New Directions in the Teaching of Physical Sciences  

Roger Gladwin

The first issue of New Directions was issued in May 2003 and comprised 17 articles.In this this issue we present a series of 'reviews' of topics in physical sciences education and educational research written by 'expert' practitioners. The publication als... see more

Simon P Bates,Karen Howie,Alexander St J Murphy

We describe pedagogical, technical and operational issues associated with the introduction of an electronic voting system into large first-year undergraduate lectures. The rationale for doing so is to transform the lecture experience from a one-way transm... see more

Steve Walker

The dictionary definition refers to surpassing, outwitting or the act of ‘reaching out’. The Funding Councils see it as “widening access and improving participation in higher education…… to equip people to operate productively within the global knowledge ... see more

Paul Chin

E-learning as a term and its application in the support of learning has evolved considerably over the last ten or more years. This evolution comes from a noticeably different approach to learning by early adopters, as dictated by the technology of the tim... see more

Stephen J Swithenby

Inexorably and across several fronts, screen-based assessment is becoming a major part of the experience of university students, particularly but not exclusively in the sciences. This movement reflects the emphasis the Qualifications and Curriculum Author... see more

Gareth J Price

This project, funded by LTSN Physical Sciences (Learning and Teaching Support Network - now superseded by the Higher Education Academy Physical Sciences Centre) and FAST (Formative Assessment in Science Teaching) was primarily concerned with the productio... see more

Gareth J Price,June Chalmers,Clare Goodfellow

For the past few years, we have been experimenting with an e-learning approach to our introductory laboratory classes for first year students. Our overall objective was to maximise students’ useful time in the laboratory. We considered that time spent wit... see more

Richard A Henderson,Robert Groves,Sundus Henderson

Science and technology are now part of our everyday lives, and their impact will undoubtedly continue to grow in ever more sophisticated and subtle ways. Inevitably, this will lead to debates and controversy about the ethics and risks that science brings ... see more

Patrick J O’Malley

Computational methods including molecular modelling are becoming an essential aspect of chemistry. As such there is a pressing need to introduce this methodology at the undergraduate level. In this communication we give our experience of developing an app... see more

Christina Mainka

The asynchronous computer conference still finds itself largely ignored as an effective vehicle for supporting student-centered, collaborative learning experiences. When it is employed the quality of the learning experience varies widely. The literature r... see more

Tina Overton,Nicholas Potter

A learning resource for part-time 1st year foundation degree students was designed to be completed entirely by independent study. The course presented chemistry in the context of sport and investigated the use of a number of alternative methods of teachin... see more

Tina Overton,Nicholas Potter

A learning resource for part-time 1st year foundation degree students was designed to be completed entirely by independent study. The course presented chemistry in the context of sport and investigated the use of a number of alternative methods of teachin... see more

David J McGarvey

There is considerable evidence that the use of tangible contexts enriches the learning experience for students. In view of this, the author has developed two ‘industry-linked context-based chemistry practicals’ that illustrate the importance of core chemi... see more

Douglas Halliday

With the support provided by a Physical Sciences Centre Development Project we have developed a self-contained 3-hour seminar activity that explores entrepreneurship and creativity. The seminar is aimed at first year undergraduate physicists. The seminar ... see more

Tina Overton,Simon Hodgson,Alan Heaton,Richard Powell

Chlorofluorocarbons, CFCs, were developed in the late 1920s for use as safe refrigerant alternatives to sulphur dioxide and ammonia. They were welcomed by industry because of their low toxicity, chemical stability, low flammability, low cost and ease of s... see more

Stephen J Swithenby

The Formative Assessment in Science project was funded by HEFCE as part of the Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning Programme. Its work was completed in March 2006. The project was centred on a strong collaboration between the Open University... see more

Stephen P Stanforth

This article describes the author’s personal perspective on the design, production and delivery of an open-learning module in natural product chemistry. This 10 credit, level 6 module is delivered using three tutorial sessions and is assessed by three ope... see more

Derek Raine

The aim of the project was to raise awareness of problem-based learning (PBL) in physics through the development of exemplars relevant to the HE context in the UK, and through road shows and seminars on the background to PBL. There is also a LeAP web site... see more

Derek Raine

Projects are a familiar feature of physics curricula and many courses include one or more group projects as a way of developing group work skills, if not for teaching physics. Problem-based learning on the other hand, which is designed primarily to teach ... see more