All set?

Every thing seems to be set for the first lecture tomorrow: TAs have been given an intro, the lecture and demos are set, the first problem-sets are online, webCT course has been "released" to the students, the clicker infrastructure is set, and the first tutorial is almost ready.

As always before the first lecture I'm excited and nervous to meet the students...

text-book at book-store

Despite my best efforts to have a sig/note at the university bookstore that students could use Edition 11 or 12, apparently there is no indication to the students about this.... I'll try to track it down on Monday. I hope some students have not bought Ed 12 when they already had a copy of Ed 11.

supporting the TAs

I'm getting ready for a series of meetings with the new TAs. The TAs are in the best position to help students learn, so the more I can do to help the TAs, the better the course will go.

Key is trying to get the TAs to understand the big-goals of the course, building links between qualitative. and quantitative work and developing problem-solving skills. Crucial is for TAs to understand that students must explicitly struggle with these issues and TA role is to promote students resolving their own difficulties. Providing suggestions or direct help, will produce only short term gains

struggling with webCT

I'm testing all the components of the new webCT

1. the calendar tool does not automatically put an event for when problem-sets are due instead the calendar event is listed as when the problem-set starts. I posted a request for help to Ask Dr C, webCT's help board
2. the discussion boards were very cumbersome to setup for each recitation, hence I reverted to one discussion board per problem set
3. I was not able to find a way for the students to document they have done the pre-lab. To make sure these are not dropped from student's radar screens, I'm making them as compulsory as the labs to pass the course
   

revising lectures

It is now just a week away till the start of the course and I am beginning to go through a checklist of preparation. My goal is to have the material (lectures, problem sets, exams) prepared for a weeks ahead of when I will need them, so I can focus on the helping the students and the TAs.

Have now prepared the first 20 lectures, yeah! On Monday I will tryout the new webCT, clicker software, and review the first few problem sets