<>Following a change in School/ Departmental structure, these 11 tests,
the details of which are listed below, have been moved to the Website of
the School of Physics, Monash University, Australia
http://www.physics.monash.edu.au/community/tests.html <>
These Tests are, in part, directed towards unearthing and attempting to
correct some of the many preconceptions/misconceptions which students
bring to their initial studies of Physics.
The tests are:
1 The Nature of Light
2 Images and Plane Mirrors
3 Images and Curved Mirrors
4 Images and Lenses
5 Movement—Basic Ideas
6 Velocity and Acceleration
7 Vectors
8 Kinematics and Forces
9 Newton’s Laws
10 The Nature of Heat
11 The Transfer of Heat
The tests are in Word 97 format (about 3.9MB in all) ready for
downloading and subsequent printing (preferably double-sided) and
distribution to students. From this point onwards the tests can be
self-administered by the students. The tests are "take home" and can be
done at the student’s convenience as he or she comes to the appropriate
section in class
The students work through the questions on the left hand (even-numbered)
pages, keeping the right hand (odd-numbered) pages covered and at
various stages check their responses against the answers on the right
hand pages which, in addition to giving the correct answer, has a
commentary on wrong answers, hopefully initiating remediation of an
unearthed misconception. In addition to the “questions and answers”
there are a few instructional sidelights and “interludes”.
Alternatively students may choose to download from this Website, in
which case they might, in the interests of economy and the forests,
choose to print only the even-numbered (question) pages and do their
answer checking “on screen”.
Teachers are, of course, able to edit the tests in any way they think
fit excising any material perceived as extraneous or “over-kill".
<>Bill Rachinger,
School of Physics,
Monash University, P.O.27, Vic 3800 Australia