Curriculum Programme

Nuffield Advanced Physics

Organisers
Paul Black and Jon Ogborn (1960s and 1970s)
John Harris (1980s)
Mary Whitehouse (1990s)

Aims
As the organizers point out, the making of a curriculum begins and ends with judgements of value. In constructing the course, they asked themselves what it was that they valued most among the many things which a person might be led to know, to feel, to understand, or to experience.

One of their principles was to sacrifice a wide acquaintance with many ideas for a deeper understanding of a few ideas.

They set out to build a course that could reveal the structure of physics: the kinds of arguments physicist use, and the kinds of problems they tackle.

The team wanted young people to become more thoughtful. They pointed out that, in physics, the ability to think effectively depends on having some rather definite skills and knowledge, including some mathematical understanding.

The team also believed that it was important that the course should show that physics is useful, and should illustrate the kinds of impact which discoveries in physics have had on the way people live.

Novel features
Originally the course included a unit featuring a systems approach to electronics to allow students to do some engienering of their own.

The unit about electromagnetic waves ended with a brief look at relativity - partly for interest, and partly to show how new and fundamental questions can arise from seemingly innocent ideas.

The unit about 'Change and chance' was based on a creative approach to statistical thermodynamics presented, with the help of computer simulations on film, in wasy that used very little mathematics.

The unit on waves and particles hinted, towards the end, at the scope of wave mechanics.

Assessment
The team worked with the then Oxford & Cambridge Board to come up with a subtle assessment scheme, well-matched to the aims of the course. Assessment items included coded answer, short answer, long answer and comprehension questions. The practical exam was a clever circus of short tasks (new each year) to test intellectual and hands-on skills.

About ten per cent of the teaching time was set aside for two, individual investigations - one in each year of the course. Only the second was asssessed.

Publications
There were many publications in the first edition (1971), including one small students book and a teachers' guide for each of the ten units.

The main feature of the student books was the questions. Lots of them. Answers were provided too. Each guide included some readings but little or no exposition.

The second edition (1985) rationalised the publications, providing one student guide for each year of the course. The guides offered more help to students. As well as questions there were now summaries, readings and laboratory notes to support practical work.

Impact
Nuffield Advanced Physics was challenging and only adopted by 16% of schools and colleges at its height.

The work done on 'Change and chance' for Nuffield Physics was deleted from the second edition, but adapted and taken up by Nuffield Advanced Chemistry under the slogan 'Molecules don't care'. This approach was subsequently adopted by Salters Advanced Chemistry as well.

The Nuffield Curriculum Centre ‘passed the baton’ to a well-funded new project set up by the Institute of Physics in the 1990s. Jon Ogborn, one of the two leading organisers of Nuffield Advanced Physics, directed the Institute of Physics project Advancing Physics. The last Nuffield Physics examination was in 2001. Towards the end about 4500 candidates sat the examinations each year.