Welcome to PHome: the home of information for all things physics at UTAS¶
This site exists to provide a one-stop shop for all things physics, including guides to administrative processes, useful information as it relates to research, learning and teaching materials and resources, help in navigating safety procedures, along with general resources to try and make life here in physics a bit easier.
What is PHome?¶
PHome is the best name I could come up with for a home for physics. Previously the site was PL&T: the Physics Learning And Teaching Hub, but it naturally grew to include more information and this is the result. If you have an idea for a better name, or any other general suggestions, please contact me so I can add it. Or better yet, add the content yourself!
From where does it come?¶
The creation of this site came about from my first teaching experience in semester two, 2021, whereby I was thrust into a teaching role but with little detail about what exactly the role involved, in that there was no documentation outlining expectations around both teaching and content, no timeline of activities, no list of methods or resources. Instead, everything runs on institutional knowledge. As someone from outside the institution, and a desire to streamline procedures and disseminate information, this site is an ever-expanding resource of things that I have learned, a repository to detail how things are currently done, and provide resources to aid with navigation of the system.
What is here?¶
In the first instance, the bulk of materials are items that are pertinent to starting at UTAS, teaching a course at UTAS, and a suite of resources to help with implementing modern aids to help with teaching, research, and administration. Beyond the existing content, I want to have a space for documenting systems and tools that have proven worthwhile in my adventures at UTAS, hopefully helping others on the way.
How do I use what is here?¶
Information on course structure, what are expectations, and how to be navigate specific problems should be consumed in a piecemeal fashion, that is to say as needed; however, there is a fair bit of content relating to developing teaching materials and practises, which are probably best used through example. To expand, it is probably best to see a demonstration a tool or method, either through in-person discussion or linked examples, and then treat the content here as a "how-to" guide. There is also a resource library, which can be scanned for ideas and inspiration.
If you are new to UTAS and someone has directed you to this site, I would suggest starting here.
Salt advised
This site is written, curated, and supported by me and consequently, it is chock-full of my anecdotal experience, my biases, and opinions. I hope the site is a useful resource, but given I have taken the time to prepare it, please refrain from non-constructive complaints about its content. I would encourage anyone to provide ideas, feedback, and corrections. Moreover, I am all about using and following best-practice educational tools and techniques, but ensure to prepare a decent case in order to challenge my thinking when it comes to methods about which I have spent much time researching and developing.