ETOP2019

ETOP (Education and Training in Optics and Photonics) is a biennial conference that brings together educators from around the world to share information about the practice of teaching optics at all levels. The teaching of optics and photonics, critical fields at the core of today's world-wide technological infrastructure, must continually be upgraded and renewed in order to meet the growing demands of research, science and industry.

It is the goal of this international conference to bring together leading optics and photonics educators from all levels and orientations to discuss, demonstrate and learn about new developments and approaches to teaching in these fields. Through presentations, panel discussions, workshops and exhibits, it is the intent of this conference to inform professors, students, teachers and professional trainers on how to teach optics and photonics for the future.

ETOP addresses topics at the pre-college, technician and two-year, four-year and graduate-equivalent levels. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Education and training in multidisciplinary environments
• Curriculum development and improvement in optics and photonics
  • Practical training in laboratory
  • Lecture-based learning
  • Problem-solving approaches
  • Project-based learning
  • Bringing modern optics into the classroom
  • Flipped classroom models
• Teaching with optics examples from nature
• Education and training tailored to industry needs
• Continuous education and training for academia and industry
• In-company training and internships
• Local and regional economic development through optics and photonics education and research
• Teaching optics and photonics using new technologies
• Virtual classroom and remote learning
• Training using specialized software as practical tools
• Open-source platforms and articifial intelligence tools to enhance the learning experience
• Program accreditation and evaluation
• New methods, tools, kits and models for photonic education
• Outreach education in optics and photonics
  • International Day of Light (IDL) activities and events
  • Reaching under-privileged or remote communities
  • Evaluation methods and metrics for outreach activities
• Training the teachers
• Future challenges and opportunities in education in optics and photonics