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CD-ROM simplifies abstract principles of physics By Deborah A. Benedetti
Dr. Brian L. Weiner, associate professor of physics at Penn State DuBois, Commonwealth College, stands outside Osmond Lab at the University Park campus, where he also has an office. He worked for two years with a team of Penn State staff members and graduate students to develop a CD-ROM to help students better understand the physics of waves and vibrations for the course Physics 001. Dwain Harbst—University Photo/Graphics	If you can understand how a stereo system works, you’re well on your way to being able to grasp some of the abstract principles of physics.   Dr. Brian L. Weiner, associate professor of physics at Penn State DuBois, Commonwealth College, uses the everyday technologies of stereos and radios, as well as ocean waves, to illustrate the physical properties of waves and vibrations in the course Physics 001, The Science of Physics. The lesson on waves and vibrations incorporates computer animation, narration, music and interactive experiments on a CD-ROM to guide students in understanding these principles of physics.   Titled “CONCEPTS: COmputer-based, Nontechnical, Conceptual Education in Physics for Today’s Students,” the CD-ROM was designed to present abstract physics concepts in a user-friendly and easy-to-understand format, Weiner said.   “Our goals were to relax students and defeat the ‘physics phobia’ that some students experience when studying physics,” he said.   This introductory physics course is for nonscience majors. It covers basic physics concepts in a nonmathematical, conceptual way, Weiner explained. Topics include general and special relativity, quantum mechanics, elementary particles and cosmology.   With the creation of the CD-ROM, students enrolling in the distance-delivered Physics 001 course now have two choices—an all-print version and a print and CD-ROM version.   The CD-ROM focuses on one of the nine lessons in the course—waves and vibrations. The educational package can be used by an instructor in a classroom or by an independent learner, because the unit is comprised of 17 self-contained modules. Weiner uses the CD-ROM in his Physics 001 class at the DuBois campus.   “This was a unit that students found particularly difficult,” Bill Rose, lead instructional designer and project manager for the CD-ROM project, said. “Students who used the CD-ROM gave it high marks, rating it at 4 and 5 on a scale of 1 to 5.”   Weiner added, “Students tell me they understand the subject better when they are able to view the CD-ROM animations and do the interactive experiments.”   To create this learning tool, Weiner worked with a team of specialists from the Eberly College of Science, the Center for Academic Computing’s Education Technology Services (ETS) and Distance Education, as well as with a group of graduate students in Dr. Barbara Grabowski’s instructional systems program in the College of Education. He was awarded a faculty development grant from ETS in 1993 and also received support from the Eberly College, Penn State DuBois and Distance Education. Work on the project began in January 1994 and was completed in April 1996.   The CD-ROM is the newest component of Physics 001. Weiner developed the course for distance delivery in 1991. It was his first involvement with distance education, and he is looking forward to even more interaction with his distant students as the Department of Distance Education expands World Wide Web and E-mail systems for distant learners. He teaches Physics 001 using distance education technologies to 30 to 40 students annually, in addition to teaching the course to approximately 80 resident instruction students at Penn State DuBois.   Weiner received his bachelor of science degree in chemistry and doctoral degree in quantum chemistry from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. He joined the Penn State faculty in 1986, following postdoctoral research in the Math Department at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada; seven years with the quantum chemistry group at Uppsala University in Sweden; and six years with the quantum theory project at the University of Florida in Gainesville.   His research involves developing insight into the foundations of quantum mechanics and the applications of quantum mechanics to atomic, molecular and condensed matter physics. He is working with the University of Florida on a joint quantum mechanics project, which is being submitted to the National Science Foundation for funding.   The Physics 001 CD-ROM team included Weiner; Rose, who led the instructional design group; Barb Polka Smith, lead programmer, Education Technology Services; instructional designers Brian Buck, Roland Isnor, Jhy-Mei Liu and Mike Petyak; technical consultants Frank Cusack, Rob Falco and Tim Summers; graphic artist Denise Wagner; music and audio producer Dr. Burt Fenner, professor emeritus of music; narrator Dr. Mary Mino, assistant professor of speech communication, Penn State DuBois; writer/editor Celia Millington-Wyckoff; and student programmers Doug Fellner, Wil Kazary, Kai Harrison Liang, Yong Chul Lim and Sean Maher.   For information about enrolling in Physics 001, contact the Department of Distance Education, Independent Learning Program, phone: 1-800-252-3592; E-mail: psude@cde.psu.edu. For a list of all Penn State distance education courses, visit the World Wide Web site at http://www.outreach.psu.edu/DE/. an outreach program of the Eberly College of Science