A team of TUBAF students advised the authors of the new textbook "Elektrodynamik und Phänomenologische Thermodynamik kapieren". Graphics by a student at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences provide entertainment between electrical voltage and the theorems of thermodynamics. How do student advice and illustrations make the physics material easier to understand? And did the authors take the students' advice?
"I really appreciate that the two authors of the textbook, Professor Dirk Meyer (TUBAF) and Professor Matthias Zschornak (HTW Dresden), asked their students for feedback on the manuscript of their textbook! It shows how important it is for them to convey the content in a truely understandable way," says Niklas Stöckel, who is studying for a Master's degree in Applied Natural Sciences at TUBAF. "I am convinced that the students' perspective plays a major role. Teachers naturally know the material inside out, but students can see exactly where it is still difficult to grasp. Especially when you are just learning the material yourself, you can judge the exact wording, examples or visualisations that really help. This feedback helps to adapt the teaching content even more specifically to the learning process - and that ultimately benefits everyone who works with the book."
"The feedback sessions with the authors were always productive and although we didn't yet have an undergraduate degree - on the contrary, we were first-year students - our contribution was taken seriously and appreciated!" says TUBAF-student Samuel Schwarzenberg, describing his experiences during the unusual collaboration. He is also enroled in the Master's programme in Applied Natural Sciences, today. "The book is based at least in part on lecture notes. The content therefore corresponds to some of the physics modules here at TUBAF - that makes it a good and easy-to-understand companion for students."
Comic style provides entertainment
Multiple comic characters appear in the textbook: A squirrel becomes the star of mechanics, a mouse explains electrodynamics and a mole guides readers through thermodynamics. The witty illustrations were created by Mittweida student Franziska Thiele, who has worked with Professor Dirk Meyer on previous book projects. "The animals visualise the sometimes complex processes using simple everyday situations. When the material is translated into familiar images, it is easier to grasp. An understandable scene often sticks better than an abstract formula," explains the graphic designer, who is studying media informatics and interactive entertainment. "It was an exciting challenge to work in a technically correct and creative way at the same time!"
Thermodynamics made easy
The authors spent several months working on the textbook together with the students and the graphic designer. It is used at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg and the Dresden University of Applied Sciences in physics lectures for students at the beginning of their degree programmes in natural sciences and engineering. "The students have different prior knowledge and expectations," says Professor Dirk Meyer, who co-wrote the textbook and uses it in his lectures. "There are many established textbooks - which is one reason why we decided to take a new approach for the publication of "Elektrodynamik und Phänomenologische Thermodynamik kapieren" and its predecessor "Klassische Mechanik kapieren": We deliberately asked for the students' perspective and opened ourselves up to the outside view of graphic designer Franziska Thiele. This was not only exciting for us authors, but also seems to have inspired the target group - the e-book accompanying the textbook is now one of the top 3 most accessed e-resources of the publisher De Gruyter in Saxony. And the e-textbook "Klassische Mechanik Kapieren" was also one of the most frequently accessed e-books in the Freiberg University Library in 2024."
Students at TUBAF can obtain the two textbooks from the University Library as e-books or hardbacks.
