In his POD post titled "Quantum Mechanics and active learning" Kris
Grabarek (2001) wrote:
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"Out of the group of CHEMISTRY FACULTY that I am working with I have one
gentleman who has made an attempt to meet with me and work on his quantum
mechanics course. HE IS TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO MAKE THE CLASS MORE ENGAGING
AND IS OPEN TO INCORPORATING SOME ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES INTO THE COURSE.
Of course, quantum mechanics being very theoretical and one of the more
challenging undergraduate courses, is proving difficult to identify
appropriate in-class activities that could engage the students. Even with my
chemistry background this is proving a challenge as my physical chemistry
background is weak. This would be an excellent course to incorporate
some computer data/graphic manipulation in-class. So I write in hopes
that there might be some POD folks who have some knowledge of such
software, or other sources documenting non-traditional treatments of
quantum. . . ." (My EMPHASIS.)
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In response, I posted (Hake 2001) the following:
"Check out the work by Redish, Wittman, and Steinberg (2002) and the
Physics Education Research Group at the University of Maryland."
It now occurs to me that since quantum mechanics is (or should be) an
important part of undergraduate education in chemistry and biology,
both Chemed-L'ers and Biopi-L'ers as well as Phys-L'ers might be
interested in the above exchange, and/or might have some ideas for
Grabarek.
Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University
24245 Hatteras Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
<rrhake@earthlink.net>
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake>