Teaching Double-slit Experiment with Modular Optical Experimental Instruments

By  Xiujun He, Yubin Xu, Guangtian Zhu, Weiqing Pan
Received: 2022-4-24 / Accepted: 2022-6-5 / Published: 2022-8-30
PDF Main Manuscript (415.97 KB)  DOI: https://doi.org/10.37906/real.2022.1
Abstract The Modular Optical Experimental Instruments (MOEI) are newly-designed laboratory demonstration tools which integrate a whole set of optical devices on a single board. The instructors can easily bring the MOEI to classrooms and demonstrate optical phenomena on projector screens. In order to investigate the impact of MOEI on the instruction of double-slit experiment, we investigated 134 undergraduate students with an open-ended experiment designing task. The Primary Trait Analysis (PTA) score suggested that students learning double-slit experiments with MOEI had better performance in selecting equipment and understanding the nature of science, and showed more engineering thinking. The results also showed that students had a common misconception about the width of interference fringes, and MOEI was helpful to avoid it.  [More...]

Assessment Quality at two Ethiopian Universities: Requirements versus Practices

By  Firdissa J Aga Dr.
Received: 2022-7-12 / Accepted: 2022-8-12 / Published: 2022-8-30
PDF Main Manuscript (343.78 KB)  DOI: https://doi.org/10.37906/real.2022.2
Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which learning assessment practices fulfill assessment quality requirements. Two sorts of questionnaires were used to collect data from teachers/researchers, and MA/MSC and PhD students of Education and English Language at two Ethiopian universities. The results have shown that assessment tasks, contents, tools and procedures at the universities hardly fulfilled some desirable assessment requirements including making assessment tasks and contents free from all kinds of biases, mirroring the required skills/knowledge in real life, empowering teachers to assess what they value, encouraging deep approaches to learning, and guaranteeing learners' awarded grades to represent the levels. Some assessment tools, procedures, and practices also failed to fulfill assessment quality requirements. It has, therefore, been recommended that all parties should make utmost conscious efforts to ascertain alignment of assessment practices, procedures and contents with available theories/requirements on learning assessment quality. [More...]