Einsteinian Science for School Teachers

12 UWA Credit Point Course Consisting of Four Units, Starting Feb 2024

Einstein-First and Quantum Girls have created a two-part short course UWA micro-credential for primary and secondary level educators. Micro-credentials are short courses that anyone can undertake to develop the desired skills, knowledge, and experience in a given subject. These units will be fully online and suitable for participants across Australia as well as internationally. This micro-credential course was developed with the support of the Australian Government’s Microcredentials Pilot in Higher Education. The course has been developed in collaboration with the Science Teacher’s Association of Western Australia (STAWA).

These micro-credential units, created and run by the Einstein-First and Quantum Girls team, are designed for primary and secondary school teachers and other educators who want to build their knowledge of a modernised school curriculum. A curriculum which matches the modern science students see in their everyday lives.

The course is designed for those with or without an undergraduate science degree and presents the underlying concepts of modern science. These concepts are presented through simple, fun activities that use toys and models. Through these activities, you will discover that modern Einsteinian concepts of space and time, gravity, energy, and light are easy to understand and are easily taught to both primary and secondary students.

At the end of the course, you will be able to talk with your students about science topics that fascinate many of them, like black holes and quantum computers, and important issues like climate change, with quantum technology having recently been identified by the Australian Government as a key strategic industry for Australia’s future. You will be satisfied with knowing that you are giving students the best possible preparation for life in the modern world of science and technology.

The upcoming course will consist of online lectures, live tutorials, and training videos. The course will also incorporate fortnightly two-hour interactive online workshop sessions with demonstrators running through the activities live with active audience participation. This course will require a weekly commitment of 3-5 hours per week. All sessions will be recorded if you cannot attend live.

The course consists of two parts offered across first and second semester, with each part consisting of two individual six-week units.

Eligibility

There are no eligibility requirements to participate in these micro-credentials as a fee-paying participant, although participants must complete both units in Part A, or have equivalent prior experience (e.g., a Bachelor of Science majoring in physics, mathematics, and/or chemistry) before commencing units in Part B of the course.

Government-funded fee-free positions for domestic participants share the same eligibility requirements as the Australian Government’s FEE-HELP program.

Participants must also enrol in the full four-unit course and live in Australia for the majority of the course duration in order to be eligible for a fee-free position.