APS News

April 2020 (Volume 29, Number 4)

Resources for Online Physics Instruction

By Monica Plisch

Many physics departments have quickly moved their courses online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some leading resources include:

  • PhysPort (physport.org)—APS Fellow Sam McKagan is founder and director of this user-friendly web portal hosted by AAPT that supports physics faculty in implementing research-based teaching practices. The Expert Recommendations tab has a well-developed page titled “I suddenly have to move my face-to-face physics/astronomy course online! What should I do?” Sourced from dozens of experts, this vetted page includes ideas and links from how to structure your class, to group work online, to online teaching resources.
  • PhET Simulations (phet.colorado.edu)—Winner of the 2018 APS Excellence in Education Award, this website hosts over 100 interactive simulations of physics phenomena. Most simulations can be run on the web and all can be downloaded. Curricular materials are available for most sims, which can be used to supplement or substitute for hands-on laboratory exercises.
  • Virtual Chairs Meeting—APS and AAPT jointly organize the Physics Department Chairs Meeting and will be holding a shortened version of this meeting online, likely on June 19. Chairs and other department leaders are welcome to attend and discuss lessons learned from the unexpected experiment with online education, among other topics. Look for announcements on the APS Education Programs page to stay in the loop.

Please contact us at education@aps.org if APS staff can be of assistance regarding questions with online education. Also see the APS News Back Page article by Chandralekha Singh in this issue for additional links.

The author is APS Director of Programs.

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Editor: David Voss
Staff Science Writer: Leah Poffenberger
Contributing Correspondent: Alaina G. Levine
Publication Designer and Production: Nancy Bennett-Karasik

April 2020 (Volume 29, Number 4)

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Articles in this Issue
A Message from the APS CEO and the APS President
COVID-19: APS Actions and Resources
Resources for Online Physics Instruction
APS Student Ambassadors Engage with Units
The Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
APS Members Named "5 Sigma Physicists" for Outstanding Advocacy
Using Autonomous Vehicles for Agriculture, Environment, and Infrastructure Monitoring
How To Protect A Quantum Computer From Itself
This Month in Physics History
Office of Government Affairs
FYI: Science Policy News from AIP
The Back Page