Physics Lab Courses under Digital Transformation: A Trinational Survey among University Lab Instructors about the Role of New Digital Technologies and Learning Objectives
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| Title: | Physics Lab Courses under Digital Transformation: A Trinational Survey among University Lab Instructors about the Role of New Digital Technologies and Learning Objectives |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Simon Zacharias Lahme (ORCID |
| Source: | Physical Review Physics Education Research. 2023 19(2). |
| Availability: | American Physical Society. One Physics Ellipse 4th Floor, College Park, MD 20740-3844. Tel: 301-209-3200; Fax: 301-209-0865; e-mail: assocpub@aps.org; Web site: https://journals.aps.org/prper/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 27 |
| Publication Date: | 2023 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Science Instruction, Science Laboratories, Physics, Educational Technology, Electronic Learning, College Faculty, Science Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Technology Integration, COVID-19, Pandemics, Foreign Countries, Technological Literacy |
| Geographic Terms: | Germany, Finland, Croatia |
| DOI: | 10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.19.020159 |
| ISSN: | 2469-9896 |
| Abstract: | Physics lab courses permanently undergo transformations, in recent times especially to adapt to the emergence of new digital technologies and the COVID-19 pandemic in which digital technologies facilitated distance learning. Since these transformations often occur within individual institutions, it is useful to get an overview of these developments by capturing the status quo of digital technologies and the related acquisition of digital competencies in physics lab courses. Thus, we conducted a survey among physics lab instructors (N=79) at German, Finnish, and Croatian universities. The findings reveal that lab instructors already use a variety of digital technologies and that the pandemic particularly boosted the use of smartphones and tablets, simulations, and digital tools for communication, collaboration, and organization. The participants generally showed a positive attitude toward using digital technologies in physics lab courses, especially due to their potential for experiments and students' competence acquisition, motivational effects, and contemporaneity. Acquiring digital competencies is rated as less important than established learning objectives, however, collecting and processing data with digital tools was rated as an important competency that students should acquire. The instructors perceived open forms of labwork and particular digital technologies for specific learning objectives (e.g., microcontrollers for experimental skills) as useful for reaching their learning objectives. Our survey contributes to the reflection of what impact the emergence of digital technologies in our society and the COVID-19 pandemic had on physics lab courses and reveals first indications for the future transformation of hands-on university physics education. [This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Instructional labs: Improving traditions and new directions.] |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1409592 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Physics lab courses permanently undergo transformations, in recent times especially to adapt to the emergence of new digital technologies and the COVID-19 pandemic in which digital technologies facilitated distance learning. Since these transformations often occur within individual institutions, it is useful to get an overview of these developments by capturing the status quo of digital technologies and the related acquisition of digital competencies in physics lab courses. Thus, we conducted a survey among physics lab instructors (N=79) at German, Finnish, and Croatian universities. The findings reveal that lab instructors already use a variety of digital technologies and that the pandemic particularly boosted the use of smartphones and tablets, simulations, and digital tools for communication, collaboration, and organization. The participants generally showed a positive attitude toward using digital technologies in physics lab courses, especially due to their potential for experiments and students' competence acquisition, motivational effects, and contemporaneity. Acquiring digital competencies is rated as less important than established learning objectives, however, collecting and processing data with digital tools was rated as an important competency that students should acquire. The instructors perceived open forms of labwork and particular digital technologies for specific learning objectives (e.g., microcontrollers for experimental skills) as useful for reaching their learning objectives. Our survey contributes to the reflection of what impact the emergence of digital technologies in our society and the COVID-19 pandemic had on physics lab courses and reveals first indications for the future transformation of hands-on university physics education. [This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Instructional labs: Improving traditions and new directions.] |
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| ISSN: | 2469-9896 |
| DOI: | 10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.19.020159 |
