A post participation review of the North Carolina State University’s online graduate credit physics course for teachers PY610c: Special Topics: Matter & Interactions II or Secondary School TeachersSalvatore Tatto, State University of New York – Buffalo State College, 1300 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14222 [email protected] 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. I found PY610c to be a worthwhile investment. It 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. In recent years, online courses have gained in popularity. However, there are still many questions about them. In his letter to the editor, James O’Connell 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 [Ref 1]. These are all issues that professors need to consider when deciding whether to teach a 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. Teachers need tomodify 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 [Ref 2]. In the online environment, students have a great deal of responsibilityfor 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 [Ref 3]. Teachers alsoneed to facilitate discussion among students in an online class and “promote active learning.” [Ref 4]. There are many advantages of taking a course online. Online courses allow access to a greater number of people. Many students that take online courses work, have families, or live faraway from the college where the course is being offered [Ref 3]. In addition, online courses mayincrease 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 study, two thirds of students indicated that they were more likely to participate in an online class than in a traditional class [Ref 5]. 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) commented that people find “virtual communities treat them as they always wanted to be treated – as thinkers and transmitters of ideas and feeling beings.” [as cited in Ref 5]. Another advantage of online courses is that there is also a great deal of flexibility. 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 [Ref 6]. Online courses also allow students to ask questions at any time instead of having to wait until they are in the class or for theprofessor’s office hours [Ref 7]. 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 promotereflective 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 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 arenot self-disciplined. If deadlines are not strictly enforced, it is easy to let work pile up and become insurmountable [Ref 3]. Also, in this environment, there is minimal interaction with classmates. When solving problems or working on a lab activity, there are minimal opportunitiesto see how others solve problems [Ref 7]. One final disadvantage of online courses is that one must not only have regular access to a computer but must also be good with computers [Ref 7]. While taking an online course, many different types of technical issues may arise, either with accessing materials online, viewing a course lecture, or completing or submitting homework. During the summer of 2006, I was working towards my M.S.Ed. (physics) from SUNY-Buffalo State College. Since I live in Southern New York State, I had to look at online course options for the fall in order to complete my degree. I had recently taken a summer course in electricity and magnetism. Since I have always struggled with electricity and magnetism, I felt taking another course on this topic would be a good idea. I had several different courses to choose from; I decided to take Matter and Interactions II for Secondary School Teachers. I had heard many good things about the course and about the instructor, and I felt it would be a worthwhile endeavor.The North Carolina State University Department of Physics course PY 610c: Special Topics: Matter & Interactions II for Secondary School Teachers is described in the department online literature as: “This calculus-based course provides a deeper and broader understanding of the fundamental physics underlying the electricity and magnetism taught in regular and AP high school physics courses. Atomic nature of matter; emphasis on fundamental
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