Computational Physics Education; Why, What and How?

Author: Rubin H. Landau (Oregon State University)

Abstract

Progress in developing, implementing, publishing, and refining a coherent set of education materials in computational physics education will be described. These materials form the binding for a four-year undergraduate degree program leading to a Bachelor's degree in Computational Physics. The courses and texts developed are research- and Web-rich, and culminate in an advanced computational laboratory derived from basic research. Also described will be the status of the conversion of these materials into electronic formats that may be used for online education and as electronic textbooks. The online materials are to be part of a proposed national repository of university-offered, undergraduate courses and modules in computational science gathered from various pioneering programs throughout the country, which together would cover the entire field of computational science at various levels. Prototype video-based materials and electronic books will be demonstrated.