Briefing Document: Open Source Physics at Singapore (OSP@SG)

1. Introduction

This document summarizes key information about the Open Source Physics at Singapore (OSP@SG) project, a Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) initiative aimed at enhancing physics education through open educational resources. The primary source material is a webpage detailing the project and its presentation at the 2016 PS21 ExCEL Convention.

2. Core Idea & Objectives

OSP@SG is a project designed to make real-world physics concepts accessible to teachers and students, both in and out of the classroom, through the use of open source and open educational digital resources. The core objectives are:

• Accessibility and Equity: Provide "inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all" through resources that work on computers and mobile devices, making them accessible "anytime, anywhere."
• Complementing Real-Life Experiments: The resources are intended to complement, not replace, hands-on experiments, offering interactive visualizations.
• Pedagogical Innovation: Emphasize "mathematical modelling" where students' mathematical ideas can be tested against real-life and simulated data. This is described as "pedagogical innovation" by UNESCO.
• Open Source & Collaboration: Promote the sharing and adaptation of resources, with the source codes openly available so they can be remixed, redistributed, and repurposed under Creative Commons licenses.

3. Key Themes & Concepts

• Open Educational Resources (OER): OSP@SG heavily leverages the concept of OER, providing digital tools that are freely available and modifiable. The project encourages users to "remix, redistribute the customized or re-purpose resources."
• Student-Centric Learning: The project promotes "student-centric pedagogy where students learn to experiment like real life scientists using modelling and simulation." Students can "better visualise, explore and discover abstract physics concepts through manipulation and modelling techniques."
• Mathematical Modeling: A central pedagogical approach, where students' mathematical ideas are tested and compared against real-world or simulated data.
• Technology Integration: ICT plays a crucial role in "preparing our students to be Future-ready Learners" and in helping them "deepen subject mastery and develop 21st Century Competencies."
• Collaboration and Community: The program has fostered a global learning community, including experts, teachers, and students who contribute to the resources and its ongoing development. "An interest-based learning community for the OSP@SG has been formed...teachers in local schools are now taking greater ownership of the materials they author."
• Transferability: OSP@SG resources are not confined to Singapore. The project highlights the “transferability of OSP@SG is the ‘open data’ idea,” and aims to benefit learners worldwide.

4. Functionality and Features

• Interactive Simulations & Models: The OSP@SG website provides access to over 300 open source and open educational digital resources, including JavaScript-based simulations and models covering a broad range of physics topics. These resources are accessible through mobile browsers and can also be downloaded via apps and e-books.
• Mathematical Modeling Functionality: The simulations allow students to test their mathematical models and compare the results to real-life data or simulations.
• Source Code Access: For more advanced users, the project emphasizes that “source codes” are freely accessible, allowing for modification and repurposing of the resources.
• Variety of Formats: The resources include a wide variety of formats, including JavaScript applets, HTML5 models, ebooks and apps on both Android and Apple app stores. The materials run on "computers and mobile devices."
• Specific examples: The materials include diverse physics topics, such as "Horizontal 3D Circular Motion of Mass on a Table," "Flight Dynamics Gimbal," "Three States of Matter," "Alternating Current AC Generator", "Magnetic Field of 2 current conducting wires," "Projectile Motion Energy Model" "Kepler Orbit" "Electric Field", and "Hookes Law Model".

5. PS21 ExCEL Convention Presentation

• The OSP@SG project was presented at the 2016 PS21 ExCEL Convention, an event showcasing innovation and digital technology in the Public Service and private sectors.
• The presentation emphasized the project's accessibility, adaptability, and affordability.
• Interactive elements for the booth included demos of the website with over 300 resources, plus apps and ebooks. The convention booth allowed visitors to interact with these resources on their own mobile devices.

6. Impact and Recognition

• Positive Feedback: The project has received "positive feedback... both in Singapore and around the world."
• Global Network: It has fostered networks of educators across Southeast Asia.
• Awards: OSP@SG has received numerous awards and recognitions, including a "Ministry of Education GOLD Innergy Award 2016" as well as the "UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICTs in Education 2015-6". The awards underscore its impact and recognition in innovation in education.

7. Key Quotes

• “Open Source Physics at Singapore (OSP@SG) is a project by Singapore Ministry of Education which helps teachers bring real-world physics concepts into the classroom.”
• "The programme is innovative in that it complements real-life experiments by providing interactive resources that help visualisation."
• "The modelling tools available are free for students all over the world to access and edit. Anyone could remix, redistribute the customized or re-purpose resources under the licenses compatible with creative commons attribution."
• "The key message is ICT plays an integral role in preparing our students to be Future-ready Learners and as Future-ready Learners, students use ICT productively to deepen subject mastery and develop 21st Century Competencies."
• "OSP@SG primary objective is to provide open source and open educational digital resources that runs on computers and mobile devices, complementing real-life experiments for an “inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all.”
• “The transferability of OSP@SG is the ‘open data’ idea, where the OSP@SG activists(teachers and students) published their usable digital resources with the source codes so that anyone could remix and redistribute the customized or re-purpose resources under the licenses compatible with creative commons attribution.”

8. Conclusion

OSP@SG is an innovative project that demonstrates how open educational resources and technology can be effectively used to enhance physics education. By emphasizing accessibility, student-centric learning, mathematical modeling, and open collaboration, OSP@SG has made a significant contribution to physics education in Singapore and beyond. The project is particularly noteworthy for its commitment to open source principles, allowing for global access and adaptation of its resources.