|
Physics@VCU Links:
               
| |
I am adapting our conceptual physics course, Foundations of Physics, so that it
can be used to fulfill the new general education requirement for physical
science at VCU. The format of the course --- the basic ideas of physics
presented in large lecture sessions --- is not being changed because that format
is the only one which will let us meet the projected demand with our available
resources. I am attempting to use technology --- specifically the World Wide Web
--- to overcome the well-known shortcomings of the large-lecture format. The
course is taught from a home-page
on the Web. That home page organizes the course material (over 800 html files
and over 1300 graphic images) into a densely hyperlinked document which is used
as
- a focus for discussion in class by projecting the material onto a screen.
- an individual tutor with interactive test questions linked to each main
point.
- a testing device in class.
The large lecture sections now focus on familiarizing students with the
web site, commenting on the material and illustrating it with
demonstrations, and testing for comprehension after every main point by
using the questions embedded in the web site. Every lecture is a quiz and every
quiz counts towards the student's final grade. In this model of instruction, the
lecture ceases to be the main information transmitting device. Instead, it
becomes a device for motivating students to use the web site which is
then the main teaching engine of the course.
Recent grants and proposals:
- Virginia Urban Corridor Teacher Preparation Collaborative, NSF
grant for five years, PI: Reuben Farley, Bill Haver, Joe Chinnici, Richard
Rezba, $5,000,000, Participant in the Physics component of the grant,
1996-2001.
Selected Publications
- Gowdy, R. H.: "The Physics of Perfect Rockets," American
Journal of Physics, 63, pp229-231, 1995.
- Gowdy, R. H., "General Theory of Relativity," article to appear
in the MacMillan Encyclopedia of Physics, 1996
Dr. V. Adam Niculescu
Physics Education
I am developing a new general education physical science course, Wonders of
Technology. The course focuses on the technological applications of physical
principles in order to teach those principles in a concrete way. All of the
course activities take place in the laboratory so that students can participate
actively at all times. Amoung the activies are multimedia computer programs
interfaced to laboratory experiments and simple hands-on projects using common
household appliances and materials.
Recent grants and proposals:
- Seamless Science: A Program for Coordinating College and High School
Science Education, with Joe Chinnici, funded by SCHEV (State Council on
Higher Education in Virginia) under the Funds for Excellence Program; one
year, $47,000 --- ended July 1, 1995
- Hands on Physics Instruction with Lego Technic, with Mathematics
and Science Center, SCHEV grant, 1994-95, $40,000, ended July 1, 1995.
- Young Scholars Project --- Coordinator for the physics segment of
the Mathematics Department NSF grant, Summer 1995.
- Virginia Urban Corridor Teacher Preparation Collaborative, NSF
grant for five years, PI: Reuben Farley, Bill Haver, Joe Chinnici, Richard
Rezba, $5,000,000, Participant in the Physics component of the grant,
1996-2001.
- Learning Experimental Design in Elementary and Middle School Classes,
PI V. Adam Niculescu, Joe Chinnici, Richard Rezba, 1996-97, $56,000.
|
