Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic we held our July 2021 workshop virtually. We introduced Problem-Based learning and our new PBL Challenges (case studies) to an international group of educators. The workshop was preceded by a series of optics/photonics and PBL webinars hosted by Optica (formerly the Optical Society). Recordings of the webinars plus resources for teaching can be found in our Photonics Teaching Resources pages. Thanks to both Optica and to our enthusiastic participants who will be field-testing Challenges during this academic year. We are now planning a final showcase workshop to be held at SPIE’s Optics and Photonics conference in August.
This site describes a quarter century of work by the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) and its partners to improve secondary and post secondary STEM education with funding from the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program (NSF ATE). The PHOTON Projects, a series of three curriculum and professional development and laboratory improvement projects in optics and photonics, engaged middle and secondary school teachers and college and university professors across the U.S. The Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Projects have developed a collection of authentic real-world multimedia Challenges(case studies) with industry partners in the areas of optics and photonics, sustainable technologies, and advanced manufacturing and introduced them to teachers worldwide. Visit the CHALLENGES to view the existing problem-based learning curriculum.