Thursday, July 16, 2015

OP-TEC Free Faculty Course in Fundamentals of Light and Lasers



Self-paced online course opens August 1!
The National Center for Optics and Photonic Education (OP-TEC), is a National Science Foundation (NSF) National Center of Excellence with the mission of promoting photonics education and assisting colleges around the United States in developing and implementing educational programs that support expansion of this critical technology.

OP-TEC offers a hybrid, online faculty development course in optics and photonics. This Open Entry/Open Exit course has been developed for faculty whose schedules demand a more flexible course timeline. It is perfect for busy faculty who might have difficulty keeping up with weekly assignments in a "scheduled" course, but who would have a period or periods of time during the semester or school year that would allow them to complete assignments and exams independently and at their own pace. It is also an excellent opportunity for junior faculty, adjunct faculty, and lab technicians who may need to prepare to teach a college level or dual credit introductory photonics, optics, or lasers course.

This online course is being offered at no charge to U.S. high school, community college and technical college faculty interested in teaching a basic photonics course.

The course will cover OP-TEC's Fundamentals of Light and Lasers, 2nd Ed. (2013) text. Modules Include: Nature and Properties of Light, Optical Handling and Positioning, Light Sources and Laser Safety, Basic Geometrical Optics, Basic Physical Optics, and Principles of Lasers. Supplementary videos and tutorials are available for enrolled instructors.

The course is facilitated by an instructor experienced in teaching photonics concepts at the college level and will require a high level of independent self-paced instruction. The six modules will be completed online and through email with the instructor. Though this course is self-paced, participants must pass all six End of Module tests by May 31, 2016 to be eligible to attend the Capstone Laboratory Experience or receive a certificate of completion.

Hands-on Capstone Laboratory Experience: After successful completion of all six modules by May 31, 2016, participants will be invited to participate in a 3-day hands-on Capstone Laboratory Experience at an OP-TEC partner college. The June 2016 capstone will provide participants the opportunity to conduct most of the laboratory experiments included in the course and discuss with experienced instructors best practices for teaching the materials. Capstone dates and travel information will be provided to enrolled faculty in January 2016.

Certificate of Completion & CEUs: Participants who successfully complete the online course and the 3-day hands-on laboratory session will receive a certificate of completion from OP-TEC and may apply for CEUs from an OP-TEC partner college. Participants who successfully complete the online portion of the course only, will receive a certificate of completion for the online portion.

Cost: No tuition or materials fees! Participants will be responsible for travel, lodging, and some meals to attend the 3-day lab session in June 2016.

Click here for more information and to apply online!

Questions? Click here to e-mail us!

NSF/ATE National Center of Excellence

OP-TEC National Center for Optics and Photonics Education | 316 Kelly Drive | Waco | TX | 76710

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