material and handheld technology, extending physics laboratory activities to open ... experience exchange in experimental physics teaching and educational ...
THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR PHYSICS LABORATORY ACTIVITIES (LEPLA): A WEB TOOL FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS Bogdan Zoltowski, Institute of Physics, Technical University of Lodz, (Poland) Barbara Pecori, Physics Department, University of Bologna (Italy)
Abstract The design, the first implementation steps and the expected developments of the LEPLA project will be described and discussed. The main objective of this EU funded project is to develop an internationally available, innovative learning environment based on ICT, multimedia educational material and handheld technology, extending physics laboratory activities to open and distant learning. In addition, LEPLA creates a Forum and a trans-national cooperation network to promote experience exchange in experimental physics teaching and educational usage of information technology.
LEPLA: A European project The LEPLA project is supported by European Community funds: it is part of the Socrtes-Minerva action devoted to e-learning initiative within the e-Europe Action Plan. Minerva goals are the promotion of the European cooperation in the field of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education. The types of supported activities are: (i) design, development and testing of new methods and educational resourcesdevelopment of information services and systems on educational methods and resources involving the use of ODL and ICT. Participating institutions Institute of Physics, Technical University of Lodz, Poland - Coordinating institution (B. Zoltowski) University College Cork, Ireland (C. O’Sullivan) University of Padova, Italy (G. Torzo) University of Bologna, Italy (B. Pecori) University of Malmo, Sweden (L. Jakobsson) University of Ulster, UK (K. Houston) The project contract covers the two year period from October 2002 to September 2004 and the European grant amounts to 113 000 euro.
Rationale and background The idea of designing and implementing LEPLA is based on the evidence that the volume and quality of laboratory activities in secondary schools and universities across Europe is declining because of limitations of equipment costs, staff costs, maintenance, time, location and accessibility. This issue is of a critical character in the case of under funded educational institutions, distance and vocational studies and especially for students disadvantaged because of social, economic or physical standing. Project partners have found that the above limitations can be effectively reduced by developing Internet based multimedia learning materials and experimental setups based on modern data acquisition technologies. In particular, they identified recently developed handheld technologies as the most suitable instrument for performing experimental activities in physics teaching at secondary schools and introductory university levels. By 'handheld technology' we mean portable, compact data-loggers with compatible sensors, controlled by and used together with programmable graphing calculators or computers. These popular, versatile, inexpensive products of advanced information
technology provide complete, modern, flexible and efficient data acquisition systems. Handheld technology enables basic experiments to be performed quickly and efficiently, by many students working in parallel with apparatus individually controlled (or shared within a small group), or by the teacher giving classroom demonstrations. Immediate access to the mathematical tools means that sophisticated analysis becomes a natural part of students’ physics. The project is based on the use of low-cost handheld technologies widely available on the market and on the related software widely tested in educational contexts. Specially designed sensors and updated software versions will also be developed by partners to satisfy specific project requirements.
Innovative ideas and educational power The innovative features of LEPLA arise from the combination of two elements: 1. The communication and dissemination power offered by Internet 2. The educational power of the use of hand held technology in physics teaching This combination can facilitate the job of both teachers and individual students by (i) giving the opportunity of carrying out lab activities based on inexpensive small-scale portable experimental set-ups and hand held techology, both in classroom and at home, and (ii) overcoming resource limitations by the use of 'travelling labs'. LEPLA materials are based on an 'all in one' package concept. Each complete experiment is presented using modern multimedia techniques. This includes relevant pictures, animations, MPEG movies, expected results, detiled description of setups, downloadable necessary computing procedures, programmes and sets of sample experimental data. The educational features of LEPLA are therefore multifaceted: 1. Student centred laboratory activities (instead of today’s institutional based course, better preparation through better teaching materials and more active learning for the regular school/university based student laboratory activities). 2. Promotion of autonomous exploration (selfpacing, flexible guided self-studies with self assessment of experimental results and analyses will enable the individual student to prepare, perform and analyse the real experiment on his own (or with others), at his own pace, making thestudents more self reliant). 3. Practical experimentation available to much wider groups of students (practical experimental activities and data analysis available to those who do not have permanent access to laboratory equipment). 4. 'Economisation' of teaching (of the time spent on real experimental work and increased efficiency of staff and resources involved). 5. Development of cooperation and experience sharing links between users at different teaching levels and from different educational environments (by making accessible the basic ideas, the example modules and the related teaching materials developed by the project to all intitutions in different countries; creating a Forum and a network to promote discussion and development of ideas and material about experimental physics teaching in the wide European context). 6. Support for educators (facilitating the teacher’s training to the use of experimental activities in the physics teaching by developing an open, expandable and flexible database of teaching materials useful for course preparation and presentation) . 7. Promotion of effective usage of ICT tools and methods.
LEPLA outputs. The LEPLA project will produce: a. Internet vortal (database of learning materials, platform for communication, main dissemination medium) in 4 language versions (English, Italian, Polish and Swedish). b. Experiments for physics laboratory (developed for real time data acquisition using handheld technology) c. Learning materials (experimental modules of different types, sample data, free software resource) d. CDROM (DVD -ROM) version (a standalone equivalent, in later stage). e. Project Reports (technical requirements, evaluation report). f. Promoting materials (presentations, papers).
LEPLA modules Learning modules fall into one of the following categories: • Single experiments - centred on one basic experiment to be performed with RTL (Real Time Laboratory) apparatus, containing a detailed description of theoretical basis, apparatus set up and data acquisition procedures, basic data analysis. • The Extensions - aimed at extending the investigation performed with single experiments with a less detailed description of procedures, where the focus is on interesting and somehow intriguing aspects of the phenomena investigated. • Project modules combining experiments of both types aimed at offering one or more possible paths through a wide topic of investigation emphasizing activities that help the student to construct understanding and his knowledge buildup. • Guides to handheld technology and software. • Historical notes. Each learning module is divided into several standard sub pages accessed independently from within each sub page: • Introduction – with experiment title, historical notes, experiment objective and links to all module sub pages. Information of the estimated time required to prepare and perform the experiment is provided. • Theoretical model – concise summary of the theoretical background to the phenomena concerned. • Experimental set-up – description of the experimental set-up and experimental procedure (including movie clips, pictures, photos, diagrams, etc.).
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Sample data – collection of the sample data obtained during experiment (sets prepared for the analysis with the calculator’s programs and with MSExcel) • Data analysis – procedures of the data analysis (divided into two sub pages – for the calculator and for MSExcel). • Teacher’s guide (accessible within the teachers zone only) • Additional questions and tests. • Text version of the module printable (in Adobe Acrobat PDF format) • References • Evaluation forms. A variety of ‘Help Boxes’, with information how to work with calculators, programs, data analysis procedures, CBL, sensors etc., are accessible from all modules pages.
Target groups and educational practice LEPLA products are open to all Internet users but mainly devoted to: 1. Physics educators and students at the undergraduate level (mainly in preparatory and introductory physics courses for biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics students in partner universities and other institutions). 2. Teacher training students and teachers from inservice training courses. 3. Distance learning students (e.g. vocational courses in remote branches of parent universities). 4. Physics teachers and students from secondary schools (cooperating within the project in partner countries and other European countries). 5. Under funded educational institutions in regions with socio-economic difficulties. (A ‘travelling physics laboratory’ based on the LEPLA material and in cooperation with the local branches of the Teachers Teaching with Technology (T3 Europe) teachers association will offer loans of handheld equipment to enable access to the intellectual and technical resources and facilitate experimental activities in regular courses). 6. Disadvantaged students. (Thanks to remote access, handicapped and disadvantaged students will in particular benefit from the project results by performing 'at home' autonomous experimental activities guided by LEPLA material). 7. All Internet users spread through local professionals’ networks across different levels of education (high schools, universities and educational institutions: teachers’ training centers, teachers’ associations from partner countries and other European countries). There are therefore several possible scenarios of lab activities based on this system: - As guidance during the laboratory session. - As preparatory/supportive material for students. - As guidance to do-it-at home activity. - As a substitute to the real experiment. - As preparatory/supportive material for the teacher.
Present stage and future development LEPLA learning material will cover specific topics from: - mechanics (steady, accelerated, harmonic motion), - thermodynamics (gas transitions, calorimetry), - electricity (DC circuits) - magnetism (electromagnetic induction) - optics (physical, wave) - radioactivity.
In addition modules on experimental data analysis and elements of statistics are planned. A thesaurus providing biographical material and other contextual notes from the history of science will be developed as enhancement of the educational quality of the materials offered. At present (September 2003) the following steps have been completed: 1. Formulation of the technical requirements and design indications. 2. Development of the vortal prototype and module template. 3. Development of five pilot experimental modules (English version): - Exploring Faradays law of induction - Investigating the motion of a body hanging from a spring (Project) - Pendulum motion - Newton’s law of colling - Bouncing ball During 2003 testing and localization and of the first five modules with school students and teachers and in universty courses will be completed. Before the project deadline (September 2004) the following steps should be concluded: - Development of the complete set of 31 learning modules. - Localization of vortal and material into 4 languages. - Evaluation through the teaching practice. - Teachers training. - Preparation of the general evaluation report. - Preparation of the CDROM version.
References • • • • • • • • • •
Adie G., Zoltowski B. (1998) Graphing calculator based activities in the student physics laboratory. XII Conference on Teaching Physics at Technical Universities, Poznan Adie G., Zoltowski B. (1999) Mathematical aspects of using the calculator as a demonstration tool in physics, IV ICTMT , Plymouth. Adie G., Zoltowski B. (1999) Differential equations in practical physics teaching, IV ICTMT, Plymouth Jakobsson L (1998) Computer-Aided Problem-Solving: Using A Mathematical Application to Enhance Visual Understanding of Partial Derivatives The Fifth Asian Technology Conference in Mathematics Chiang Mai University, Thailand O'Sullivan C. (1990) Introducing classical mechanics by means of microcomputer-based air-track experiments. Physics Education, 25, 353 - 357 O'Sullivan C. (1990) Newton's law of cooling - a critical assessment Amer. J. Phys., 58 (10), 956 - 960 O'Sullivan C. (1996) A non-experts struggle with multimedia in physics teaching. Proceedings of the GIREP-ICPE International Conference on New Ways of Teaching Physics, Ljubljana, 34 - 38. Pecori B., Torzo G., Pezzi G., Foà O., Rambelli A., Rafanelli M., Rizzo M.R. (2001) L'utilisation d'acquisitions avec des installations portables dans l'enseignement de la physique Bulletin de l’Union des Physiciens 12 1833-1844 Torzo G., Delfitto G., Pecori B., Scatturin P. (2001) A new MBL version of the Rüchardt’s experiment for measuring the ratio γ =Cp/Cv in air. Am. J. Phys. 69, (11), 1205-1211 Torzo G., Pecori B. (2001) Il moto dell'altalena: un gioco antico studiato con tecnica moderna. La Fisica nella Scuola, XXXIV, 15-23 LEPLA web address: www.lepla.edu.pl
