out-of-office office hours

I plan to have my office in the "learning connections" space in the library

• Goal is to lower any perceived barrier to coming to a Prof's office
  
• It is centrally located
• It is close to a nice coffee bar, so I can get a decent coffee
• There is plenty of space
• Good wireless connection

We'll see how it goes

multiple attempts at problem-sets

For the weekly problem-sets, let students have two attempts, and count the maximum score as the score. Last year, I used the average score, but using the maximum may encourage more student learning, i.e. add motivation to have a 2nd attempt.

One possibility is to compare number of second attempts from year to year, see if it changes

Craig

adding photo :)

Building connected understanding

I am keen to help students develop a stronger connected understanding during the semester. To help with this

• multifaceted problems
• concept maps after these problems
• exams that are always comprehensive, i.e. the 2nd mid-term exam assesses all the knowledge that has been worked on to that point
• allow students multiple chances for a student to demonstrate their understanding
• score for the three exams will be the highest score from the following options
• 45% via only the final, i.e. the first two exams don’t contribute. This will help students who develop a stronger understanding towards the end of the semester
• 25% via the final, 20% from the 2^nd mid-term, i.e. the 1^st mid-term does not count
  
• 25% via the final, 20% from the 1^st mid-term, i.e. the 2^nd mid-term does not count
  
• 17% via the final, 14% from the 1^st mid-term, 14% from the 1^st mid-term

Making the class seem smaller

I've been thinking about how to make the large-class seem smaller.

• recitations are key, small group of 24 students, led by TA
  
• create webCT team for each recitation
• use weekly discussion board for each recitation, facilitated by TA
• attendance policy: always a tricky decision, since the students are adults, and lives are complicated.
  
• to pass the class, must attend at least 6 recitation sessions
  

starting to think about Spring08

I'm starting to think about how to have multiple communication channels with students who take my physics course;

• Already have a discussion board
• Starting this blog so students can see how the course is developing, so I can be transparent about my goals and aspirations for their learning. Also to get feedback
• I have also created a facebook account so that students can post questions on my wall
• the idea is that it might be easier for students to ask a question from the space they are always at