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Dr John Debs, Senior Lecturer with the Research School of Physics and Engineering and Founder and Director of ANUMakerSpace, has been awarded the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) Education Medal, the first time a member of ANU has received this recognition. The AIP Education Medal recognises outstanding contributions to tertiary physics education in Australia.   

John has been recognised for his instrumental work "in the design and implementation of the Mike Gore Centre for Physics Education at ANU, comprising innovative learning spaces, most significantly the transformative 'ANU MakerSpace'. Born out of a physics approach, the ANU MakerSpace has influenced students and staff across ANU, leading to changes in pedagogy, and unique interdisciplinary experiences for a growing membership of now over 2400 people."  

John said he was honoured by the recognition.  

"I am absolutely delighted and honoured! My approach is/was pretty radical when I started 10 years ago - especially for physics education. To have our professional body recognise this work and see the value in taking such an approach to education further validates that it's worth investing the significant time it takes to change the way we teach at universities. It means that I can continue to share this approach with conviction and encourage colleagues around the world to try and teach physics in this way.   

"I'm especially excited about sharing my work at the AIP Congress in December and in an upcoming article for the AIP Magazine. I'm also especially proud to be the first member of ANU to receive the medal."  

In his time at ANU, John has changed the way physics is taught, taking lessons beyond the textbook using innovative teaching strategies like hands-on challenges to teach students to 'think like a physicist'.  

We recently interviewed John to learn more about his unique approach to physics education and what makes the ANU MakerSpace such an asset to the ANU community.  

How do you teach students to 'think like a physicist'?   

The stereotype of physics and physics education is that it's all about the math - learning a bunch of equations and solving them by working through textbook problems. And unfortunately, there are large parts of Australia and indeed the world where this is the norm of how Physics is taught.  

Physics at is core is about making observations of our world and producing models or theories that help explain and predict it. These models lead to deeper understanding, better technology, and better tests of those models. They advance society and knowledge. Of course, the maths is important as it allows us to quantify our theories of the universe, but "thinking like a physicist" is really about making models, doing estimates, being critical, and importantly, building systems that help us test and measure if those models are correct.   

I would argue most children are born scientists, with a curious mind and an interest in breaking things apart to help understand them. So my goal, especially with our first-years, is to teach them these skill sets of critical thinking, model building, and estimation. To help them understand there isn't always one right answer, or one way to solve a problem. Most physics-trained people end up working outside of physics or physics-research, and it's because these skills are highly transferrable. Many people think like a physicist but aren't necessarily physicists!   

You were recognised for the innovative way you approached physics education at ANU. What makes your approach unique? What methods have you found to be the most successful?   

We really flipped the typical approach to university STEM courses on its head. Rather than tell students what our best models of the world are using lectures, we try to help students discover and verify those models with hands-on challenges. This is based on the experience of doing experimental research where you don't always know where to start, and you often start with observation. It's how many of our PhD students learn.   

I focus my courses on a 'lab', which gives students a challenge each week, but without an instruction manual like most undergraduate labs. For example, we might give students a battery, a magnet, a wire, and a screw, and challenge them to make a motor with these 4 objects, and measure/estimate its speed. Supported by some basic concepts and group of agile tutors, student then tinker, test, and play until they find a solution that works.   

These solutions usually spread around the room and there is an air of excitement. Then everyone is motivated to try and understand why it works at all, how it changes if you flip the magnet around, etc. We are essentially mimicking a research environment in small, constrained, weekly projects.   

In many ways, our role as educators is to inspire and motivate learning. We never really 'teach' anyone, but rather put them in a situation where they are motivated to connect the dots themselves. Those 'ah ha' moments are really what teaching is all about. I think my approach has been successful because people are motivated by the challenge, and ownership of their project. Students have designed their own experiment or solution and want to see it through. They have memorable moments that leads to better retention and better understanding.   

We then marry these experiences with diverse and novel assessment. Some of it is familiar - like textbook problems. Others encourage creativity, like student produced videos that highlight their process and learnings in the class. We even take our exams to a radical level and design them so that students need internet access to complete them. This better simulates the real world where they might need to do some research to find the answer to a problem. The exam is tough, but worth much less than typical science exams, and thus with reduced pressure, students find it challenging but rewarding.   

What is the ANU MakerSpace? What does it offer students and the wider ANU community?   

Among other terms, my approach to teaching can be called project-based learning. People are motivated by their projects and often can surprise themselves with what they are able to teach themselves. This is something that can be common in some disciplines, but often isn't in science - at least not until later year research projects.   

Another aspect that we sometimes lack in STEM education is diverse perspectives from people with different disciplines and backgrounds. When I took over the Foundations of Physics unit in 2012, I had the benefit of having a diverse cohort of students. But we didn't have anywhere on campus where people from even broader backgrounds could interact and solve problems together. Where a first year might meet a postdoc and learn about what they are working on. Where an artist could share their practice with an electronics engineer. I have always seen value in engaging broadly, and while I could share these perspectives with my physics students, I felt we needed a place on campus for people all kinds of people from ANU to come and solve problems related to anything from their own research to education, to personal projects. 

I would say we have more than achieved our mission statement. So, the ANU MakerSpace really is for anyone at ANU. Everyone is a maker, even if they don't yet identify as one. Some people cook, some people write poetry, some people knit, and some people build high precision sensors. All are forms of making. Making is fundamentally human, and I'd encourage everyone to come check us out.   

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