Abstract
It is not uncommon for Science students to completely focus on acquiring knowledge in their own fields. That means sometimes students would be underdeveloped in the interpersonal skills, the ability to apply their professional knowledge in educational and industrial settings, and the flexibility of breaking down complicated concepts for non-experts. The lopsided development could hurt the students when they pursuit their careers in academia or other fields.
We therefore propose to develop a new elective course to incorporate the experiential components through service learning. In a nutshell, it is like a guided educational project or an internship during the term time. The students will focus on one of the following three areas, while also spend some time to learn about the other two areas:
- Curriculum of high-school Physics or General Science
- STEM activities for high-school or primary-school students
- Science education for general public
We will organize talks by educators in the three areas. Students are required to attend the talks in all areas. Students have to choose an area to (1) develop materials / demos / activities, or (2) teach / run activities. The goal is to serve the needs of schools or other organizations (e.g. HK Science Museum, HK Space Museum, HK Academy for Gifted Education, HK Astronomical Society). By doing so, students can get feedback and learn to identify and help fulfill the real needs of the schools and the organizations.
Brief write-up
Project objectives
The project aims to develop a new Physics service-learning course in which students can serve the needs of schools for students to learn Science within and outside of the standard curriculum, and the needs of schools and organizations to promote Science. Partners from schools and organizations are expected to play an active role in supervising the students.
Activities, process and outcomes
7 university students took totally 9 courses in two semesters, and worked on projects, under the co-supervision of outside Science educator (from high school, the Hong Kong Space Museum, etc.) and staff in the university. The projects include the design and creation of teaching materials, the organization of public event about Science, and also other topics.
Deliverables and evaluation
The participating university student produced 50 short videos, several sets of materials and plans for activities, numerous lecture notes, tests, and teaching materials. The students did presentation and wrote reports about the experience.
The co-supervisors reported satisfaction of the students’ performance. The students’ responses to the program were generally positive.
Dissemination, diffusion, impact and sharing of good practices
Some talks and workshop were planned in the semester, but they were postponed with the new wave of pandemic. We are considering to share our experience at the Teaching and Learning Innovation Expo of CUHK.
Impact on teaching and learning
The test run was deemed successful, at least on the current small scale. By re-running the model in the future, possibly with slowly increasing number of students, we are positive that the format can result in a new way of learning for Physics students.
