Physics, as an empirically based science, is increasingly taught in laboratories, which can weaken students’ ability to recognize and mobilize physics concepts in authentic environments. This study reports on a pilot project of the elective course Digitally Supported Fieldwork in Physics embedded in physics teacher education at the University of Maribor, Slovenia. The course aims at the planning and implementation of field teaching, the competent use of measuring instruments and digital tools for data acquisition, processing and visualization, the integration of safety, ethics and sustainability aspects, and the combination of theory and practical experience in natural environments. The emphasis is on active and experiential methods. To evaluate the effectiveness of the course, we conduct semi-structured interviews with participants before and after the course to learn to what extent they are prepared for teaching in the field, how they feel about the prevalence of physics in the classroom , and the importance of fieldwork. In parallel, we conduct formative observations across five phases of experimental work (preparation, hypothesis and procedure, execution, verification of hypotheses and measurement quality, follow-up) to track the development of autonomy in planning and conducting field investigations with both hardware and software. We will present the course design and intended learning outcomes, an interview protocol and observation rubric, and mapping to digital competency frameworks (DigComp 2.2 and DigCompEdu) to support transferability to other programs that aim to integrate digitally supported fieldwork. The pilot project contributes to a higher education model for re-integrating authentic, physics-based fieldwork into teacher education.

Authors:
Robert Repnik, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Petra Cajnko, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Matej Mencinger, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Eva Klemencic, University of Maribor, Slovenia

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Robert Repnik is currently a Full Professor of Physics at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Slovenia.

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