© ICPE 1995, 1996 Copyright by The International Commission on Physics Education. All rights reserved. General permission is granted to copy these notes, but no changes may be made to the content, and appropriate acknowledgment must be made to the source.
This collection of brief notes concerning the organization of international
conferences on physics education was assembled primarily to assist conference
organizers who wish to apply for sponsorship by the International Union
of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP).
While specific suggestions are provided in connection with the formal
process of applying for I.U.P.A.P. sponsorship, most of the notes are in
the form of "things to think about when organizing an international
conference." It is hoped, therefore, that the notes may be of use
to physics education conference organizers generally.
E. L. Jossem
August 1995, Revised June 1996
The International Commission on Physics Education (ICPE) of IUPAP is
charged with reviewing all applications for IUPAP sponsorship of international
conferences on physics education, and making recommendations to the IUPAP
Executive Council which takes final action on the application. In fulfilling
its responsibilities, the ICPE looks at the stated goals of the conference,
and for answers to such questions as, for example:
Obtaining the required financial support for an international conference
is an important job for the conference organizer and, now-a-days, one of
the most difficult!
IUPAP provides some financial support to many, but not to all, of the
conferences it sponsors. The application form for IUPAP Sponsorship asks
for an Estimated Total Budget, whether there is a registration fee, and
if so what is the amount, and whether an IUPAP grant is requested, and
if so, in what amount.
At its meeting in the autumn of each year, the IUPAP Executive Council
sets an upper limit on the registration fee which may be charged for IUPAP
sponsored conferences to be held in the coming year. (For 1995 that limit
was set at SFR 400, including proceedings [approximately US$325] ) If the
registration fee for the conference includes living accommodations and
food as well as proceedings, it is important to describe all the items
which are paid for by the registration fee.
The question often arises about having different registration fees for
persons who one would like to have as participants, but who are not able
to afford the regular fee. Experience has indicted that in such cases a
reasonable solution is to maintain the regular registration fee for all
the participants, but to provide "scholarships" (i.e. money to
pay part or all of the registration fee) for the participants one wishes
to help in this respect.
Other possible sources of financial support for a conference include
international organizations: UNESCO (Paris and the Regional UNESCO offices),
The International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), The International
Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). The Third World Network of Scientific
Organizations (TWNSO) and The Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), both
located at the International Center for Theoretical Physics in Trieste
may provide information about possible sources of funding in many Third
World regions.
Financial support may also be found from national and local governmental
agencies, local banks and industries, and regional or local scientific
and cultural organizations. Having IUPAP sponsorship is often seen as a
guarantee of the technical quality of the conference when asking for support
from other organizations.
Current information about IUPAP may be obtained through the Home Page
of IUPAP at the address (current as of June 1996) http://www.physics.umanitoba.ca/IUPAP/IUPAP.html.
Information concerning applications for IUPAP sponsorship and/or support for international conferences may be obtained from the IUPAP WEB page at the address: http://www.physics.umanitoba.ca/IUPAP/confinfo.html or from the IUPAP Associate Secretary-General, Professor Dr. R.C. Barber, Department of Physics 518 Allen Building University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada R3T 2N2, Telephone: (204) 474-9817 E-Mail: barber@physics.umanitoba.ca
The planning of an international conference involves a consideration of a multitude of different things. Only a few of them can be discussed briefly here.
Program Content:
In the long run this is perhaps the most important aspect of
planning for an international conference. It determines how well, and to
what extent, the conference will meet the needs and expectations of the
participants.
Plenary Lectures:
Plenary lectures may serve the purpose of providing quick overviews
of a field, and an enthusiastic lecturer may inspire and motivate the people
in the audience. Such lectures may also serve a social purpose in allowing
the conference to advertise the presence of internationally wellÐknown
persons. However, we have probably all come away from a plenary lecture
which we enjoyed very much, and which seemed very clear to us at the time,
but when we have been asked to explain to others what the lecture was about
we have found it not so clear or easy as we had thought. Research in physics
education has provided ample evidence that individuals learn best when
they are active participants in the process. The old saying "I hear
and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand" speaks
to this point. It is useful to keep this in mind when deciding on the number
and length of plenary lectures.
Experience has also shown that it is important that the person giving
a plenary lecture be clearly informed about the nature of the audience
to whom the lecture will be given. If the level of the lecture is either
too high or too low it can be a disaster. Not all disasters can be avoided,
but the organizers need to discuss with the lecturer both the appropriate
level and the length of the lecture. It may be of interest to describe
here a very successful experiment in actively involving the audience in
a Plenary Lecture session. Before the lecture each member of the audience
was assigned to a discussion group of 10 Ð 12 persons. The Lecture was
given in the ordinary way, followed by a short question period. Then the
audience broke up into their preassigned groups, with a pre-assigned moderator,
and carried on a discussion of the Lecture.. The lecturer had been told
of this plan when invited to give the lecture, and was also assigned to
one of the discussion groups. Because of the time allotted to the discussion
groups only about half the number of Plenary Lectures were possible. The
audience, however, indicated that they benefited from the discussion groups,
and that in this case "less was more."
Panel Discussions:
In some circumstances Panel Discussions may be useful instead
of a Plenary talk. However, the same considerations apply to the Panel
Discussions as to the Plenary talks. How does one arrange for the audience
to become active participants?
Working Groups and Workshops:
Working Groups are different from Workshops. The word ÒWorkshopÓ
is, ordinarily, understood to refer to sessions which are tutorial in nature,
and where one, or a few, persons present material to be learned by the
other participants. In contrast, the term ÒWorking GroupÓ is taken to refer
to sessions in which participants have the opportunity to work together
cooperatively in the discussion of topics of common interest, and in planning
cooperative activities for the future. It is in these sessions that all
participants can become active participants in the learning and teaching
processes that go on at these conferences. These ideas are set forth in
more detail in the Notes for Participants and Working Group Leaders in
the "Teaching Modern Physics:" Conference Series which appears
in the Appendix.
Poster Sessions:
Poster sessions provide an opportunity for large numbers of participants
to make a recognized contribution to the conference, and for participants
to talk directly with the authors of the posters in which they are interested.
Demonstrations (Show & Tell):
Sessions featuring short presentations of quick and easy experiments
and demonstrations are always popular and provide an excellent opportunity
for participants to trade ideas.
Exhibits:
Exhibits are also popular events at a conference, and commercial
exhibitors may be a source of financial support for the conference.
Public Lectures:
Item C on the IUPAP Application Form states: "IUPAP policy
calls for adequate representation of applied aspects wherever appropriate,
and Ð at general conferences Ð the encouragement of a Public Lecture. Indicate
how the conference can be responsive to these concerns."
Particularly in physics education conferences, an excellent Public
Lecture can have valuable influences beyond the conference itself. It provides
an opportunity for the physics community to explain to the society in which
it lives Ð and on which it depends for support Ð how physics and physics
education are of value to the society. The choice of the lecturer is obviously
one of considerable importance in this case.
Organizing Committees:
Generally speaking, Organizing Committees for international
conferences are of two kinds: (a) those which may give advice, but usually
do little work, and (b) those which take care of the detailed work of organizing
and running the conference.
International Advisory Committees:
Members of such committees are usually chosen for their reputations
as active and respected members of the international physics education
community. They can be good sources of information about what are considered
important topics in their own countries, and can be asked to comment on
the preliminary program design. They can also be asked to serve as presiders
at conference sessions. In the case of ICPE/IUPAP sponsored conferences,
it is expected that the Chairman of ICPE and other ICPE members will be
actively involved in planning the program for the conference.
Local Organizing Committees:
These are the committees that do all the detailed work of organizing
and running the conference. They need to have people who will work cooperatively
with the conference organizers, and who can and will take responsibility
for carrying out the many details of the conference work. In particular,
for international conferences, they will need to be sensitive to the needs
of persons from cultures different that their own. What is entirely acceptable
in one country may be strictly forbidden in another. In this matter also
members of the International Advisory Committee and of ICPE may be of service.
Announcements: Announcements of an international conference may be made through a number of different media:
Direct mailings to persons known to the conference organizers.
Take account of the fact that ordinary mail (surface mail)
may take three or four MONTHS to be delivered to certain parts of the world,
and that even Air Mail may take several weeks to be delivered. Allow time
for similar delays in replies.
Advertising the conference in physics and physics education journals.
Some journals publish a list of conferences which is up-dated fairly
frequently. Remember here that the information must be received and accepted
by the journal before the deadline date for publication for the next issue.
The ICPE Newsletter and the GIREP Newsletter are two journals which reach
many interested persons. China, Japan, and the USA have organized an International
Communication Exchange Network for Physics Education. In China the International
Physics Education Newsletter is published by the Chinese Physical Society.
In Japan the Physics Education Society of Japan publishes the ICEC Newsletter
on Physics Education. In the USA publication is in the Announcer published
by the American Association of Physics Teachers. Other organizations include
the Indian Association of Physics Teachers which publishes a monthly Bulletin,
the Asia Pacific Teachers and Educators Association(APPTEA), the Asian
Physics Education Network (ASPEN), and the Arab Physics Education Network
(ARAPEN). UNESCO publishes the INISTE Bulletin, a quarterly journal of
information produced in Paris by the Unit for Science and Technology Education.
Electronic communication
While universal, easy, and affordable electronic communication
is still a thing of the future, it has already become a very important
aspect of communication for the physics education community. In particular,
with the explosive growth of the Internet and the World Wide Web both individuals
and organizations have developed ÒHome PagesÓ on the Web which provide
up-to-date information on their activities, and are increasingly interactive
in format and style. As an example, the current (June 1996) address for
the Home Page for IUPAP is: http://www.physics.umanitoba.ca/IUPAP/IUPAP.html
With security arrangements for transferring funds becoming better
and more widely established on the WWW, the payment of registration and
other fees may also become easier to arrange.
Registration:
Registration for a conference has both communication and financial
aspects, which have been discussed above.
Accommodations and Transportation:
There is a wide spectrum of needs and desires among conference
participants with respect to accommodations and transportation. For most,
however, financial considerations are of primary importance.
Conference organizers can assist by arranging for, and providing early
information about, inexpensive lodgings, meals, and local transportation.
Good maps showing the locations of lodgings, the conference site, and local
transportation routes are very useful and appreciated.
Space and Equipment
Rooms for Meetings:
In addition to the rooms required for lectures, panel discussions,
workshops, working groups, demonstrations, poster sessions and exhibits,
it is very useful to set aside additional rooms that can be used by small
groups of participants who may wish to have private discussions on the
topics of the conference. One can talk to another person in the halls,
but it is more convenient to be able to sit down together in a relatively
quite place. If more than two persons wish to talk together, the availability
of small rooms in which they can meet becomes even more important.
Equipment
Overhead projectors for transparencies continue as a standard item
of equipment. Some guidelines for the use of transparencies are given in
the Appendix.
With the advent of the electronic age, computers are becoming more
of a standard Ð and expensive Ð item at international conferences. It is
sometimes possible to convince a computer manufacturer not only to exhibit
their latest models at the conference exhibition, but to loan computers
for conference use.
Exhibits and Exhibitors
Exhibits:
Exhibits can serve a very useful function at a conference by bringing
to participants who might not otherwise have an opportunity to see them,
books, journals, audio and video recordings, CD-ROMS, computers, peripheral
equipment, software, laboratory apparatus, and other kinds of instructional
aids and equipment.
Exhibitors:
As noted previously, commercial exhibitors may also be a source of
financial support and/or a source of equipment that may be borrowed for
the duration of the conference.
Social Events
One of the important reasons for holding an international conference
is to allow people to interact with each other on a personal, face-to-face
basis to share experiences and to get to know each other as human beings.
The importance of providing time for them to do so in the context of the
conference program has already been mentioned. Social events provide another
kind of opportunity for renewing old friendships and for getting to know
others. Very simple occasions such as "coffee breaks" in the
program can be just as effective as more formal or elaborate ones.
After the Conference
The work of the conference is not complete at the end of the formal
sessions of the conference. The conference organizers may take a well earned
vacation, but much yet remains to be done. In particular, if there are
proceedings of the conference, manuscripts must be collected and edited,
the material must be published and distributed, and, in the case of IUPAP
sponsored conferences, the appropriate forms need to be filled out and
sent to the IUPAP office.
Notes For Participants And Working Group Leaders in the "Teaching Modern Physics:" Conference Series
These Notes are intended to provide historical background and comments and suggestions to Working Group leaders and participants about the philosophy, and the strategy and tactics for Working Groups in the I.C.P.E. "Teaching Modern Physics:" series of conferences.
Introduction
Teachers of physics are all aware of the gap between what we know
about physics and what we teach students at the secondary school and introductory
university levels. Research in physics continues to broaden and deepen
our knowledge of the subject and to provide new perspectives, new theories
and new models of physical phenomena. One has only to look, for example,
at the Physics and Astronomy Classification System (PACS) and compare it
to the table of contents of almost all introductory physics texts to see
the major differences between the view of physics we present to students
and the view that we, ourselves, hold. There has been much discussion at
many conferences about the extent to which "Modern Physics" can
be incorporated into the teaching of physics at the secondary school and
introductory university levels, and about how this can be done.
The International Commission on Physics Education has attempted to stimulate discussion and curricular experimentation in this area through a series of international conferences under the general title of Teaching Modern Physics. The first of these conferences was arranged by the late Professor R.U. Sexl and was held at C.E.R.N. in 1984 on the topics of Elementary Particles, Relativity, and Cosmology. These topics were repeated at a conference held at Fermi Laboratory in 1986. The third conference in the series was hosted by Professor K. Luchner at the University of Munich in 1988 and was on the subject of Condensed Matter Physics. Professors M. Velarde and F. Cuadros were hosts to the fourth conference in Badajoz in 1992 to explore recent advances in the area of Statistical Physics, and to discuss how, and to what extent, information and insights in this area might be incorporated into physics curricula. The goal was both to discuss what might be done, and to formulate plans for doing it after the conference was over and the participants had returned to their own homes. Planning for future activities in curriculum innovation, and in the creation of new teaching materials is an integral and important goal for these T.M.P. conferences, and cooperative and ÒnetworkingÓ arrangements among the participants are strongly encouraged. (Note: Another conference in this series the ÒInternational Conference Teaching The Science Of Condensed Matter And New MaterialsÓ was co-sponsored by ICPE and GIREP and organized by Professor Marissa Michelini, was held at the University of Udine, Italy, 24-30 August 1995)
Conference Organization:
Since there have been many more important advances in our knowledge
of the topics of these conferences than it is possible to discuss at any
one conference, one needs to choose a very few topics and focus attention
on them. Other topics can be treated at future conferences.
Plenary Sessions:
The plenary sessions are intended to be few in number and designed
to provide for the conference participants a broad overview of some of
the significant recent advances in the field. The talks are given by internationally
recognized experts in their fields. Also, the plenary speakers are available
as resource persons in the Working Group sessions.
Working Groups:
The main business of the conference is conducted in the Working
Groups. . Physics teachers from all over the world meet in these groups
to work together in discussing the problems of integrating the concepts
of "Modern Physics" into their physics teaching curricula, and
to plan future activities, both individual and cooperative, for experimenting
with curricular innovations and with the creation of new teaching materials.
Working Group leaders accept the responsibility for seeing that the goals of the conference are carried out. They are responsible, also, for reporting on the accomplishments of their group at the Plenary Reporting Session on the morning of the last day of the conference.
Since there is a need for flexibility in ways of achieving the conference goals, the detailed procedures to be used in doing so are left to the good judgment of the participants and the Working Group leaders in each group. In general, however, it has been found useful to start the first session of a working group by having the members of the group introduce themselves, state the name of the institution with which they are connected, and state very briefly what their main interests are. Depending on the interests of the participants, discussion may then focus on identifying particular issues for discussion and planning. What topics are the best candidates for inclusion into curricula at various levels? How might they be integrated into current curricula? What new teaching materials and/or new teaching methods would need to be created for this purpose? How might this be accomplished? What cooperative arrangements among the Working Group participants might be established? Again, the intent of these suggestions is not to prescribe in detail what the Working Groups are expected to do, but, rather, to indicate more specifically the general goals of the T.M.P. Conference Series.
It is the hope of the I.C.P.E. and of the conference organizers that the discussions begun at these conferences and the friendships and cooperative arrangements made there will continue and will be productive far into the future.
The International Commission on Physics Education, July 1992
Guidelines For Overhead Transparencies*
I. Overhead transparencies should be designed in such a way as to be readable by any person in the audience. Typically, large projection screens are 2 m. x 2 m. in size and conference rooms are 10 m. long. To be clearly readable in the back of the room, a projected letter or number should be 11 cm. high. Typical overhead projectors have an area of 25 cm. x 25 cm. If this area fills the 2 m. x 2 m. screen, a simple calculation shows that a letter or number written on the transparency should be not less than 1 cm. high to be clearly readable in the setting of a typical hotel conference room. This criterion also implies that an overhead transparency should not have more than 10 written lines or equations.
2. Transparencies which are photocopied from typed or printed material do not, in general, meet the criteria in paragraph 1 and are not acceptable for a conference setting.
3. If it is necessary to show a table on a transparency in order to indicate the scope of the work done, one or two important lines or numbers should be written out in large size on the top or bottom of the table, so that they meet criterion 1.
4. Various kinds of water-soluble and -insoluble ink pens are available for transparencies. Pens marked "superfine" produce lines and letters which cannot be seen clearly at 10 m. The best pens are "medium Ò.
5. Colors can be used to advantage on a transparency. Only strong colors should be used: such as purple, blue, green, and red. Brown and yellow do not show up well. Important symbols in an equation written in color are helpful in a rapid presentation.
6. Overlays can also be used to advantage, to show comparisons between theory and experiment, additions or modifications of theories or equipment, etc. The overlay should be in a color different from the original.
7. If the transparency is laid out within a 25 cm. x 25 cm. space, a lot of moving around of the transparency can be avoided.
8. To point out special items on a transparency, use a pointer and point at the screen, standing in the plane of the screen and to one side of the screen. In most conference settings if you stand next to the overhead projector and point at the transparency, the view of the screen is blocked for some of the audience.
9. In general, one should count on 2 to 3 minutes to explain one transparency. Hence, for a 10 minute paper, not more than 5 transparencies should be shown.
* These Guidelines have been adapted from an American Physical Society document attributed to Walter Meyerhof. Appendix 3
INTERNATlONAL UNION OF PURE AND APPLIED PHYSICS APPLICATION FOR SPONSORSHIP OF AN INTERNATlONAL MEETING
Name of Commission: __________________________________________________________
TITLE OF CONFERENCE: ______________________________________________________
Location: ___________________________________________ Date: _________________
Organizer or Secretary: Name ________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Type of Conference: General [] Topical [] Special [] Number expected____________
1. NATURE OF CONFERENCE
A) Ongoing series : Describe below briefly the scope of the conference and attach a program and list of speakers from one or more recent conferences
B) New conference: Bearing in mind that the proliferation of conferences is of general concern, describe below the particular reason for holding this conference.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
(continue this answer and any other answers on a separate sheet, as needed)
C) IUPAP policy calls for adequate representation of applied aspects wherever appropriate, and, at general conferences, the encouragement of a Public Lecture. Indicate how this conference can be responsive to these concerns.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
2. INTERNATIONAL CHARACTER: To qualify for IUPAP sponsorship:
A) The meeting must be open to scientists regardless of nationality and citizenship List below the name and address of the official who will be responsible for assuring that the host country fulfills this obligation, and discuss any potential problems that you know of at this time
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
B) The scientific advisory program must be international in character.List below three members of the Committee, from three different nations _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
C) At least 30% of the attendees must be from outside of the host country.
D) If the conference is by invitation, potential contnbutors from all IUPAP member countries must be eligible. (Discuss on a separate sheet any unusual circumstances in fulfilling parts C) and D)).
ORGANIZATION
If you know of any potential conflicts with other conferences, please describe on a separate sheet
Has this conference the support of the Liaison Committee of the host country ? yes [] no []
Estimated total budget: $_______________________
Is there a registration fee? yes [] no [] Amount____________
Is an IUPAP grant requested? yes [] no [] Amount ____________
NAME ______________________________________________
Date _______________
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