Physics Education
We provide an alternative approach to a problem posed in the article "Hourglass of Constant Weight" by Volker Becker and Thorsten P\"{o}schel, which appeared in Granular Matter 10 (2008), 231-232, i.e. 14 years ago. Our goal to return to…
Employing scientific practices to obtain and use information is one of the central facets of next generation science standards. Especially in quantum technology education, the ability to employ such practices is an essential skill to foster…
To address the lack of familiarity with nuclear history common among nuclear engineers and physicists, we outline the design and deployment of a special-topics course entitled "NE290: Nuclear History, Politics, and Futures" across which we…
This study aims to produce a classroom management application based on a database of student learning styles to identify and analyze student learning styles and match them with appropriate learning methods and media. This application is…
These are the lecture notes used in the course Understanding Quantum Chemistry for 1st year master chemistry at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The schedule is 2 weeks on HF and 2 weeks on DFT, which provides a quite rough ride for the…
The interest in studying quantum mechanics is always increasing in our society and schools. Especially in the latter case, this leads researchers to implement suitable actions to meet social needs of knowledge of quantum physics. We present…
Arduino microcontrollers are electronic devices that can be used in physics experiments, and they are both affordable and readily available in comparison to other experimental sets. Students in high school and college can acquire valuable…
Researchers in physics education have advocated both for including modeling in science classrooms as well as promoting student engagement with sensemaking. These two processes facilitate the generation of new knowledge by connecting to…
Data modeling and graphing skill sets are foundational to science learning and careers, yet students regularly struggle to master these basic competencies. Further, although educational researchers have uncovered numerous approaches to…
Considering the 21st century skills and the importance of STEM education in fulfilling these skills, it is clear that the course materials should be materials that bring students together with technology and attract their attention, apart…
Teaching color science to Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) students is critical to preparing them for advanced topics such as graphics, visualization, imaging, Augmented/Virtual Reality. Color historically receive little…
The COVID-19 pandemic imposed profound changes on the way we think about undergraduate physics education. Online courses became mainstream. Exam formats were reimagined. Digital whiteboards replaced face-to-face discussions. Laboratory…
One of the main difficulties in a class on Sources of Energy and Social Policy is the wide variety of units used by different technologists (BTU's, Barrels of oil, Quads, kWh, etc). As every student eats, I think some of this confusion can…
This article explains and illustrates the design of a laboratory experience for blind students to measure the inertia of simple objects, in this case, that of a disc around its axis of symmetry. Our adaptation consisted in modifying the…
The transition of many educational activities from in-presence to online, due to the Covid-19 emergency, has caused various difficulties to students, especially with regards to maintaining concentration. Even and especially in online mode,…
Quantum physics is a long established content in high school curricula. More recently, alternative approaches based on information-theoretical formulations of quantum theory have been discussed, in which conceptual emphases change in…
Teaching physics in real-life contexts continues to be a challenge for teachers at different educational levels. In this article, three Context-Rich Problems are proposed to be implemented in the classroom for higher education, using the…
We show how builtin sensors in mobile devices can be used as portable laboratories at the service of teaching experimental sciences, especially physics, in the last years of high school and first years of university. We describe experiments…
Owing to their potential impact on students' cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes, the negative attitudes towards science held by many elementary teachers are a critical issue that needs to be addressed. This study focuses on the science…
The transition of teaching activities to online mode, forced by the Covid-19 emergency, had also positive aspects, as it pushed to create new contents and use new approaches. An example is represented by our experience at the Department of…