Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree with Physics as the main field of study.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• explain and discuss different approaches and theoretical perspectives in physics education
• design, implement, evaluate teaching and further develop materials informed by physics education research
• plan and perform an empirical research study on physics teaching and learning
• explain, discuss and relate to, in oral and written form, the role of physics education research in informing the teaching and learning of physics.
• look for, present, and critically discuss subject-based education literature in physics.

Content

The course will provide broad overviews of :

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Physics teaching and learning, based on the findings of physics education research.

Historical development of physics ideas that carry special significance for physics teaching and learning.

Student-centered approaches to physics teaching and learning.

Different theoretical approaches to students' understanding of physics content and student difficulties, and their application in physics teaching.

The role and importance of student interest, motivation and metacognition in learning physics.

An epistemological perspective on learning in relation to scientific practices and ways of thinking.

Physics education research in different areas of physics, for example: mechanics, thermodynamics, waves, optics, electromagnetism, astronomy and/or quantum mechanics.

Instruction

The course will be given as an interactive seminar based on the distributed reading materials.

Assessment

Written assignments during the course (5 hp), a written research plan for an empirical study and a written report on the implementation and findings of the study (5 hp) and the development and implementation of a written lesson plan on a selected topic in physics (5 hp).

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.