Physics Education
This article is a theoretical study on the effectiveness of educational research in the context of Philosophy of science. This topic of discussion, in the area of educational research, has been the subject of intellectual debate and arises…
The present work describes a website designed for remote teaching of optical measurements using lasers. It enables senior undergraduate and postgraduate students to learn theoretical aspects of the subject and also have a means to perform…
The results of the National High School Examination (ENEM) are an important tool for a diagnosis of educational deficiencies at the end of a training cycle. This exam is a relevant source of data for the evaluation of what is learned by…
In this contribution we discuss how to develop a physics curriculum for undergraduate students that includes computing as a central element. Our contribution starts with a definition of computing and pertinent learning outcomes and…
One of the most important debates is currently focusing on specifying the training that university teachers must receive for their professional practice. Improving it in higher education is extremely important not only for the scientific…
To achieve digital literacy nowadays a media education is required. The digital revolution breaks the barriers of space and time, and information has become the most valuable commodity. The new digital reality favours the convergence of all…
This article has as its main objective to emphasize the importance that physical spaces and architecture should have for a correct pedagogical integration of the ICT, including in this concept all the current means of communication and, in…
A vacuum-powered device that shoots ping pong balls at high subsonic speeds has been used for physics demonstrations for more than a decade. It uses physics that are easily understood by students, even though its operation is not…
Since years a classical oscillator is known representing fundamental properties of quantum mechanical systems without the use of the demanding mathematics of quantum theory. This allows to develop an intuitive notion in introductory quantum…
A student laboratory experiment is presented that introduces the concept of a lock-in measurement through the exploration of the relationship between the power detected from a modulated light source and the distance between the source and…
Rate-based processes comprise an important set of scientific phenomena, as well as an important part of the K12 science curricula. Electric current is one such phenomenon, which is taught in various forms from 4th - 12th grades. Research…
An analysis of longitudinal student Physics practicals data over a period of three semesters is conducted. In particular, we study the association of the gender of students and their Physics practicals marks in mechanics, thermodynamics,…
In this study, headcounts of all personnel in Nobel Prize-winning labs were collected and sorted by gender. These results are used to determine gender representation of graduate students in elite institutions on the pipeline towards higher…
An experiment for the advanced undergraduate laboratory allowing students to directly observe the effect of photon polarisation on Compton scattering is described. An initially unpolarised beam of photons is polarised via Compton scattering…
Due to the interdisciplinary nature of complex systems as a field, students studying complex systems at University level have diverse disciplinary backgrounds. This brings challenges (e.g. wide range of computer programming skills) but also…
Although an important goal of introductory physics labs is to train students in scientific reasoning and critical thinking, currently there are no standard tests in physics designed to assess such skills. We are in the process of developing…
I describe the world's first robotic observatory to interact with its observers entirely using the social media platforms Facebook or Twitter. The telescope "tweets" what it's doing, posts live images, and responds to observer commands…
Increasing student retention (successfully finishing a particular course) and persistence (continuing through a sequence of courses or the major area of study) is currently a major challenge for universities. While students' academic and…
We have investigated the efficacy of online, multimedia learning modules (MLMs) as preparation for in-class, lecture-based tutorials in electromagnetism in a physics course for natural science majors (biology and marine science).…
In this paper, I discuss my personal journey through one research tradition, that of the resources framework, and how it has evolved over time. In my present work, understanding learners' reasoning in physics in terms of the construction of…