We present ideas about concepts underlying climate change, held by students in years 9 and 10. Misconceptions about climate change are common among students, and may be due to misconceptions about underlying concepts. To investigate this, we developed the Climate Change Concept Inventory (CCCI), and trialed it with 229 students; corroborating…

Teachers are responsible for children at school during peak ultraviolet (UV) times of the day. It is paramount that teachers have knowledge and understanding of UV to effectively protect themselves and their students. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effect of a short intervention on preservice teachers' sun protective…

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to distinguish pedagogies supporting critical health literacy development in adolescent populations. Specifically, for sun safety education in schools. Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws on an exploratory intrinsic case study design to qualitatively examine the learning conditions that Pre-Service…

A short series of practical classroom mathematics activities employing the use of a large and publicly accessible scientific data set are presented for use by students in years 9 and 10. The activities introduce and build understanding of integral calculus and trigonometric functions through the presentation of practical problem solving that…

Smartphones are used widely by the general public and students. They are one of the most popular and easily accessible technologies. These devices were originally designed as a means of communication. However, they have evolved into a mobile computing platform with built in sensors and the ability to access a vast number of applications. This…

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation is an important risk factor for skin cancer. The Global Solar Ultraviolet Index (UVI) was developed as a tool to visualize the amount of harmful radiation and to encourage people to use sun protection. We conducted a systematic review of the effectiveness of the UVI. We employed a comprehensive search strategy to…

In 2013, Facebook was used in learning and teaching clinical problem solving in a Pathology and a Clinical Sciences course delivered at a South Australian university. It involved first- and second-year Medical Radiation students and second-year Nursing students, Of the 152 students enrolled in the Pathology course, there were 148 students who…

A practical exercise for developing a simple cost-effective solar ultraviolet radiation dosimeter is presented for use by middle school science students. Specifically, this exercise investigates a series of experiments utilising the historical blue print reaction, combining ammonium iron citrate and potassium hexacyanoferrate to develop an…

Australia has one of the highest rates of incidence and mortality due to skin cancer in the world. Exposure to the sun also has a beneficial side. The beneficial effects are relatively few, but they are essential to a person's well being. It is well known that exposure to small amounts of UV radiation are beneficial for the human body and…

A method is described for building a cost effective digital circuit capable of monitoring the solar radiation incident upon a remote solar cell. The circuit is built in two sections, the first, digitises the analogue voltage produced by the solar cell at a remote location and transmits the received signal to the second receiver circuit which…

The article presents a technique to measure the ultraviolet index using a personal hand-held ultraviolet meter to illustrate concepts of physics. Measurements of the erythemally effective (sun-burning) direct solar beam, diffuse skylight, and total global ultraviolet irradiance are converted to daily ultraviolet index measurements. Daily…

A technique for using highlighter ink as an ultraviolet dosimeter has been developed for use by secondary school students. The technique requires the students to measure the percentage of colour fading in ink drawn onto strips of paper that have been exposed to sunlight, which can be calibrated to measurements of the ultraviolet irradiance using…

This paper attempts to unpack the teaching and learning experiences of academics and students when a new way of teaching radiation physics was introduced. In an attempt to articulate the University of Wollongong's commitment to the enhancement of the teaching/research nexus and to the development of learning communities, staff of the School of…

Podcasting is used commonly recreationally and is now increasingly used in education. The technology for podcasting is readily available, easy to use and inexpensive, making it an attractive option for providing additional flexible learning resources for students. However, little is known about how podcasts are used by students and the…

Discussed is a science project in which secondary school physics students constructed a radio telescope to use in the study of radio astronomy. (PEB)