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HOLISTIC INTEGRATION OF TABLET PCS IN A MODERN ACADEMIC PHYSICS EDUCATION Sabina Jeschke, Olivier Pfeiffer, Harald Scheel, Christian Thomsen Technische Universität Berlin, Germany Center for Multimedia in Education and Research (MuLF) {sabina.jeschke@math, pfeiffer@math, harry@physik, thomsen@physik}.tu-berlin.de

ABSTRACT A flexible and mobile concept for a modern physics education at universities ranging from enhanced access to a broad variety of experiments up to electronic exams (eXams) is presented. Within a blended learning concept, Tablet-PCs allow an increase of the experimental part of the education right from the beginning. Different types of experiments – remote and virtual – are utilized. Executed within web-interfaces, experiments can be implemented and accessed regardless of the location of the laboratory and the experimenter. Additionally, experiments can be performed which otherwise would not be accessible for reasons of expense, security, or availability. Students work individually or in small groups, designing and executing different types and realizations of experiments including the investigation of the underlying theoretical models. This highly interactive approach contributes to a modern pedagogy for university teaching, which aims at creative thinking and high level learning, encouraging students to become active learners challenged by complex problems and situations, collaboratively seeking for the best possible solutions. ICT integration spans from 1st lecture learning purposes, modern pedagogics such as project-based learning, problem oriented learning, principles of non-linear learning, co-operative and cross-cultural learning up to the final examinations at the end of class.

KEY WORDS Tablet PCs, electronic examinations, ICT, Virtual Laboratories, Remote Experiments

INTRODUCTION “Hands-on-training” has always been considered an essential part of the learning and teaching experience in natural and engineering sciences. However, presently the physics education of engineering students often suffers from a lack of comprehensive experimental components due to the large number of students in combination with limited experimental resources. The integration of Tablet-PCs into physics education opens up new vistas and allows increasing the experimental part of the education right from its start. Executed within web-interfaces, experiments can be implemented and accessed regardless of location of laboratory and experimenter. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Engineering Education & Training (ICEET-2)

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Experiments of two principle kinds come into place: Virtual Laboratories are interactive learning tools emulating scientific hands-on experiments in virtual spaces by modeling and simulations, using the metaphor of a “real” scientific lab as a guiding line. They are capable of simulating various physical models and thus allow for investigation of experimental set-ups infeasible in traditional laboratories. The complementary Remote Experiments are real experiments, controlled from outside the laboratory. However, enabling students to learn for experiments requires more than just offering the experimental setups: performing experiments includes taking notes, drawing setup sketches, writing protocols, analyze the measured data, visualize the results. Here, within a blended learning concept the potential of tablet-PCs comes into place.

Experiments in Virtual and Remote Laboratories Remote Experiments consist of two vital parts, namely the experiment itself, which is supposed to be conducted remotely, and the method being used to provide the necessary remote controls. For the Remote Experiments at the TU Berlin, National Instruments LabView is used to control the hardware and collect the experimental data. LabView also possesses a convenient web-interface, which enables the remote-experimenter to perform any necessary adjustments. In order to view and control the experiment, a freely available web browser plug-in has to be downloaded and installed. Due to the modular programming structure of LabView, remote experiments can easily be combined or extended. Prof. Christian Thomsen and his group (Thomsen et al., 2005) have already assembled several remote experiments and several are about to follow. To give an impression, we will present a selection of remote experiments: • Solar cells (cf. figures 1 and 2) A solar – or photovoltaic – cell is a semiconductor device consisting of a p-n junction diode: two electrically contacted semiconductors, one doped positively, the other negatively, form a diode, which allows a current in one direction but not in the other. By illuminating the junction with visible light, free carriers will be generated and accumulated – thus, solar cells are capable of generating electrical energy. One important property of a solar cell is its “efficiency”, the ratio of the electrical-power output to the lightpower input, as represented by its current-voltage (I/V) characteristics. Measuring the I/V-curves of a solar cell – in the dark and when illuminated – within a remote experiment enables the students to determine the efficiency of the solar cell. Running this experiment using different solar cells allows the investigation of material dependences.

Figure 1: The remote experiment in the laboratory…

Figure 2: ... and the experimenters outside the lab, using Tablet-PCs to perform experiments

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ICEET-2-1131 • Resonant circuit Resonance is an important phenomenon in technical applications. It can cause the damage of mechanical systems, e.g. bridges under the influence of strong winds or synchronous pedestrian walk, or can ensure the functioning of a system, as in an ordinary radio. Systems of electronic devices also show resonance phenomena: An LC-oscillator is a serial connection of an inductance and a capacitor. Between these devices, the electrical current alternates at a certain angular frequency. Applying a sinusoidal external voltage, the system will oscillate with the excitation frequency with a frequency-dependent amplitude. The frequency associated with the maximum amplitude is referred to as resonance frequency. Within our remote experiment, students can access an LC-Oscillator via the Internet to measure the amplitude in dependency of the stimulating frequency, thus determining the resonance frequency. • Magnetism & phase transitions The goal of the “magnetism” experiment is to gain insight into the phenomenon of phase transitions and the behavior of ferromagnetic substances (Schmidt et al., 2005). A magnetic coil generates a magnetic field proportional to the current passed through it, controlled by the computer. The magnetic field in turn magnetizes a ferromagnetic core whose magnetization is measured by a Hall probe. The measured value is then digitized by a standard multimeter that provides a digital output port, and is transmitted back to the computer. By running the experiment, a student explores the non-linear dependency of the probes’ magnetization with respect to the external field. Thus, the student will become aware of the fact that ferromagnetic materials show a so-called “hysteresis loop”, a characteristic behavior for materials featuring phase transitions. Virtual Laboratories have revolutionized education and research as they allow a direct experimental access to abstract objects and concepts. The Virtual Laboratory VIDEOEASEL (Richter) [developed at the TU Berlin, cf. fig. 3, 4] is capable of simulating various models from the field of statistical mechanics, problems of thermodynamics, wave phenomena and chemical reactions. Measurements are performed by tools freely plugged into the experiment by the user, allowing to observe magnetization, entropy, free energy or other measurable quantities during the experiment. When experiments of higher complexity are performed, the experimental results can be automatically exported into computer algebra systems for further analysis. To enhance cooperative work between students, or students and their teachers, VIDEOEASEL is able to support distributed measurement processes on the same experimental setup, including remote access from outside the university (for technical details see Jeschke et al., 2005b). Some selected experiments which can be performed within VIDEOEASEL: • Ising model & ferromagnetism The Ising model is a prominent lattice gas model used to investigate phase transitions and describe ferromagnetic behavior. A typical experiment is the measurement of the hysteresis loop: after starting the Ising simulation, the user attaches a probe [by selecting a region] to measure its magnetization. The user interface now allows the variation of parameters of the model, for example the external field. By plotting magnetization over external field, one finds the desired hysteresis loop; by varying the temperature the phase transition of the model becomes observable. However, the Virtual Lab is also able to run experiments that are hardly feasible in reality: by changing the boundary conditions of the Ising model, one can investigate the impact of the boundary configuration


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on the spontaneous magnetization of the model and compare the behavior with the theoretical result of the Peierls argument (Thomsen and Gumlich, 1998).

Figure 3: VIDEOEASEL Java Front-End for Figure 4: VIDEOEASEL Java-Applet in inan experiment about the Ising model, tegrated in web-pages, experiment on the measurement of the magnetization 2nd Law of thermodynamics • Irreversibility of time The dynamics of single molecules are difficult to investigate in “real” experiments but form an interesting field for experiments in virtual laboratories: molecular dynamics simulate the trajectories of individual molecules by integrating the equations of motion, i.e., assuming Newtonian mechanics. This means, that in principle, time is reversible. Consider, for example, if one changed the sign of all molecular velocities at some point, then all molecules should end up at their initial positions after the appropriate number of time steps. This is clearly not the case in physical systems, where time is irreversible – a consequence of the second law of thermodynamics. This discrepancy – time reversibility for molecular dynamics, but irreversibility in real systems – is referred to as Loschmidts paradox and can be observed within the VIDEOEASEL lab. • Discretization of partial differential equations In physics, partial differential equations as wave equation or heat equation play a very important role for a large number of applications (different types of wave propagation and heat conduction phenomena). Beyond a few “toy models” of fundamental and/or theoretical interest, most of these applications have to be solved numerically for realistic physical cases for complexity reasons. Students have to learn how to describe those partial differential equations within numerical models. In particular, the appropriate discretization plays a major role. Within virtual laboratories, partial differential equations can be modeled, and their impact can be investigated within different physical settings. Numerical effects resulting from discretization and rounding parameters become apparent. Comparison The examples described illustrate the typical setup of Remote Experiments as well as according experiments within a Virtual Laboratory. In both scenarios, the experimenter regulates a set of parameters controlling the experiment and interacting with it, e.g. by a Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Engineering Education & Training (ICEET-2)

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motor, the magnetic field, or – in case of the Virtual Laboratory – also by manipulating the boundary conditions. Additionally, a set of measurement tools is provided collecting data from the running experiment, e.g. the temperature, the magnetization, a rotation frequency, the mechanical force, etc. Thus, the different approaches possess a number of similarities, but also enrich each other through their differences: Remote Experiments allow the investigation of real objects including hands-on measurement experience, which does obviously not hold true for Virtual Laboratories. On the other hand, Virtual Laboratories are capable of mapping the complete process of constructing an experiment, whereas this flexibility is limited in remote experiments (Jeschke et al., 2005a). The accomplishment of experiments in eLearning scenarios can be measured in many aspects – ranging from the actual quantification of a physical measurement and operating experience with real experimental setups to the examination of the corresponding theoretical model – of the learning process in the academic education of natural and engineering scientists. Even though the two systems are not identical the combination of a remote and “real” experiment and a sound simulation supports the process of understanding in an outstanding manner which is vital for the learning and teaching process in natural sciences and engineering.

ELECTRONIC EXAMINATIONS (EXAMS) Internet knowledge and its applications have become increasingly important in recent years. New types of educational tools and interactive pedagogics have entered university classes and improved the teaching quality. At the same time, these additional abilities we demand from our students ought to be included in the examinations of the traditional subjects. This requires new types of questions and new forms of eXams. In addition, planning, realization and especially the correction of written eXams for hundreds of students are very labor intensive and time-consuming. These costs can be dramatically minimized by the assistance of electronic innovations, which automatically store and correct the participants’ answers. As a prototypical implementation of eXams a concept with the capability to examine a group of up to 50 participants at one time was developed. First eXams were accomplished successfully in smaller groups as part of a physics lecture for engineering freshmen. Adequate hardware is an essential prerequisite for effective electronic exams: initially a notebook as an input device for each participant appears to be the silver bullet, but on the second thought purchasing appropriate numbers of notebooks is too expensive for many institutions and may even bust the individuals budget. Therefore a voting kit, independently connected to a server via radio transmission is used in cooperation with Promethean Corporation (cf. fig. 5). Shown the questions on an interactive whiteboard, which was used as the server, the examinees can enter their results. To guarantee the rapid realization of new exam build-ups a special software is used to create the questions and store them in a database. Three different types of questions are developed: • essentially typical traditional physics questions, • questions requiring the usage of java-based physics applets or virtual experiments, which very clearly visualize physical issues, • questions prompting to search for quantities in the internet to solve the problem.


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Examples for all types of examination questions shall be presented in this talk (see figure 6 for a sample). For the time being, all questions were single-choice; the next version of the database-software is able to create multiple-choice questions, which give an even better indication of the students’ abilities. The results of the first evaluation are almost exclusively positive and look very promising. The students remarked that electronic examinations give them the chance to relieve stress during exam, while the degree of difficulty of the exam did not change in their perception. The required usage of physics applets and the Internet was mentioned positively, although the connection between physics and the ability to use the internet is not obvious to all students. Thus, multimedia-based examinations for large groups of students are feasible in form and content. Students are able to present their skills better and they can show their physics skills in an interactive way. From the teacher’s point of view such examinations have the potential to simplify the evaluation of the students’ knowledge and skills. eXams with larger groups are scheduled for the forthcoming summer term.

Figure 5: eXam workplace.

Figure 6: Virtual Experiment on Blackbody Radiation.

INTEGRATION OF TABLET-PCS & EXPECTED OUTCOMES The usage of Tablet PCs are the base of this program: preserving the advantages of traditional teaching methods in modern eLearning scenarios, training scenarios based on different types of remote and virtual experiments are facilitated (see Goolnik, 2006 and Silver, 1997). However, while this approach is based on the metaphor of the traditional laboratory, it is enriched by a wide range of multimedia enhancements: students can note test protocols, including experimental setup sketches, tables and diagrams graphically on the Tablet PC. They are enabled to complete their records by embedding external material, e.g. images from the web or interactive applets. Experimental results determined by fellow students can be included for the purpose of comparison and questioning of own results. In the future, through integration of handwriting recognition, computer algebra systems will be queried for their numeric or symbolic results and function plots. Students may even send queries to remote web services [CGI scripts] to running interactive simulations and visualizations from arbitrary sources. Furthermore, modern synchronous and asynchronous communication and cooperation tools will come


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into place, transforming the traditional image of “isolated” laboratories into networked collaborative working environments for natural sciences. Providing a steadily increasing number of remote and virtual experiments, continuously available to a broad audience of students and teachers independently of physical location, the expected results can be summarized as follows: • Students of all engineering fields will gain enhanced, comprehensive access to “hands-on”-experiments. • The education of engineering students in the field of physics will be transformed from teacher-led to more contemporary student-centric learning scenarios. • State-of-the-art computer algebra systems, numerical software packages, and visualization tools will become integral parts of modern sophisticated education for all fields of technological studies. • Mobile learning and teaching scenarios will gain impact on education, research and the organizational structures of the different fields of studies. Continuous substitution of traditional exams by eXams shall drastically reduce exam pre- and postprocessing times and support teachers in providing their students with the skills needed in the information society.

CONCLUSION AND OUTLOOK Giving enhanced access to a broad variety of experiments, students can design and execute different types and realizations of experiments – individually as well as in small groups – and investigate the underlying theoretical models. With annually 1,000 students from 10 different fields of engineering, the course “‘Physics for Engineering Students”, taught in the first and second semester, is one of the largest classes of the TU Berlin. In an extended implementation of this course design, approximately 1,500 students will be reached per academic year. Integration of state-of-the-art computer algebra systems, numerical software packages, and visualization tools enable students to analyze their experimental data and treat their results further. Thus, students gain the opportunity to get acquainted with modern scientific software at an early stage of their education, enhancing their motivation and improving their scientific skills. Through its highly interactive approach, this program contributes to a modern pedagogy for university teaching which aims at creative thinking and high level learning, encouraging students to become active learners challenged by complex problems and situations, collaboratively seeking a variety of solutions. ICT is applied on learning purposes and modern pedagogies such as project-based learning, problem oriented learning, principles of non-linear learning, cooperative and crosscultural learning. This program contributes in facilitating and strengthening a modern eLearning-based education as well as cooperative learning activities in experimental and theoretical physics. Through its generic design it is not restricted to the teaching of physics only, but is envisioned as an important prototype for a modern teaching concept in all fields of natural sciences and engineering. Broad access to virtual laboratories as well as to the remote experiments is an essential part of the eLearning dissemination strategy of the MuLF center. This program aims at providing all results of the project to non-profit organizations following an “OpenSource, OpenContent, OpenAccess” strategy. Universities, research institutes, schools Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Engineering Education & Training (ICEET-2)

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and other non-profit organizations should have free access to all software components and all scientific results gained in the process of the project including the right for further development. They are free to publish the advancements with non-profit intention only [GPL-like license models]. Three test runs of eXam were accomplished so far; first results look very promising and the next stage is scheduled for the coming term, considering security issues also.

REFERENCES Goolnik, G. (2006), “Effective Change Management Strategies for Embedded Online Learning within Higher Education and Enabling the Effective Continuing Professional Development of its Academic Staff” (2006), http://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr/ . Jeschke, S., & Richter, T., & Scheel, H., & Seiler, R., & Thomsen, C. (2005a), “The Experiment in eLearning: Magnetism in Virtual and Remote Experiments”. Conference Proceedings ICL 2005, Interactive computer aided learning, Villach/Austria, Kassel/Germany, September 2005. Kassel University Press. Jeschke, S., & Richter, T., & Seiler, R. (2005b), “VideoEasel: Architecture of Virtual Laboratories on Mathematics and Natural Sciences.” Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Multimedia and ICTs in Education, June 7-10, 2005, Careres/Spain, Badajoz/Spain, June 2005. FORMATEX. Jeschke, S., & Thomsen, C., & Piens, I. (2005c), “CERES – Classroom eLearning & eResearch Support.” Application for HP Technology for Teaching, University Grants Program, April 2005. Kuhlmann, U., & Jantoljak, H., & Pfänder, N., & Bernier P., & Journet, C., & Thomsen,C. (1998), “Infrared active phonons in single-walled carbon nanotubes.” Chem. Phys. Lett., 294:237, 1998. Peierls, R. (1936), “On Ising’s model of ferromagnetism”, Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 32, S. 477-82. 1. edition. Richter, T., “VideoEasel”. http://www.math.tu-berlin.de/~thor/videoeasel Schmidt, K.P., & Gössling, A., & Kuhlmann, U., & Thomsen C., & Löffert, A., & Gross, C., & Assmus W. (2005), “Raman response of magnetic excitations in cuprate ladders and planes.” Phys. Rev. B, 72:094419, 2005. Silver, D. (1997), “Multimedia, Multilinearity and Multivocality in the Hypermedia Classroom” (1997), http://users.ox.ac.uk/~ctitext2/publish/comtxt/ct14/silver.html Thomsen, C., & Gumlich, H.E. (1998): Ein Jahr für die Physik. Wissenschaft und Technik Verlag, Berlin, 2. edition. Thomsen, C., & Scheel, H., & Morgner, S. (2005), “Remote Experiments in Experimental Physics.” Proceedings of the ISPRS E-Learning 2005, Potsdam/Germany, June 2005. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Engineering Education & Training (ICEET-2)