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Frequently Asked Questions
prepared by Selman Hershfield
  1. Why are we doing this?
  2. What exactly are we doing?
  3. Why use the Web?
  4. Are there any disadvantages to using the Web?
  5. Will this replace teachers?
  6. Will this replace textbooks?
  7. What about distance education?
  8. Why isn't there more text with the pictures?
  9. When will this be finished?
  10. Who is paying for this?
  11. Who is doing the work?
  12. How much does it cost to use this material?
  13. What will the future of Physics education be like?
  14. Are we discriminating against those students without computer access?
  15. Will Physics be made trivial?

1. Why are we doing this?

To improve teaching in our introductory Physics course without calculus. Multimedia material like this can aid in teaching by providing quality graphics to visualize Physics concepts and experiments, by providing a record of what was covered in class, and most importantly by allowing students to use the computer as a tutor to aid in learning laws, concepts, and problem solving.

2. What exactly are we doing?

Our precise goals will change as a function of time as we learn about using this technology and as new technologies become available. For the 1995-96 school year our goal is to create a graphics image library and put these images into lectures. In the Fall of 1996 this material will be used in a multimedia classroom for a substantial fraction of the lecture material.

It is important to note that we are not getting rid of blackboards completely nor are we getting rid of actual experiments done in class. Blackboards or similar writing media are unsurpassed in their flexibility in answering questions in class. Nothing can be as real as an actual experiment.

This multimedia material should be regarded as another source of information, just as textbooks act as a supplement to lectures and discussion sections.

3. Why use the Web?

Everything we are doing here can be done with other technologies, e.g., CD-ROMS, film clips, educational software on disks, class notes, etc. Where the Web wins hands down is in terms of distribution. I or anyone else in the world can put something on the Web and have it be visible to everyone - not just my home institution. To do this by any other method would require a large bureaucracy to produce the material and then distribute it.

Not only can the material be accessed at any place, but it can also be accessed at any time. Thus, if some students are studying at 10PM at night and having a discussion about a particular demonstration in class from a week ago, they can just dial in and review the experiment. Suppose a student has done all of a particular type of problem in the textbook and wants another problem to practice. With interactive problems there are not just one or two questions of a particular type, but literally hundreds or thousands of them.

4. Are there any disadvantages to using the Web?

The biggest disadvantage at this point is that the standards and software are still evolving. Thus, one may have to write some of one's own software, as we have done, or one may use one technology, only to have it soon become out of date. With all these changes, one may ask if one should wait until everything is fully developed. I am not sure if things will ever be completely developed. There will always be changes; however, some standards are established and will likely be here for many years to come. For example, HTML for text, gifs and jpegs for graphics, are safe for development.

5. Will this replace teachers?

No. This material should be regarded as tools for teaching. Some of the things which teachers now do will be replaced by the computer; however, I see this as a benefit to both the teacher and the students. For example, we now have an interactive example which teaches one of the right hand rules in magnetism. This problem generates about 350 different configurations of magnetic field, electrical current, and force. Although I will explain the rule in class, I now only have to go through a few examples. Students who want more examples can use the computer. They can do all 300 or so examples 10 times if they want. As teacher, I am now freed to discuss more advanced topics.

6. Will this replace textbooks?

One of the things which I am definitely not trying to do is to put a textbook on the Web. This material should be different from a textbook or even a textbook on a CD-ROM. There are many textbooks covering introductory Physics at this level, and I see no reason to introduce yet another one. On the other hand, the material here is an alternative source of information to a textbook. For the next few years at least, students at UF will be buying a textbook. As more information comes on line, however, the textbook may not be required, but rather be optional.

7. What about distance education?

Eventually I would like to offer this course at a distance, meaning that the students are not physically at the University of Florida or at least do not come to lecture. (Some students are experimenting with this already.) I see this as happening naturally as more material is put on the Web and as the technology advances. It is just a matter of time. There are some Universities such as Stanford that have been teaching computer based science courses to high school students for years.

8. Why isn't there more text with the pictures?

Originally, when I started putting material on the Web, I used much more text. I was thinking that the Web material would be like an informal textbook tutorial. However, for multimedia lectures you do not want your view screens to be covered with text. At some point in the next year or two we will add either audio clips or text using frames.

9. When will this be finished?

Some elements of this project such as the creation of the image library will be finished by the end of the Spring 1996 semester. Other elements, such as the creation of a large set of interactive problems will take longer. I have no estimate at present of when audio and video will be added to this material. This project is under no specific time deadlines other than the first version of the multimedia lectures be finished for the Fall 1996 semester.

Over the next few years there will be many projects like this throughout the United States and the world. Our aim is to do a good job, not necessarily to be the first. To do a good job, the project must evolve over a long period of time (years) as our experience grows and as the technology matures.

10. Who is paying for this?

The money for this project comes from a number of different sources. Obviously, the University of Florida is paying my salary. The UF multimedia program has also paid for a graduate student to help develop the initial Web pages. The Research Corporation through a Cottrell Scholars Award is supplying some computer equipment and paying two undergraduates to help draw the pictures. Some of the equipment originally purchased for research as part of my National Science Foundation grant is serving double duty in this educational project. A local company, InterSoft Solutions has given us a grant to use their extensive C++ class library for doing CGI scripts. Finally, we are thankful that Netscape Communications Corp. has made their viewer and Web servers available free to educational institutions.

11. Who is doing the work?

Besided myself, there are several students who have worked on the project. This includes a graduate student for some of the more advanced topics, as well as several undergraduates for graphics and for programming in JavaScript. Using undergraduates is an ideal way to develop material like this. Often undergraduates know more about recent developments on the Web than any professor. Because of the valuable job experience, they are happy to work on Web projects. Thus, using students both allows the students to learn new skills and at the same time allows the professor to develop new teaching material. I am surprised that students are not employed more in this context.

12. How much does it cost to use this material?

Nothing. Anyone can use this material on the internet. However, just because it is openly available on the internet does not mean that it is not copyrighted. All the material here is copyrighted by the University of Florida, and hence all the standard copyright law apply. Eventually, I hope to have provisions for downloading the entire site for use at educational institutions.

13. What will the future of Physics education be like?

I wish I knew! There are some things which I think we can be fairly certain about. There is going to be lots of educational material on the Web -- there already is. There is not going to be one best way to teach Physics or even a best Web site. Rather, there will be many different approaches, and people - both teachers and students - can choose what they like best. Finally, by the turn of the century, if not sooner, almost all incoming students at UF will own personal computers and using this kind of material will be the norm rather than the exception.

14. Are we discriminating against those students without computer access?

Yes. Although all the material on the Web is available by other means, such as lectures and the textbook, students with computer access will have some advantage in learning. Our job at the University is to try to minimize this difference. Next year as part of this course we will give a hands-on introduction to the internet, the World Wide Web, and this course material. This should help those students who are not familiar with the Web. The University has some public access computer labs for those without computers at home; however, in 1997 or 1998 when the new Physics building is complete, we will have at least one room devoted to using computer based learning tools.

15. Will Physics be made trivial?

Absolutely not. Any educational material, whether it be on the Web, in a book, on TV, or on a CD-ROM is just a tool for learning. The learning is something that the individual students do themselves by thinking, by doing problems, and by asking questions. The computer does not offer a shortcut for this.