QM Tools--Realizing the Promise of Multimedia in Teaching Introductory Quantum Physics

桌面计算能力和信息技术的进步正在融合，使卓越的教学成为可能，并促进积极的课堂学习。但是，个人在高等教育技术创新方面的努力并没有实现他们的承诺，部分原因是教育工作者不愿意使用“罐装”的学习辅助工具。我们认为，只有当教师能够轻松地制作自己的材料，有效地利用当今的技术，系统的变化才会随之而来。该计划旨在为教育工作者提供所需的工具，使他们能够以最少的时间和精力将多媒体和计算元素无缝地整合到他们的课堂材料中。量子物理学所需的工具集——被称为QM工具——被开发并免费分发给学术界。在最终发布之前，该产品在全国范围内进行了广泛的现场测试，从而确保该工具集的最大价值符合其预期目的，并被广泛的学院和大学物理教师所接受。我们还概述了一种非专有策略，该策略将QM工具与其他库存超媒体元素一起使用，以组装可以根据个人需求和偏好进行定制的“实时”文档。QM工具概念的广泛采用将使绝大多数面向技术的学生接触到丰富的多媒体教育经验，具有更好的前景，可以保留其中最优秀和最聪明的学生，甚至可以吸引传统上代表性不足的群体来学习科学和工程。

Advances in desktop computing power and information technology are converging to make possible, superior pedagogy and promote active classroom learning. But individual efforts toward technological innovation in higher education have not fulfilled their promise, in part due to the reluctance of educators to employ "canned" learning aids. We contend that systemic change will follow only when instructors can readily craft their own materials that effectively exploit today's technology. The proposed project endeavors to provide educators with the tools needed to seamlessly integrate multimedia and computational elements into their classroom materials, and to do so with minimal investment of time and effort. The required tool set for Quantum Physics - dubbed QM Tools - is developed and distributed free of charge to the academic community. Prior to final release, the product is field tested extensively nationwide, thereby ensuring maximum value of the tool set for its intended purpose and acceptability to a broad spectrum of college and university physics faculty. We also outline a non-proprietary strategy that uses QM Tools together with other stock hypermedia elements to assemble "live" documents that can be tailored to individual needs and preferences. Widespread adoption of the QM Tools concept would expose a vast majority of technically oriented students to a rich multimedia educational experience, with improved prospects for retaining the best and brightest among them, and even attracting traditionally under-represented groups to the study of science and engineering.