Science instruction with the use of information communication technologies – Suggestions and applications of quantum approaches

An effort to enrich a university course of non-physics majors, with principles of quantum mechanics is mainly not widely supported because it demands strong competences in physics and mathematics. This obstacle can be surpassed by the use of ICT applications and hands-on activities. A research was conducted the academic year 2003–2004 to 120 students of the Pedagogical Department of the University of Athens. The students had limited mathematics and science background and were on the third year of their studies, attending an obligatory physics lab course. Two of the classes underwent the intervention, while the others were used as the control groups. In order to support the intervention, educational material was developed including the subjects: mechanical waves, duality of light – with reference to duality of electrons, line spectra, atomic models for the atom of Hydrogen (including 2D and 3D models of the atom representing the radial probability distributions of an electron for the 1S, 2S and 2P states in hydrogen). The use of simulation and dynamic visualization, in combination with the developed material, served as an instructional tool to teach contemporary physics issues to non physics majors.