Digital Media versus Blackboard and Chalk — Online and Hybrid Teaching in Theoretical Physics

Abstract

Knowledge transfer in theoretical physics is not tied to on-site demonstration experiments and experimental setups. This offers increased flexibility when switching between face-to-face and online teaching. Nevertheless, there are some key points to consider here as well. On the one hand, a step-by-step development of the content, including explanations by the lecturer and opportunities to ask questions, is often essential. On the other hand, many calculation techniques and symbolic notations must first be learned and practiced. Writing on one’s own is usually indispensable for this purpose. With traditional blackboard writing and taking notes in presence, these aspects are automatically taken into account. When we switched to online teaching, we replicated this format by relying on synchronous events in which “live” writing and taking notes were implemented. We evaluated our approach in an online survey. Several aspects of our format were still preferred by the students when returning to face-to-face teaching, especially a digital version of live writing. This supports hybrid forms of teaching that take place simultaneously in presence on site and online, which is certainly an essential aspect of the future development of university teaching.