Mission to Mars: A one-week introductory project for new physics students

Abstract

A new event to help smooth the induction of year 1 students to university was run in the Physics Department on a trial basis in the academic year 2009/10 and extended in 2010/11.The event took place in the first week of term with the aim of introducing the students to the Department and the level of engagement expected of them. After some ice-breakers and simple problem-solving, an open-ended physics problem on a topical issue was presented to the students who were organised to work in groups.

In addition to working on the project problem, the students completed some on-line assignments (in order to introduce them to Pearson‟s Mastering Physics software which the Department has adopted after a successful pilot). In the first year the event ran for 2.5 days, with the groups producing a 1-page report (requiring them to encounter the printing system) and a poster for a poster session. In 2010/11 teams (each containing 5 groups) presented their results to an audience of academics (and fellow students), emphasising the importance of communication skills. The evaluation results indicate that it was a beneficial experience, and the effect of the changes in the second year has been investigated.