Abstract

When there is a scarcity in equipment for teaching optics, some alternative way should be found to maintain the students’ ability to cope with practical situations. It is assumed that creativity and innovative attitude may help them derive solution of real problems.

In our department, optics is taught through lectures and through a thesis for students choosing optics as their final project. Topics of the thesis are selected such that no delicate equipment is needed yet important principles of optics are involved.

For the lecture, special assignment related to patents is given. In one type of the assignment, each student is required to find a patented invention in optics and to formulate any thinkable improvement or modification of the invention. In another type, each student is asked to study several patents about a certain subject in optics and then to propose his own invention.

© 2001 Optical Society of America