This manuscript is currently in review for publication in the Journal of Physics Teacher Education Online JPTEO and should not be cited without permission A post participation review of the North Carolina State University s online graduate credit physics course for teachers PY610c Special Topics Matter Interactions II for Secondary School Teachers Salvatore Tatto State University of New York Buffalo State College 1300 Elmwood Ave Buffalo NY 14222 tattosal hotmail com Abstract A High School physics teacher reviews PY610c Special Topics Matter Interactions II for Secondary School Teachers an online graduate credit course offered by the North Carolina State University Some aspects of this course that enhanced my learning experience included the videotaped classes the hands on lab experiments and the online teleconferences While the teleconferences were helpful one of the negative aspects was that participation was not mandatory and therefore many students did not attend them Another difficult aspect of the course was the lab assignments using the VPython computer modeling software while the programs were useful visual aids creating the computer programs was difficult Overall the course was enjoyable and a worthwhile learning experience for teachers who want to improve their knowledge of electricity and magnetism There are some minor credit transfer caveats Acknowledgement This manuscript was prepared in partial fulfillment of requirements for PHY690 Masters Project at SUNY Buffalo State College under the guidance of Dr Dan MacIsaac Introduction The North Carolina State University NCSU Physics Department offers several on line graduate credit courses for teachers that want to improve their conceptual understanding of physics as part of their professional development Here I present a post participation review of PY610c Special Topics Matter Interactions II for Secondary School Teachers which I took in Fall 2006 for credit toward my M S Ed Physics degree from Buffalo State College Buffalo State College 2008 I found PY610c to be a worthwhile investment PY610c improved my conceptual understanding of electricity and magnetism made it easier to understand the abstract concepts in E M and helped me see how the fundamental principles of apply to the array of problems one encounters in E M Literature In recent years online courses have gained in popularity However there are still many questions about them In a letter to the editor of The Physics Teacher James O Connell 2001 asked several questions about the logistics of teaching an online course including how to handle student questions how to have students perform laboratory activities and whether students learn as much in this medium These are some issues that professors need to consider when deciding whether to teach a physics course online and how to design the course if they do decide to teach it The online environment is very different than the traditional classroom and physics teachers need to modify their current classes in order to meet the needs of students in this environment The traditional method of lecturing does not lend itself to the online format as well as it does to the regular classroom Abdelraheem 2003 In the online environment students have a great deal of responsibility for their learning Therefore course expectations need to be clearly defined so that students know the amount of work they need to complete on a daily weekly basis Radnofsky Bobrowsky 2005 Teachers also need to facilitate discussion among students in an online class and promote active learning Boada 2001 There are many advantages to taking a physics course online Online courses allow access to a greater number of people Many students that take online courses work have families or live far away from the college where the course is being offered Radnofsky Bobrowsky 2005 In addition online courses may increase a student s level of participation In a normal classroom students learn how to avoid participation However many online courses include participation as a portion of the grade and therefore may encourage greater participation than traditional classes In Chester Gwynne s 1998 study two thirds of students indicated that they were more likely to participate in an online class than in a traditional class Anonymity may allow some students who may not ordinarily feel comfortable sharing their ideas in front of others to feel more comfortable with doing so Howard Rheingold 1994 as cited in Chester Gwynne 1998 commented that people find virtual communities treat them as they always wanted to be treated as thinkers and transmitters of ideas and feeling beings Another advantage particularly to working teachers of online physics courses is that there is a great deal of schedule flexibility to the student Physics students can do the coursework when it is convenient at any time of the day or night instead of being confined to the classroom for three hours every week Smith Taylor 1995 Online courses also allow students to ask questions at any time instead of having to wait until they are in the class or for the professor s office hours Merrill 2001 The use of discussion boards is also an advantage that online courses have over traditional classroom course Discussion boards offer a place where students can reflect on their learning This allows teachers to keep a running tab on how students are achieving their learning goals for the course web logs and online discussions as tools to promote reflective practice Even though there are many advantages to online classes there are also several disadvantages In this environment students have a great deal of ownership over their own learning Students need to be self motivated and self disciplined while taking an online course Radnofsky and Bobrowsky 2005 found that several of the students that took their online course commented that it was more difficult to meet the high standards of an online class than a traditional class There are many reasons why online courses can be difficult for students who are not self disciplined If deadlines are not strictly enforced it is easy to let work pile up and become insurmountable ibid Pearson 2006 Also in this environment there is minimal interaction with classmates When solving problems or working on a lab activity there are minimal opportunities to see how others solve problems Merrill 2001 One final disadvantage of online courses is that one must not only have regular access to a
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