Physics Education Network (PEN) - Student engagement in Physics workshop

Abstract

As COVID lockdowns are ending and more students are returning to campus, many of us are struggling with student engagement. It is increasingly common for students to be balancing long work hours with study. In Australia in 2021, 32.3% of students studying a non-school qualification were employed full-time and 41.6% part-time (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021). Asynchronous online materials can be beneficial to these students, but they also mean that students are not interacting with their peers and building a supportive cohort. Expectations of students have changed; it can be harder to get students to dedicate sufficient time to properly learning course material. Many colleagues are reporting that students are not prepared when they come to class and are lacking a deep understanding of pre-requisite material, having not learnt it thoroughly when learning moved online. The problem of increasing student engagement is not an easy one to solve. We have an excellent opportunity to make changes for the better regarding how students engage with learning materials and assessment. In this workshop, we will encourage participants to share what they have tried and what has worked in their setting.

This workshop will run for two hours, the first hour being hybrid, the second hour being face-to-face to give people in person a chance to catch up after two years online.

REFERENCE

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education and Work, Australia. ABS. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/education/education-and-work-australia/latest-release