Physics is viewed by many students, both young people and adults, as a subject that is dull and difficult. It would not have to be so if the actual learning process was more interesting. This is not to say that many physics' lessons are boring. What we mean is that many who study, or try to study, physics do not see the link between theory and practice.
Not recognising the connection between theory and the real world is not something unique for physics but it is regarded as the most difficult among those who have come into contact with the subject.
One means to make physics lessons more accessible and, at the same time, make an effort to dispel the impression that it is both boring and difficult is perhaps to use the laboratory boxes developed by CFL. This means that teaching is done in theory and practise simultaneously - at home!
If the course participant cannot travel to the lab then the lab has to move to the participant!
This is the fundamental principle behind lab exercises in distance learning.
One of the tasks entrusted to the Swedish Agency for Flexible Learning is the development of new methods for distance teaching of adults at the secondary school level. One of the solutions is the use of laboratory boxes that are sent to the student's home.
The idea of producing laboratory boxes stems from the fact that many physics students, and potential students, were unable to visit laboratories located on school premises. These people were previously excluded from this aspect of scientific courses. This is unacceptable in Sweden (or any other country) since there is currently a shortage of students studying the natural sciences.
We have developed the laboratory box for a Physics A course, worth 100 secondary school credits. It is a large course with many different segments.
The process began from scratch since no material available. We started by conducting a great number of experiments using different materials in order to identify what a course participant could do at home with a minimal amount of equipment.
We concluded that a quantity of specific materials would nonetheless be necessary. At the same time as we experimented we developed, theoretically, experiments that we could conduct with the available lab equipment.
This work resulted in a laboratory box for the Physics A course at the secondary school level. In our view, this laboratory box together, with the lab instructions, can replace the experiments in the course that are traditionally conducted in a normal school laboratory.
However, this is not to suggest that it is better to conduct the experiments away from a laboratory. What we maintain is that we can provide everyone who cannot visit a laboratory with the opportunity to satisfactorily complete the course.
On the purely practical level those who cannot, or will not, visit a laboratory can order a “box” from CFL and it is delivered to the course participant's home.
The student then conducts the experiments described in the enclosed guide.
Contact is maintained with a distance physics teacher at CFL. This contact can be handled via letters, e-mail and the telephone.
A number of larger reports on the experiments are to be written and sent to the distance teacher for evaluation. This is to allow the distance teacher to determine whether the course participant has correctly understood. In other words, it is not a matter of self-instruction but rather pure distance education.
At CFL the results obtained using these laboratory boxes are very good. The laboratory boxes were ready for use during the summer of 2002 and currently there is a queue to borrow boxes. The course participants also seem to be satisfied since many positive remarks have been made.
So, one could summarise this development work as building on the premise that:
If the course participant cannot go to the lab, then the lab goes to the participant.

e-Experiments - the tool for knowledge?

There are five partners engaged in this collaborative EU project. They are:

• Swedish Centre for Flexible Learning
• Spanish Confederation of Educational Centres Mulhacen School
• Linköping University Department of Communication Studies
• Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Co. Ltd. Information and Learning Cantemir National College
• “Politehnica” University of Bucharest Department of Electrical Engineering

The partners both perform and evaluate these e-experiments.

In the mentioned learning environments, collaborative learning as well as various degrees and methods of tutoring related to experimental learning environments, will be central. Are there differences due to the various educational systems in Europe and, if so, how can we co-operate in producing high quality Internet-based material for flexible learning?
The outcome of this project will be of use to researchers, school administrators, teachers and course producers.
In each participating country groups of students using interactive multimedia modules will be compared with students using pre-recorded or animated multimedia productions. Learning results will be measured using standardised pre-tests and post-tests.
Parallel to this, using a qualitative approach, we will study differences in interaction between the groups by monitoring discussions in the conference system.
Three categories of results are envisaged : the development of a curriculum, a platform and e-Experiments; an evaluation of learning in the groups; and a handbook combining the results and experiences from research and development.
During the past decade, the infrastructural development of ICT has radically altered the circumstances for education. The Internet, combined with widespread access to personal computers with multimedia capabilities, offers a whole range of new options for educators, curriculum developers and school managers. This opens for new solutions in fields like flexible learning, distance education, adult education and lifelong learning. However, the cost of developing highly interactive multimedia is very high. Moreover, research and practical experience concerning the potential of these new media to support learning is very sparse.
The situation calls for research and development dedicated to evaluating and assessing the quality and efficiency of new learning environments. Thus, there is a need for general research concerning the conditions for learning with ICT, but also more specific innovations and evaluations related to each specific subject.
One of the central subjects to investigate is science. An important aspect of learning science in the traditional classroom, which is highlighted in many theories and empirical studies of learning, is hands-on experience with laboratory equipment. In the distance learning situation, the possibilities for hands-on experience of standard laboratory equipment are, for practical reasons, limited. This is one of the major differences in conditions for distance education in relation to classroom-based science education. Hence, to develop courses for the distance learning situation, while keeping the possibilities for learning intact, there is a need to replace and complement hands-on experience with similar Internet-based experiences.
There is other work being conducted in this area, but not with respect to the question addressed by this project. For example, “PEARL”, Practical Experimentation by Accessible Remote Learning, has developed and performed research on a system which enables students to conduct real-world experiments as an extension of computer-based learning (CBL) and ODL (IST- 1999.12550). In this project, suitable real-world experiments at the university level are run via a computer connection from somewhere off-campus. They are not looking at the didactical problems when using Web-based virtual experiments at a secondary educational level where the students normally needs more tutoring support.
Considerable educational research has shown that an important part of the practical work, experiments, is normally undertaken in pairs or groups of students.

This project will be a pilot study, examining the learning and teaching of physics. The project will create an Internet site for physics education at the secondary level composed predominantly of existing experimental modules. In addition, a conference system will be provided, where students can interact with their tutors as well as each other. Experiments will be produced within the project based on the secondary level curriculum. The results and methods will have an impact not only on physics education, but on other subjects as well.
Two themes will be more thoroughly explored, evaluated and examined within the scope of the project. Firstly, we are interested in whether there is a difference in learning if the students are using interactive Internet-based experiments (for example Java-based) compared to passive observation of Internet-based experiments (videos or animations). Or, in other words, can one find differences in learning due to a passive or active Internet-based learning environment, and if so, how are these differences related to cost and organisational factors?
Secondly, we are interested in how different cultural backgrounds affect learning and interaction. In the mentioned learning environments, collaborative learning as well as various degrees and methods of tutoring connected to these experimental learning environments, will be central. Moreover, the interaction between tutors and students as well as the interaction among peers will be scrutinised. Are there differences due to the various educational systems in Europe and, if so, how can we co-operate in producing high quality Internet-based material for flexible learning?

The point of departure for this project is the creation of a database, in each participating country's language and in English, consisting of various e-Experiments. These could be called e-Experiment modules, where each module will consist of the actual learning environment as well as alternative ways of presenting/performing the experiment. There will be enough e-Experiment modules to give part of a basic course in Physics. There is already a great deal of Internet-based material available and each module will be evaluated to find out if it is appropriate for project. We will reach agreements with various authors in order to modify existing material and we will have to produce some parts of the experimental set ourselves.
Secondly, the results of the evaluation and investigation concerning differences in learning between groups working with different modules and in different countries will be published in relevant research contexts. These results will be of interest to a broad range of researchers concerned with ICT and learning.
Third, from the evaluation and the methods used in performing the e-Experiments, we will produce a handbook covering the production of e-Experiments. The outcome will be of interest for many educators, especially at secondary level, since the use of e-Learning is rapidly growing not only in distance education. Questions concerning the learning quality related to the methods used are the basis for all education.
From the European perspective it will be interesting to see if cultural variations affect the ways students study and, if so, how to relate course production to reach common goals.

A central concern is finding the degree of interactivity that is required of computer-based experiences if the goal is to substitute and complement traditional laboratory equipment. As mentioned above, the cost of developing full-scale, interactive simulations covering all domains of science would be very high. However, it is important to know if there are domains where interactivity is of central importance.
Since the main outcome of the project will be a handbook for educators, the main target group will be teachers in the process of producing Internet-based course material. The material produced within the project will also be of use in research connected to didactical and cross-cultural aspects of using the Internet.
Primarily, as mentioned above, all science-teachers at the secondary level will benefit from the examples and evaluations in the database and the content of the handbook., This group must amount to tens of thousands in Europe alone. Secondarily, the outcome will enhance the quality of Internet-based science courses, which will enhance individual learning by achieving a learning environment that better uses the technical possibilities. Since experiments are an important and necessary part of science, this project will facilitate use of ODL in science. This means ODL will be more attractive as an alternative or complement to ordinary classroom-based education, which increases the possibilities for people not normally favoured by the educational system.

The initial report from this EU project is scheduled for publication in June. The handbook is scheduled for completion at the end of September. There will also be virtual workshops held in December 2003.

We hope to be able to present a first draft of handbook to be produced by this EU project at the GIREP meeting in Udine.

Validation

A project jointly conducted by Gotland Adult Education and CFL is in the process of developing a validation tool for the lower upper secondary course in physics.
The approach is that the person seeking validation will take a test on the Internet covering four segments; optics, mechanics, electricity and energy. The test level will be the lowest basic knowledge in order to provide the person seeking validation to obtain an idea of their basic knowledge in the four segments. We call this self-estimation.
After the test the intention is that the person seeking validation is to meet with a physics teacher to discuss the results of the self-test. On this occasion the physics teacher can also show short films depicting real events from working life or leisure activities. This will make it possible to discuss physics in these contexts and determine the knowledge of physics possessed by the person seeking validation.
These short films of real events in working life will also be accessible to all via the Internet. There will be no need for passwords or other authorisation so that anyone who wishes may view the films.
The aim of validation is to test the knowledge of a person to determine whether they have completed the course or already possess sufficient understanding to be able to regard a specific segment as completed. This would make it possible for the person seeking validation to only study an abbreviated version of the course and thereby save both time and money. This process will also lead to savings for the course provider since fewer resources must be dedicated to that person.
It can also be the case that the person being validated may not require a grade for a given upper secondary level course but need documentation of their actual knowledge. It is to be possible to provide such documentation.
A practical example of this involves immigrants from countries where strife has made it impossible to gain access to documentation.

Validate more for the sake of the individual and society. It's a good deal for everyone!