John Filaseta, Associate Professor of Physics, NKU
Interactive Engagement Teaching Methods:
Research suggests that students in physics courses that make use of interactive-engagement
(or "active learning") methods retain knowledge of physics concepts and
physics problem solving better than students in traditional (lecture plus
lab) courses (ref: Richard Hake, "Interactive-engagement vs traditional
methods: A six-thousand student survey of mechanics test data for intro
physics courses," Am. J. Phys. 66, 64-74 (1998)). Interactive-engagement
methods replace much of the traditional lecture time with thinking (and
sometimes hands-on) activities for students. Instructors seek immediate
feedback of each student's level of understanding. There are several exciting
approaches for achieving this type of learning environment; and ones I
have been developing in my introductory physics courses are similar to
the styles and tools originated by (a) Eric Mazur at Harvard University
(ref: Eric Mazur, Peer Instruction: A User's Manual, Prentice-Hall,
1997) and (b) Alan Van Heuvelen at Ohio State University (ref: Alan Van
Heuvelen, ActivPhysics 1, (CD and Workbook), Addison Wesley Interactive,
1997).