The Physical World: Multimedia physics at a distance

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The Physical World Multimedia physics at a
distance

• Jon Rosewell, Fiona Thomson - CES
• Canan Tosunoglu Blake - IET
• The Open University

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A mixed media course

• Books
• Video
• Computing
• Tutorials
• Residential school
• Assignments, exam

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Software components

• Multimedia packages
• Interactive questions packages
• Physica
• Guide, glossary, extras, ...
• FirstClass conferences

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Demo

• Waves

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Evaluation Study

• Developmental testing
• observations
• mini questionnaires and informal interviews
• Summative evaluation
• questionnaires
• residential school interviews
• end of year survey

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Developmental testing

• at the residential school of a Physics course
• covered eight multimedia packages
• observation
• mini questionnaire
• informal interviews afterwards

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Observations

• 17 hours in total
• recorded students input to the computer,
  calculations and notes, verbatim comments
• mainly individual use
• video recording of a few sessions

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Findings - Use of audio

• many comments about audio/text
• hard to listen and read at same time
• need ability to pause, repeat and switch off
• where should attention be focused - simulation or
  text?
• bullet points synchronized with audio worked best

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More Findings...

• buttons and controls must be clear
• progress report where am I?
• typing in answers in what form?
• comments and suggestions were used to improve the
  programs

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Findings from the questionnaire

• What did you learn from the program?
• What an electron scatter image actually looks
  like. Reinforced
• reason why photons (light) is not used to detect
  electrons
• Best thing about the program as a learning tool
• The freedom of selection of the changing
  parameters of the
• diffraction and the display of the effects of
  these changes
• Least helpful aspect of the program
• Layout of formulae on screen line after line and
  narrative talks
• about one that isnt clearly obvious.

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Open ended comment

• the program was very clear, and explained
  what the experiments were attempting to clarify.
  There is no other way that I could have seen an
  interference pattern building up and have the
  chance to examine how altering variables will
  affect the outcome Thanks very much. An almost
  reformed computer-phobe.

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Summative Evaluation

• 2 questionnaires sent to 2 different groups of
  100 students
• general questions and program specific questions
  about 6 of the packages
• interviews in the courses residential school
• end of year survey

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Selected Findings - Summative

• 71 percent had previous experience of CAL and/or
  CD-ROMs (mostly in other OU courses)
• navigation found easy by 92 percent of students
• audio in the programs was found to be OK by
  almost 100 percent and controlling audio was
  found easy by 92 percent of students

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Was time doing the package well spent?
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Feedback useful?
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Effective to learn?
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Helped understanding?
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Clear what to do?
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Percentage of students carrying out their own
investigations N62
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Open ended comments

• 38 students made general comments
• 17 positive comments, 8 negative comments about
  CD-ROMs, and lots of comments on other components
• negative comments mostly time related,
  significant figures, too much computing, wants
  different style of CD-ROMs, could not find some
  extra programs

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Open ended comments

• I have really enjoyed the CD ROMs as a way to
  consolidate what I have learned from the text and
  to iron out any problems of grasping the concepts
  of the material. They will be enjoyable and
  essential when revision time arrives.
• It has been very useful to visualise scientific
  phenomenon such as waves, fields, forces etc.
  which one obviously cannot see in real life.

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Conclusions

• programs were well used and perceived as helpful
  learning tools
• visual aspects and experiment/simulation
  facilities valuable
• the programs provide experiences that could not
  be achieved through other medium
• students think the time is well spent
• style of audio seemed to work well
• well integrated with the course