Interactive digital video provides students with control of computer visualization techniques and allows them to collect, analyze, and model two-dimensional motion data. Activities that use these techniques were developed for students to investigate the concept of frames of reference in various real-life situations. This investigation examines the effect on student learning and attitudes of using these materials in an introductory college physics course. The study measured students' computer attitudes and found improvement in students' feelings of comfort in using computers after completion of the activities. We found students' prior computer experience did not influence their perceptions of the activities. The majority of participants perceived discussion and the computer visualization techniques as being very effective in helping them learn. Students' understanding of the physics concepts were assessed and the participants' scores were compared with nonparticipants' scores. Although analysis of variance statistical procedures revealed no significant differences between the two groups, the results of this study indicate that sophisticated instructional video software can be perceived as easy to use and effective by students who are novices and experts in using computers. Thus, interactive digital video tools and activities have the potential to provide physics teachers with the latest technology to bring the active process of learning physics to their classroom.
We developed activity-based instructional units to introduce basic quantum principles to students with limited physics and mathematics backgrounds. To emphasize the practical applications of contemporary physics, we introduced concepts using the contexts of light-emitting devices such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), fluorescent lamps, and glow-in-the-dark toys. As our standard of living becomes more dependent on the latest developments in science and technology, our students' literacy must be at a level that enables them to make educated decisions on science- and technology-related issues and their everyday applications. Students need to have at least a basic understanding of 20th-century physics and its applications in order to make informed decisions about them. Unfortunately, many physics teachers either exclude or spend very little time on modern topics such as quantum mechanics in high school physics courses.1,2 The high degree of mathematical formalism and abstract nature of quantum mechanics is frequently given as a reason for not introducing quantum physics in high school physics courses.3,4
We present here a computer program-the Semiconductor Device Simulator-which simulates the working of three p-n junction devices: the light-emitting diode, the solar cell, and the tunnel diode. This program enables students to create the device starting with two pieces of intrinsic semiconductor material, and doping them appropriately to create a p-n junction device of their choice. While creating the device, students can observe the changes in the energy bands and Fermi level as a response to doping. The device, once created, can then be incorporated into a circuit where the students can observe the energy bands, the I-V graph, as well as the intensity spectrum of the device in response to the changes in applied voltage and/or incident light. No prior knowledge of higher level mathematics is required to use the program. The program is available for Windows™ and Macintosh™ platforms. The flexibility of the program allows it to be used by students over a range of academic levels. We have field tested the program along with associated materials in both high school and university environments. The current version of the program contains modifications based on these field tests.
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