Nuclear Energy Virtual Trip

Over the past two weeks I have developed a Nuclear Energy Virtual Trip project for use in my Physics 30 course. Students benefit from the visual and spatial impact this Google Earth virtual trip as they “visit” global examples of the six most common types of land-based nuclear reactors used for power production. At each stop on the trip, students learn about the basics of the reactor (location, production, fuel, coolant and moderator). Students then research and add further information about each reactor by leaving a comment via an embedded Voicethread on the Google Earth placemark.

There are two instructional goals for virtual trip. The first goal is that students will understand that different cultures have developed different kinds of reactors depending on the choice of fuel, coolant and moderator. The second goal is that students will be able to explain what concerns emerge as a result of the use of nuclear energy.

Prior to this project, students will have learned about the topics of fission and fusion, the details of how Canadian Deuterium Uranium Reactors (CANDU) work and the many benefits of using nuclear energy for power production. By having this foundational knowledge, students are more likely to assimilate and synthesize the content. They can gain deeper respect for the similarities and differences of nuclear reactors used worldwide.

At the end of the virtual tour, students are assigned to research and write about worldwide nuclear energy accidents and begin reflecting on the ethics of using nuclear energy. This Nuclear Energy Virtual Trip project also begins to prepare students for the following course assignment, the Nuclear Energy Dialectic Poster Project.

The Nuclear Energy Virtual Trip provides students with an opportunity to see that different countries use nuclear energy for power production but may produce it with a different type of nuclear reactor getting different results. Prior to this trip students are often aware of the basic ethics of using nuclear energy, but often do not realize that these issues and debates happen worldwide. This virtual field trip helps students to understand that this is a global issue and gives a further purpose for their learning this content.