Abstract

An interdisciplinary curriculum in electro-optics was recently developed and implemented in a leading high school. This unique three-year program integrates optics and electronics and is designed to enhance students’ interest in these areas. The study described here characterized the changes during the course of the school year in the attitudes towards the program and towards future pursuit of physics and engineering of fourteen 12^th grade students. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Research findings reveal a considerable improvement in students’ attitudes towards interdisciplinary studying of optics and electronics. The research also indicates that in addition to an increase in the students’ interest in the program, their desire to continue with more advanced studies in these fields increased as well.

© 2013 OSA, SPIE, IEEE, ICO