Introduce quantum mechanics in a very qualitative way, so they don’t get worried about it in a big way or worry about the mathematical treatments. Introduce just the big thing that it can tell us, but not be too concerned about the details. The ideas that flow from the qualitative concept are very important, but the mathematical treatment is not so important to them at that stage.
Use things from everyday life. Things that they’re going to be interested in - solar energy, or designer drugs. So it’s mixing up a bit of everyday life with things that make up the interests of the majority of the students and that they are going to find fits with their future studies.
Rather than focusing on techniques, you need to look at the big picture - a holistic big picture of the analytical approach. That’s not going to change, but over time the techniques do change. For example, radiological techniques such as scintillation counters are not used much anymore.
