First, please read the briefing document, which highlights important changes and gives some background:
Next, look at the steady-state programme structures by using the links in the following table. Everybody should look at F300 and F303, astrophysicists should look at F3F5 and F3FM, Study Abroad Coordinator check F3T7, Professional Experience Coordinator F304:
| Who | Code | Degree | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | F300 | BSc | Physics |
| Astro Group | F3F5 | BSc | Physics with Astrophysics |
| GPS + Math Dept | FG31 | BSc | Mathematics and Physics |
| All | F303 | MPhys | Physics |
| JRS | F304 | MPhys | Physics with Professional Experience |
| Astro Group | F3FM | MPhys | Physics with Astrophysics |
| ASP | F3T7 | MPhys | Physics with North American Study |
Everybody should also look at the preliminary description of essential content of the core modules:
The top priority questions at this stage are:
Email your thoughts about the basic structures and core modules to c.d.h.williams@exeter.ac.uk as soon as possible, preferably by 1st February 2010 (but better late than never).
The second priority at this stage is that I need suggestions for options modules. When formulating suggestions, keep two things in mind:
Email your comments/suggestions for options modules to c.d.h.williams@exeter.ac.uk as soon as possible, preferably by 14th February 2010 (but better late than never).
| Ref. | Topic | Comment/Question | Reply |
|---|---|---|---|
| JMR-01 | PHY2027 | The amalgamation of the two computing modules seems entirely sensible. The number of lectures required will need to be discussed but my initial guess is that the discussion will be in the range of 1.5 to 2. | A 'standard' 15-credit module only has 2 lectures/week, so the expectation would be one per week plus practical sessions. There is scope for negotiation in the number/duration of practical sessions. If additional 'lectures' are required they could be in the form of podcasts. |
| AU-01 | PHY2027 | Why is PHY2025 (Maths 3) spread over 2 terms? This seems a bit thin. | In the past, we had three 20-credit maths modules (PHY1015, PHY1016, and PHY2218) all delivered in semester-I. However, this did not leave students enough time to engage with the problem-sets so we changed to two-semester delivery. It would be possible to put this module into Term 2, but there would be collateral damage. |
| AU-02 | TUTORIALS | Stage-4 tutorials: having virtually all staff involved in these is going to make consistency / quality of tutorials patchy, and will also mean that everyone will have to mug up on 4th year core modules, instead of a select few as we have at the moment. | There will only be two core-modules at Stage, fewer than in the present scheme, and no General Problems paper (that is taken at Stage 3) to support. It may be fairly hard to fill an hour a week with worthwhile active learning. Instructors delivering level-4 option modules have always had to provide 'office hours' style support for their modules and the two core modules could also operate in this manner. I'm open to persuasion on this point, but I think that proponents of retaining independent tutors have a difficult case to make. |
| AU-03 | STRUCTURE | I don't like the fact that BSc students leave having only had 15 credits of quantum mechanics, and 15 credits of solid state. Could we contrive a 3rd year module that does a bit of advanced QM and a bit of advanced SS? | Search for 'SS-' and 'QM-' in the table of core physics modules. There are more like 30 credits on both topics it's just that much of it is embedded in other core modules with provisional names. With luck this impression will vanish when we have replaced the provisional module names with better chosen ones, e.g. 'PHY3014 - Electromagnetism in Solids and Free Space'. The proposed BSc will fully comply with the IoP Accrreditation requirements in respect of these topics. It would be possible to create a 'cut-and-shunt' module from the front halves of PHYM002 and PHYM003 but we've tried similar things in the past (e.g. PHY3126 from bits of PHY4420 and PHY4413) and the cure was much worse than the disease. |
| SMS-01 | QUANTUM MECHANICS | The main omission I can see from the 2nd year core QM module is angular momentum. Although this can be a very challenging part of QM, the basic ideas I would have thought are accessible to 2nd years? | I had envisaged that this would be covered towards the end of PHY2022 and have now made this explicit in the table. The topic would also fit in fairly naturally as part of of PHY3052 - Nuclear & HEP. If the concensus is that a technical treatment is not a necessary part of the the BSc Core, then it could go into PHYM002 Advanced Quantum Mechanics. |
| SMS-02 | QUANTUM MECHANICS | With regards to perturbation theory, there is mention of two particle systems, I would have thought this should be extended to cover the Helium atom as well and relating this to approximation techniques. Finally there is nothing about scattering? I can see your point that relativistic QM would probably be best left to an option course. | This material is covered in PHYM002 Advanced Quantum Mechanics which is taken by MPhys students, but is not part of the BSc Core. |
| VK-01 | STAGE 4 TUTORS | I like the idea of combining the roles of tutors and supervisors in Stage 4. | Noted. |
| VK-02 | MPHYS STRUCTURE | I believe that we should reduce the amount of lecture-hours at Stage 4 in favour of research project work. Perhaps, all optional modules should be moved to Stage 3, with the advanced core modules only remaining at Stage 4. The project work should be removed from Stage 3 and focused at Stage 4. This will result in Stage 4 students spending 4 days a week in the lab, very much like first year PhD students. I can see numerous benefits to everybody from this move, and also understand that this is exactly the way how this is done in world leading universities, such as Oxford or TU Munich. |
|
| TB-01 | COMBINED HONOURS | If this would be improved by relaxing the strict 60+60 CATS division, Maths would not object to having it as 75+45 | That is a very helpful concession, thanks. |
| JRS-01 | COMPARABILITY | Does this new structure maintain us at a comparable level as regards course content, student contact hours and choice of options as other leading Universities? |
The Core Physics and Skills curriculum is set by the IoP accreditation requirements, and hence matches provision in almost every U.K. department. The range of options proposed, from the perspective of an MPhys student, will be better than our current programmes because the number of restrictions such as co-/pre-requisites will be reduced. |
| JRS-02 | CONDONEMENT | Why pass PHY1026 without condonement but not PHY1025?? |
Because we want to use 'non-condoble' modules only were it is essential, a student who passes PHY1026 will almost certainly passed PHY1025. The way I envisage PHY1025 being taught (lots of drill problems and practice, possibly comuter-marked assignments) does not fit well with 'retakes'. The correct way to deal with PHY1025 fails is to give them additional (compulsory) maths tutorials in the second term to help them with PHY1026. |
| JRS-03 | STUDENT CENTRED LEARNING | This is a key change, expecting students to replace 33% of material that is current delivered by lectures with student centred learning. Is there evidence that our students would cope well with this? | Yes. Two modules (PHY1105 and PHY1106) have been delivered in this way for two years without issues. Stage 3 students on the 'with Professional Experience' programme have always taken core physics modules (PHY3304, PHY3305 and PHYM501) at levels 3 and M entirely by directed self-study. |
| JRS-04 | TUTORIALS | We may need to increase the number of these to help with the student centred learning. | Supporting SCL will certainly justify the staffing-costs required to maintain the current tutorial system. If the SCL is well-designed and appropriately managed/guided by module instructors then no increase should be necessary. Some centralised co-ordination of the timing of the self-study will be necessary to flatten the students' workload distribution. |
| JRS-05 | F304 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE | Why change one of the distance learning modules from 'Quantum Physics II' or 'Solid State 1' to 'Electromagnetism 2'? | Because neither 'Quantum Physics II' or 'Solid State 1' are part of the new Stage 3 of F303 MPhys Physics. In order to distribute the work throughout the placement year with one Level 3 module in Term-M and an one Level-4 module in term L. To match the Stage 3 MPhys modules the level-M module in Term-M there is only one choice Electromagnetism. This is a subject that is amenable to self-study: a few fundamental ideas, lots of problems to solve, and hundreds of on-line lectures, sets of notes, free textbooks, etc.. |
| JRS-06 | GENERAL PROBLEMS PAPER | I am very uneasy that 'With Professional Experience' and 'Study Abroad' students do not take the General Problems paper. This is setting a very unhealthy precedent in my view. I would much prefer that all students, as now, sit the general problems paper, with the 4th years sitting, as now, a more restricted choice paper. Restructuring the paper as you suggest saves rather little in terms of examination question setting. I agree that it changes the emphasis of 4th year tutorials but at the same time it will likely cause 3rd year tutorials to increase emphasis on problem solving. This proposed change gains so little that I strongly oppose it. |
Retaining the current level 4 problems paper and support tutorials would have disadvantages:
|
| JRS-07 | STAGE 4 TUTORIALS | I think that combining project supervisor and tutor into one role is exteremely unhealthy for the students. They need to be exposed to different viewpoints. | Even in if there is no separate tutor, students will get exposed to more than one viewpoint. Projects take place within a research group and are monitored/assessed by the supervisor and two other academic staff. Overall progress is monitored by the Projects Co-ordinator. |
| SSLC-01 | STAGE 4 TUTORS | Stage 4 students should have Personal Tutor (for pastoral care, PDP, references. etc.) in addition to project supervisor. There may be conflicts of interest when writing references for a student wants to join a rival research group. | I doubt that the conflicts of interest are a problem in practice, staff know that students can see copies of all references. However, if students believe that there may be a conflict of interest then then the roles need to be split. |
| SSLC-02 | GENERAL PROBLEMS | The proposal to accompany the general problems paper with some lectures seems like a good idea. | The lectures could usefully be on variety of topics and could enhance employability. |
| SSLC-03 | 15-CREDIT UNITS | Having elective options available in 15-credit blocks will make it much easier to take modules in other disciplines. | That was the intention. However, we hope that the in-house options will be so attractive that... |
| SSLC-04 | STUDENT CENTRED LEARNING | The introduction of more SCL has potential to be a positive move, particularly if it improves the timetable, but to be a success it will need to be carefully structured. The meeting recommended that the facilities of the new VLE should be used for formative exercises and self-tests. | SCL will be monitored carefully. There will be co-ordination of the timing to ensure that student workloads are reasonably constant throughout the Term. |
| WLB-01 | PHY1021 Vector Mechanics | First, I would drop 'vector' from the title. Second, perhaps Kepler's laws and might be packaged up in the content as 'the solar system', I also do something on dark matter when talking about circular motion. My point, some amended titles could make the module look more appealing for all the right reasons. | 'Vector Mechanics' is a working title, there is a table of suggestions received for actual titles below. The curriculum content is also not the final version, it is what we consider to be the essential minimum. The final module descriptions will have more details, and be more appealing to the market. |
| WLB-02 | Quantum Mechanics | The combination of these two modules looks as though the subject has not moved on from the 1960s. I think we need to include stuff on superposition states and their uses, entanglement, and some (simple) elements of quantum communications etc.. Should there be something on spin? In short I think the content of these two modules needs time and effort, a) to make them up-to-date, b) to make them as useful as possible to other courses, e.g. condensed matter. (I can see there is a lot of QM in Cond Mat 2). | The fundamentals of quantum mechanics haven't moved on |
| TJH-01 | PHY1021 Vector Mechanics, and PHY1022 Introducation to Astrophysics | 'Special relativity' should move from PHY1022 to PHY1021 and "Kepler's Laws" should move from PHY1021 to PHY1022. | Okay. |
| Ref. | Code | Title | Notes | Supporter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPS-01 | PHY1021 | Forces, Potentials and Newtonian Mechanics | Content is okay. | GPS |
| GPS-02 | PHY1023 | Waves and Ray Optics | Content is okay. | GPS |
| GPS-03 | PHY1024 | Properties of Matter (include elementary thermodynamics) | Notes | GPS |
| GPS-04 | PHY2009 | Physics of Crystals [include diffraction methods using EM (X-rays), electrons (LEED), neutrons; and microscopy (TEM, SEM, STM)] | Notes | GPS |
| GPS-05 | PHY2007 | Relativity and Classical Mechanics II | Notes | GPS |
| GPS-06 | PHY2208 | Optics II (wave optics) | Notes | GPS |
| Ref. | Level | Period | Title | Notes | Supporter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMPLOY-01 | 3 | S | Commercial and Industrial Experience | ECM3409 - Summer placement between Stage 2 and 3 with reports and presentations. Addresses Employability area of University Education Strategy. | SECaM, TB, CDHW |
| SUSTAIN-01 | 2 | M/L | Energy and the Environment | Accessible to students with a science background. Addresses 'Sustainability' area of University Education Strategy. | DAC, CDHW |
| BIOPHYS-01 | 2 | M/L | Introduction to Biophysics | Possibly of interest as an elective for biosciences students? | CPW, CDHW |