Design of a Teaching/Learning Sequence on Surface Phenomena in Liquids for University Education

The physics of surface phenomena in liquids encompasses a wide range of topics, many of which are often underexplored or overlooked in school and university curricula. In this paper, we present and examine elements of a Teaching/Learning Sequence (TLS) on surface phenomena in liquids designed specifically for university students. This TLS was developed by reconstructing the scientific content based on observations gathered from a pilot trial of two previous TLSs on the same topic. In this updated TLS that we call TLS 2.0, students take a more active role in knowledge construction: they are more extensively involved in modeling activities through computer-based simulations compared to the prior trial. This approach aims to assess how greater student participation in modeling activities and simulations can support and enhance scientific learning.