European Physical Society European Physical Society
Institute of Physics, London, May 18/19/20, 2001
Present:
Urbaan Titulaer ( Linz; chairman)
Hans-Joerg Jodl (Kaiserslautern)
Bob Lambourne (Open University, UK)
Irek Strzalkowski (Warsaw)
Chris van Weert (Amsterdam)
John Lewis (EPS Forum on Education; advisor)
Peter Cooper, Philip Diamond and William Nuttal (representatives IOP) gave an
overview of the IOP activities relating to higher education in the UK
Contacts and synergies between the networks are to be promoted; their activities
will be supported and, where appropriate, supplemented by activities of the EPS-DPE/U.
A liaison with the EUPEN-network is one of the first objectives. The next
meeting of the EPS-DPE/U is planned in conjunction with the meeting of the
EUPEN network in Köln September 7/8.
Working relations will also be set up with other networks and organisations like:
GIREP, ESERA and
SEFI(Working Group on Physics).
- JL has kindly volunteered to ask these organisations for a short summary of
their activities to be published on the web-site of EPS-DPE.
Moreover, EPS-DPE/U should establish a contact to AAPT, which have a committee
on International Education.
A second objective is the identification of other networks relevant to higher
education with the help of the presidential representatives (PR). It is seen
as the task of the EPS-DPE/U to promote interaction between these networks.
Where this is appropriate the co-ordinators of national networks will be asked
to broaden their activities in the European context.
The EPS-DPE/U intends to use the EPS-website for dissemination of the information
gathered from the PR's.
- The EPS-DPE/U will propose to the chairman of the Division on Education and Executive
Committee that the 6th workshop "Multimedia in Physics Teaching and Learning"
that is going to take place in Ghent, Belgium, from October 28th till October 30th,
2001, will be sponsored by EPS.
a. Novel courses and new ideas about how to teach physics in universities.
This includes, but need not be restricted to, the use of novel media. It might concern
alternatives to the classical forms of teaching: lectures, exercises and laboratory
courses, or ways to train problem solving skills by projects or problem based learning.
The EPS-DPE/U will ask the PR's to identify any new projects and the local co-ordinator
for us. The aim is to provide a short summary and a link to these projects on the
Web-site of the EPS-DPE.
In Germany there is section of the DPG that has an active network for the improvement
of student labs.
- The co-ordinator Heinz-Günter Walther(Sprecher des Vorstands der Arbeitsgruppe der
Praktikumsleiter) will be contacted directly (HJJ/IS) and asked for a short position
paper. The EPS-DPE/U will investigate whether there is sufficient international interest
in this topic for organising a workshop.
b. School-university interface
One of the major problems confronting physics is the decline of the number of students.
The EPS-DPE/U is eager to learn about initiatives at the school-university interface
that have the potential to increase student enrolment. This might be special appetiser
courses offered to pupils still at school, or restructured introductory physics courses,
or interdisciplinary university entrance phases, as well as new concepts for the first
year curriculum at universities.
The PR's will be asked to report on such initiatives, and if possible to prepare a
one-page summary for further distribution by EPS-DPE/U (CVW/BL).
c. Bachelor-Master
The follow-up on the Bologna declaration
is a major restructuring of higher education
the next ten years in Europe into a three-cycle system consisting of a bachelor phase
lasting 3-4 years, a master phase lasting 1-2 years, and a Ph.D. phase lasting 3-4 years.
The PR's will be asked whether their national society has taken any official position on
this issue or is planning to do so. Also, if some other representative national body has
made a statement about the implementation of the bachelor master restructuring, for
example, on the bachelor degree as a qualification for the labour market.
- These statements will be brought to the attention of the Executive Committee of the
EPS. A policy statement might be proposed on aspects on which a broad consensus in the
physics community appears to exist.
d. Labour market
The PR's will be asked whether there are any recent studies about the job market for
physicists. If so, a short summary will be asked for, or a link to the relevant
documentation. The EUPEN network has sent out a questionnaire on physics curricula.
At the EUPEN Forum in Köln on 7/8 September the first results will be presented.
The EPS-DPE/U will be interested in new types of physics curricula, in particular ones
combining physics and other fields (business, economics, law, but also, e.g. biology),
or directed at fields such as science journalism.
e. Accreditation, setting of standards and benchmarking.
It is to be expected that the next couple of years the accreditation and evaluation of
university teaching programs and education quality assessment will be an important issue
in Europe. There could be a role for EPS in these developments. To prepare for this
eventuality, the PR's are asked for a short statement, and if possible documentation,
about the national policy on this. They also will be asked to name a local person,
either in their national society or in the administration, that could provide further
information.
- BL will provide pointers to articles about this topic that appeared in Physics Today.
f. Posters
After the success of the biography posters of European physicists, John Lewis with
others are now in the process of developing posters series for a number of themes:
- The EPS-DPE/U will propose to the Education Division to obtain a grant for
translation of the posters in other languages.
g. Development of didactical skills of university teachers
The PR's will be asked whether in their country there is a mechanism for identifying
excellent university teachers, by formal evaluation or through competition and prize
contests.
Further action will be considered after the information is gathered. It was reported
by CVW that in the Netherlands a proposal is under discussion that requires university
teachers to develop a teachers CV (portofolio). They will be responsible themselves
for the development of their teaching skills. All such activities will part of their
portofolio and the administration may ask to see the portofolio of any faculty member
that wants to teach a course.
h. Digital Universities
Distance learning and globalisation of teaching seems to be high on the political
agenda in some countries. This might lead to the establishment of digital universities
competing for a share of the international education market, possibly at the expense
of traditional universities and colleges.
The PR's will be asked whether in their country there are any initiatives to establish
such organisations and who or what is driving this development.
- UT will prepare a short summary about the outcome of the London meeting for
Europhysics News
- UT will set up a meeting with representatives of the DPG (German Physical Society)
about their activities in university education before or after the K–ln meeting
- BL will contact Eddy Lingeman (Web-master ed@nikhef.nl) about the page layout and
information categories on the web-site of EPS-DPE/U. Preferably there will be a
formatted questionnaire on the web-site for the PR's to fill in.
E.W.A. Lingeman, 30 May 2001