Abstract:

Results are presented from a five-year study of the development and implementation of interactive physics demonstrations in physics learning and teaching across all four years of the Imperial College London undergraduate physics courses.

A bank of experimental demonstrations for undergraduate learning and teaching have been developed, documented and catalogued. These visual resources have been used in both traditional in-person teaching episodes and more recently used in online instruction. A large proportion of these physics demonstrations have been used with associated learning cycle questions and evaluation resources, to create a more interactive learning experience for the students. These demonstrations centred learning cycles have provided a valuable opportunity for active learning within more didactic teaching scenarios.

The effectiveness of this active approach physics learning and teaching have been measured and evaluated using a wide range of approaches for both students and staff and students, including interviews, focus groups and surveys. Initial outcomes will be presented along with the implications of these outcomes for future blended learning in higher education.

Keywords:

Active learning, higher education, physics education, interactive demonstrations, learning cycle.