Abstract:

The University teaching methodology is, nowadays, being reviewed continuously and this is due, primarily, to that new Graduate programmes in the education system have been introduced. In turn, with the thrust of new technologies increasingly tend more to have multimedia materials and computer resources that to allow both teachers and students, improving teaching and learning techniques.

The subject “Physical Optics-I” is in the second year of the “Degree in Optics and Optometry” at the University of Alicante. It falls within the general matter "Optics" and it is part of the group of subjects of mandatory training of future graduate. This article presents some lines of work that are being developed at present, leading to the design of a virtual tool, in order to use it in the Optics Physics-I laboratory practice classes. This tool can help students to develop in a comprehensive manner, the practical competences associated with the theoretical concepts studied in class.

The objective intended is an interactive environment that unifies different aspects such as: the information that bring the scripts of the practices; the display of the phenomenon being studied through an explanatory video; obtaining own results through performed experimental measurements and their management through Excel Sheets, as well as, the observation of simulations of the phenomenon in which user can go by varying the values of the parameters that come into play to check its effect.

With this tool it is possible to develop a new methodological approach in the teaching-learning process of laboratory practices which allows increase the participation of the student and leads to a more complete picture of the phenomenon that is studied.

Keywords:

Physical optics, Practices of laboratory, Virtual tool, Teaching methodology.