It is a challenge to have more contact with students when there are approximately 500 young people taking the class.
One small thing that I do is after the 2nd exam. Exams are stressful moments in a course. Before the exams I organize review sessions etc., but after the exam I look at how each student did in the 2nd exam compared to the first exam. I contact each student (via email) who noticeably did much better in the 2nd exam compared to the first and congratulate them. I also contact students who scored noticeably worse on the 2nd exam and offer to meet to plan how they/we can help.
Students reply to me after these emails, generally appreciative, and I have now approximately a dozen one-on-one meetings scheduled.
The core idea is that if I was teaching a class of 20 students, I would be able to walk up and congratulate the students who improved, or quietly talk to those who did not do so well. In a class size of 500, it is harder to achieve this level of personal contact, but it is still possible, and it is still important or perhaps more so.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
mid-semester modeling projects
The projects are a highlight of the course for me and from anecdotal conversations, also for many of the students. The stated goal is for students to increase their analysis skills by taking some device they encounter regularly and model its behavior. To do this you have to analyze the science that underpins how the device works, figure out what level of detail is vital to calculate the performance, and what can be safely ignored.
The projects this year ranged from calculating how far you needed to place apart tornado sirens, to how heating depended on location in a microwave, to the time it takes to cook a pizza in an oven that cooks on both sides. For the latter project, the students made contact with engineers in the company which, last I heard, might lead to an internship.
I think part of the success of the projects is that it gives students choice, it provides room for creativity, and it is a welcome break from much of the standard work students do in the first few years at university.
Big picture: these projects help develop analysis skills that are key goals for higher education.
I plan to put together a student satisfaction survey of these projects, with perhaps some emphasis on what parts of the experience did they find most beneficial. This might lead to a publication to help disseminate the idea, but where? Self-reports may not be as good as some pre-post comparison of student analysis skills. But that study is not feasible at this point
The projects this year ranged from calculating how far you needed to place apart tornado sirens, to how heating depended on location in a microwave, to the time it takes to cook a pizza in an oven that cooks on both sides. For the latter project, the students made contact with engineers in the company which, last I heard, might lead to an internship.
I think part of the success of the projects is that it gives students choice, it provides room for creativity, and it is a welcome break from much of the standard work students do in the first few years at university.
Big picture: these projects help develop analysis skills that are key goals for higher education.
I plan to put together a student satisfaction survey of these projects, with perhaps some emphasis on what parts of the experience did they find most beneficial. This might lead to a publication to help disseminate the idea, but where? Self-reports may not be as good as some pre-post comparison of student analysis skills. But that study is not feasible at this point
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