Notes

Outline

Curricula Structure  WG 2              and Development John Dore, Jean Claude Rivoal Bodo Hamprecht, Heimo Latal Vladimir Roubik

Is There a Common Approach to Physics Studies in Various Countries Across Europe ? Structure of physics degree courses New types of teaching in the development of the courses The use of information and communication technology « Skills » training

First Questionnaire : Common to WG 1, 2 and 3 125 returns, 117 analysed by our WG. From 75 universities, 21 countries represented.  Image of the curricula structure Reflect of the aims and teaching strategies

Sorbonne and Bologna Declarations May ‘98 June ‘99 Ultimate goal: gradual setting up of a European space for higher education. Based on a joint effort between ministers and higher education representatives. Focus on structure rather than on content, deal with “qualifications” rather than with academic degrees. Pay attention to the international competitiveness of European higher education. Guy haug, 11th EAIE conf., Maastricht, 02/12/1999

Agreement With the Sorbonne and Bologna Declarations ? Preliminary analysis (brugge EGF ‘97) gave a clear indication that the teaching of physics at universities over the first three years follows a very similar pattern in most European countries. In more detailed analysis we try to investigate whether the system in which two main cycles, undergraduate and graduate, is pertinent or not for higher education in physics?

Structure of Physics Degree Courses Illustration (Spain) Categories Four years Evolution of content within the years (Dublin EGF ‘98)

Course Structure Fourth year : mean values over 21 countries teaching time for each category

Course Structure Third year :  nb of univ. / teaching time  mean values over 21 countries

Course Structure Fourth year :  individual characteristics across different countries  example Romania

Course Structure Lab work :  gradual increase from the first to the fourth year Year of study Physics / total teaching time     Laboratory work First Year 48 % 16 % Second Year 66 % 18,5 % Third Year 87 % 21 % Fourth Year 97 % 32 %

Course Structure     Conclusions :  The physics studies in 21 European countries show a great diversity.  Fundamental physics studies are dominant in the curricula.  Laboratory teaching hours increase from the 1st to the 4th year. The end of the third year is not an appropriate level to end physics studies although in the UK and Ireland this can happen.

Second questionnaire : I. C. T. Use of Information and Communication Technology Computers in physics courses Information retrieval Communication skills Student responsibility for course choices Participation in Departmental Organisation

Curriculum development 90 responding Universities : Larger variations than in the earlier questionnaire on course structure. Considerable variation in the answers received from one country. “skills” development in different institutions is probably the result of individual initiatives.

Curriculum development Student access to university IT facilities : Ratio of the number of consoles over the number of students using them.

Curriculum development Student responsibility for course choices : “Type-A” department with strong intention to rule undergraduates. “Type-B” department with more advisory character Data indicate, that these tendencies cannot be ascribed to groups of countries nor to individual countries, not even to universities or physics departments. They seem to intermingle in an individual way within each department itself.

Curriculum development When do students start to use I. T. ? 16 universities, with no formal instruction of IT claimed,                          but with ample booking of consoles for this purpose! 16 universities are offering formal IT instruction,                          but they book no consoles at all for this purpose! Quite within a reasonable range are the universities with an overbooking factor between 0.5 and 2. A factor of 0.5 means, that each student can do console work during the workshop or lecture as long, as two students share in one console. The 90 universities who have answered the questionnaire were put in 7 groups according these values.

Curriculum development When do students start to use I. T. ? Evaluation in a kind of cumulative manner : “Type-A” low first-year slope or shallow slope. “Type-B” high first-year value

Curriculum development Communication “skills”: Students are required to write reports as computer documents give an oral presentation of their practical work give an oral presentation of a piece of scientific literature prepare a poster of work that they have done participate in seminar discussions on prepared topics participate in group projects involving four or more students Respondents were are asked to use letter codes

Curriculum development Communication “skills”: The sample : 87 useful responses 46 institutions indicated a 5-year course 40 institutions indicated a 4-year course (BE, GB, IT) 1 replied only for years 4 and 5 (Dubna) The replies given needed quite a bit of interpretation The interpretation giving rise to the data in this report may be considered rather subjective

Curriculum development Communication “skills”: Reports of laboratory/project work (percentages) 85 institutions Yes: Obligatory or Normal Opt: Recommended or Optional No : Not expected or not available

Curriculum development Communication “skills”: Oral presentation of practical work (percentages) 80 institutions Yes: Obligatory or Normal Opt: Recommended or Optional No : Not expected or not available

Curriculum development Communication “skills”: Oral presentation of scientific literature (percentages) 78 institutions Yes: Obligatory or Normal Opt: Recommended or Optional No : Not expected or not available

Curriculum development Communication “skills”: Poster presentation of the work done (percentages) 63 institutions Yes: Obligatory or Normal Opt: Recommended or Optional No : Not expected or not available

Curriculum development Communication “skills”: Seminar discussions (percentages) 72 institutions Yes: Obligatory or Normal Opt: Recommended or Optional No : Not expected or not available

Curriculum development Communication “skills”: Group project with more than four students 23 institutions Group structure / report         Group assessment

Curriculum development Communication “skills”: offered at the institutions (at least one positive entry (A/B/C) in any of the years) written report of laboratory/practical work 97% oral presentation of practical work 84% oral presentation of literature 71% seminar discussions 62% poster presentation 36% participate in group projects 26%

Conclusion     Curriculum development Communication “skills”: Whenever a significant number of returns from institutions of the same country was received, even there a considerable variation in the answers is recognisable. Thus, the 'skills' development in the various institutions seems to be mainly the result of individual initiatives, not much influenced by national trends. this observation was made in the Report of Working Group 2 (London EGF ‘99 [1]) and is also valid for this part of the questionnaire. [1] J. Dore et al. in Inquiries into European Higher Education in Physics, European Physics Education Network Series, vol. 3, p. 47/71 (1999) edited by H. Ferdinande

“e-education”   I. C. T. In the Programme of the French Presidency of the European Union       « Broadening the European dimension of Education » Jack Lang and Jean Luc Melenchon, French ministers, wrote: Community programmes, under the aegis of Socrates and Leonardo, have shown the way forward. For this reason the Education Trade Fair in Paris, ... will be entirely devoted to European questions and ambitions, will open on November 22 nd with a seminar on the benefits to be derived from « e-education »  in order to define the new learning conditions imposed by the advent of ICT:  what changes will come about in the classroom environment, in timetables, in boundaries between subjects, in the role of teachers and text books, in lifelong training...? http://www.education.gouv.fr/pfue/progr_uk.html

Curricula structure     actions               and development Programme of the French Presidency of the European Union activities concerning education A priority : the mobility For a European "desire to live together"  " activities announced by the Ministry of the Foreign Affair we will seek to make the plan for a European zone for education and knowledge a reality, based in particular on the removal of obstacles to the free movement of students, teachers and researchers in Europe.(Hubert Védrine, Pierre Moscovici)

Curricula structure  conclusions           and development The questionnaire returns have revealed a significant variation in Europe, in first-degree Physics courses, at once in the content of unit courses in the incorporation of ICT in the skills elements Our findings bear significant data which can be useful to reach some of the objectives relevant to promote an European higher education system Adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees Adoption of a system essentially based on two main cycles Establishment of a system of credits to promote student mobility