Interactive Materials for the Science of Information Technology, An Innovative Physics Course for Non-Majors

一个新的，创新的物理课程，信息技术科学（ScIT）。科学与信息技术已经在伦斯勒大学物理系以工作室的形式开发和试点。科学与信息技术的不同寻常之处在于：(a)它是一门没有先决条件的高级物理课程，(b)它是基于主题的，将基本物理原理的讨论与学生感兴趣的信息系统应用相结合，(c)它将几个不同专业的世界级研究人员带到一个非专业的教室里，谈论研究的现状，以及(d)它吸引了来自不同专业的学生。在课程中的表现基本上独立于物理背景。本课程没有合适的教科书，辅助材料必须是新创作的或从各种非传统资源中提取的。该项目支持课程材料的创建、改进、测试和全国分发，如文本、多媒体客座讲座和适当的课堂活动。信息技术科学涵盖了几个主题，如原子结构、光纤、半导体特性和量子物理，这些主题在大多数传统的入门课程中没有涉及，但对学生日常使用的信息系统的工作至关重要。此外，该课程涵盖了这些主题，而不需要学生有高级微积分或先前的物理经验，这使得该课程对整个学生群体都很容易理解和有吸引力，就像一门选修课一样。杰出研究人员的客座讲座使学生了解进一步发展所面临的障碍以及克服这些挑战的可能方法。这些特点的结合使工商及科技局有可能提高迅速增长的信息技术消费者和用户的科学素养水平，培养他们对一般科学，特别是物理学的更大的欣赏。各种各样的材料正在开发中。这些包括：(a)一本教科书，它将为课程提供统一的衡量标准；(b)课程中涵盖的概念的插图，最好用动画图形完成，如Java小程序或冲击波演示；(c)互动式调查活动。现有的活动正在得到改进，所有的活动都在评估其可学习性、相关性和健全性。此外，研究人员的客座讲座正在被录影、数字化并整合到课程材料中。活动和课程也被用于和测试，以丰富K-12教师。一旦课程材料被相关领域的权威专家充分开发和评估后，它们将通过出版商和像WebCT这样的在线分销商在全国范围内分发。通过这种方式，科学与信息技术学院正在从一个提供新颖科学选修课的试点项目发展为一个组织良好、教学合理的学习体验，将技术和前沿研究带入非科学专业的课堂。

Physics (13) A new, innovative physics course, The Science of Information Technology (ScIT). ScIT has been developed and piloted in the studio format in Rensselaer's physics department. ScIT is unusual because (a) it is an upper-level physics course with no prerequisites, (b) it is topically-based, combining discussions of fundamental physical principles with information system applications that interest students, (c) it brings world-class researchers with several different specialties into a classroom of non-majors to talk about the current state of research, and (d) it attracts students from diverse concentrations, with performance in the course essentially independent of physics background. The course does not have a suitable textbook, and supporting materials must be either newly created or drawn from a variety of non-traditional sources. This project supports for the creation, refinement, testing, and national distribution of materials for the course, such as text, multimedia guest lectures, and appropriate in-class activities. The Science of Information Technology covers several topics, such as atomic structure, fiber optics, semiconductor properties, and quantum physics, that are not covered in most traditional introductory courses yet are crucial to the working of information systems used daily by students. Furthermore, the course covers these topics without requiring advanced calculus or prior physics experience from the students, making the course accessible and attractive to the entire student body, as an elective should be. The contributed guest lectures by prominent researchers gives the students insight into the obstacles facing further development and some possible ways to overcome those challenges. This combination of features give ScIT the potential to increase the level of scientific literacy among the rapidly growing population of information technology consumers and users, fostering a greater appreciation for science in general, and physics in particular.A variety of materials are being developed. These include (a) a textbook, which will provide a measure of uniformity to the course; (b) illustrations of the concepts covered within the course, best done with animated graphics, such as Java applets or Shockwave presentations; (c) interactive inquiry-based activities. Existing activities are being refined, and all activities are being evaluated for learning, relevance, and soundness. In addition, guest lectures by researchers are being videotaped, digitized, and integrated into the course materials. Activities and lessons are also being used in and tested for the enrichment of K-12 teachers. Once the course materials have been fully developed and evaluated by respected experts in the relevant fields, they will be distributed nationally through a publisher and an on-line distributor like WebCT. In this way, ScIT is being developed from a pilot offering of a novel science elective to a well-organized, pedagogically-sound learning experience bringing both technology and cutting-edge research into the classroom of non-science majors.