How university students perceive the integration of ICT in their physics courses

Abstract

This study attempts to explore the perceptions of engineering science students (3rd and 4th academic year) of the exploitation of Information Technology and Communication (ICT) in physics courses. Emphasis is placed exactly on satisfaction of the students next to the use of PowerPoint presentations (PPT), simulations and filmed experiments. To achieve these objectives, we conducted a survey in the form of a questionnaire distributed to 151 students in the engineering cycle in the city of Fez (Morocco). The data collected indicate that 93.4% of students have benefited from the use of Power Point presentations. Among these students only 35.1% consider that these projected slides are a means of facilitating the course content. In addition, 69.5% of students surveyed took advantage of simulations and short sequences filmed during these courses, the majority of them (63.6%) say that these tools help them build their own learning by fostering the intimate link between the course and its application. These results are particularly interesting in the sense that they are used to assess students' perceptions of the simple Power Point presentations. These presentations alone are not enough to make available the contents of a physics course. They must be integrated into pedagogically appropriate learning situations and accompanied by demonstrations on the board. Finally, to illustrate the physical phenomena and physical laws, it is necessary to enrich these slides by simulations and filmed experiments able to develop the cognitive capacities of the student as regards physics. Indexing terms/Keywords: ICT, Higher Education, Physics, Simulations, Film Clips, Power Point Presentations