preparatory reading and answer short written quizzes before every class. We use software to rapidly analyze the student responses and identify the main issues faced by the students before the start of every class. This information is used to tune the topics discussed in class to focus on the major difficulties or misconceptions faced by the students. In our classes we present a minimum of content and focus on student discussion of the most challenging concepts. We mostly structure the discussions around multiple-choice conceptual questions that the students answer anonymously with an electronic response system, but we also use written exercises. We evaluated this approach using a mixed methods strategy including direct testing of student learning gains, observation of the in-class activities and student focus groups. In common with other active learning approaches the student learning gains in our classes were very strong, over twice those reported in traditional classes. Observation of our classes revealed differences among the teaching staff in how much the interactive approach was adopted: the full benefit of the approach is not realized until the teaching is fully changed to the new mode. The student focus groups reported very high levels of engagement in the class sessions by both the students interviewed and their colleagues. We also find that the data from our just-in-time analysis of the student responses significantly improves the preparation of the teaching staff as they start each class with rich information about exactly where the students find the material difficult. The student responses also provide excellent material for preparing new conceptual questions. It is otherwise very difficult for expert staff to write questions that directly target the misconceptions of their students

Between seas and continents: aspects of the scientific career of Hermann Von Ihering, 1850-1930

This paper covers some periods in Hermann von Ihering’s scientific trajectory: his training in zoology in Germany and Naples, his international activities based in Brazil, and his return to Germany. It deals with aspects of the formulation of his theories on land bridges. It focuses on the network of contacts he maintained with German émigrés like himself, and primarily with Florentino Ameghino, which allowed him to interact in international scientific circles. It mentions excerpts of his letters and his publications in the periods when he began corresponding with Ameghino (1890), when he travelled to Europe in search of support for his theories (1907), and when he published his book on the history of the Atlantic Ocean (1927).Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse