Can I phone a friend? Physics learning made fun

THURSDAY 3 APRIL 2008

A quick multiple choice test: Which of the following would you associate with game shows? Is it a) commercial television, b) trivia nights or c) university physics lectures?

A group of first-year physics students at The Australian National University don’t need to ‘phone a friend’ to know the answer. They’re part of an experimental and original program called the ‘Unlecture Project’ – an interactive lecture environment that sees groups given electronic keypads where they register the right answer to multiple-choice questions posed by the lecturer.

The project is the work of ANU staff Dr Craig Savage and Dr Paul Francis – physics lecturers from the University’s Faculty of Science. It’s based on the United States ‘Scale-Up’ system that encourages interactive learning and has produced great results in student learning, retention of information and encouraging further learning.

Three times a week, 270 students undertaking first-year physics gather in the Faculty’s lecture theatre. They are divided into groups of three, given a ‘clicker’ – a small electronic device where they can register their answers – and questions are posed on the big screen at the front of the theatre.

“The big-screen timer starts clicking down as soon as I pose the question,” said Dr Francis. “They have anywhere between three and 10 minutes to answer the question and have to work together as a group.

“In the US this has been proven to dramatically improve how much students learn - the drop-out rate goes down by a factor of between three and five, students learn more and continue to do well in further education. We did a poll of the students here and found that 85 per cent think it’s better than normal lectures – it makes the learning fun and they like coming to it.”

Although the environment may be fun, the quality of the course remains unaltered, said Dr Francis. “We’re teaching the same syllabus at the same rate and it’s still hard work. But it makes the subject interesting and has real potential for other areas,” he said.

Dr Paul Francis and students will be available for interview (today and tomorrow) and to demonstrate the system (tomorrow). For more information:

Dr Paul Francis – (02) 6125 2824 / 0402 640 364

Martyn Pearce, ANU Media Office – (02) 6125 5575 / 0416 249 245

WHAT: ‘Unlecture project’ physics lesson demonstration

WHEN: Friday 4 April, 8.45am

WHERE: Manning Clark lecture theatre 2, Union Lane (off Kingsley Street), Canberra