Strategies for improving science education on both sides of Pyrénées
Résumé
Introductory Physics teachers from Université de Limoges (France) and Universitat Jaume I (Castelló, Spain) have started interaction in order to exchange academic experiences and resources and also to collaborate in innovation tasks. Both teams are in charge of Physics courses in the first years of Science and Engineering degrees (Sciences de l'Ingénieur in Limoges). Sharing impressions about Science Education in France and Spain has revealed that the main issues that Physics teachers are dealing with in the initial courses of higher education are rather similar in both countries. Moreover, consequences to the enrollment trends and to the academic performance in Sciences and Engineering degrees in these universities are also alike. To change this situation several kinds of initiatives have been undertaken in each university. In this communication, we first present the challenges appearing in the introductory Physics courses lead by the authors. Then, we compare the different strategies developed by each team to enhance Physics teaching and learning. Schemes include personal orientation for students, continuous assessment and new methodologies. Also, some programs intend to make Science more attractive to secondary school students. We expect that these initiatives will have a non-negligible effect on student registration and on academic performance in our Science and Engineering degrees.