About
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Open Physics Ed is a collaborative, open-source initiative dedicated to creating accessible, high-quality, and modern educational resources for physics and computational science. Our mission is to lower barriers to learning by providing free, open, and adaptable materials for students, educators, and lifelong learners everywhere.
Our Mission
- Accessibility: We are committed to making all resources usable by everyone, including those with disabilities, and available in a variety of formats (HTML, PDF, Markdown, LaTeX, Jupyter, and more).
- Openness: All materials are open source and free to use, modify, and distribute. We believe in challenging the corporate control of educational resources and supporting equitable access for all.
- Collaboration: Anyone can contributeāstudents, educators, developers, and the broader community. Pull requests and suggestions are always welcome.
- Simplicity: Our sites and materials are intentionally simple, plain, and easy to use, modify, and distribute. This ensures broad compatibility and accessibility.
Who We Are
Open Physics Ed is organized by Danny Caballero, a professor of physics and computational science at Michigan State University, with contributions from students, colleagues, and the wider open education community. The project is inspired by years of teaching, learning, and collaborating with others who share a passion for open, equitable education.
Our Projects
- Modern Classical Mechanics: The first major course site in the Open Physics Ed family, providing interactive, accessible resources for teaching and learning classical mechanics. Visit Modern Classical Mechanics
- Future Courses: Open Physics Ed is designed to organize and support efforts across many classes and topics. Modern Classical Mechanics is just the beginningāmore courses and resources are coming soon.
Philosophy & Design Principles
- Everything is open source and free.
- Accessibility is a priority: We follow best practices and continually improve to meet WCAG and other standards.
- Anyone can contribute: Suggest changes, add content, or improve materialsāyour input is valued.
- Simple, semantic, and accessible design: We use semantic HTML, ARIA roles, and keyboard navigation to ensure usability for all.
Accessibility Commitments
- Ongoing work to ensure all materials are accessible and usable by people with disabilities
- Keyboard navigation and screen reader compatibility
- High color contrast and readable font sizes
- Descriptive alt text and link text
- Open build process and documentation for contributors
How to Contribute
We welcome contributions from anyone interested in improving open physics education:
- Suggest new content or improvements
- Report issues or bugs
- Review or submit pull requests
- Add new activities, simulations, or resources
- Help improve accessibility and design
You can contribute by creating an issue or pull request on our GitHub repository.
Contact & Community
Open Physics Ed is open source and always evolving. Join us in building a more accessible, equitable future for physics education.