ICUPE: Sample Class Descriptions

Sample classes will be presented during the ICUPE each day in the late afternoon. Each class will be given once. Because most classes have limited enrollment, we ask that you complete and return the Sign-up Form as soon as possible. When you check in for the conference, we will let you know which classes you will attend.

The column "Class type" describes what kind of class is being presented. Possible types include:

Lecture: The class can be presented in a typical lecture hall with a large number of students.
Workshop/Studio: The class can be presented in a lab-like classroom setting in which students work in groups and (usually) have access to computer equipment.
Lab: The class can be presented in a lab-like classroom setting in which students work in groups and may have access to standard physics laboratory equipment.
Individual access: Students can participate in this class from their own computer by networking. No classroom space is required.

The column Class size limit refers to the maximum number of participants that will be able to take this sample class at ICUPE.

The column Resources needed indicates the resources required to deliver a similar class at your own institution.

Detailed Description of Sample Classes at ICUPE

1: Active Learning in Lectures using Interactive Demonstrations

Developers: D. Sokoloff, U. of Oregon; P. Laws, Dickinson; R. Thornton, Tufts
Audience: Calculus- or algebra-based introductory physics course
Class type: Lecture
Class size limit: 120
Description: Shows how interactive demonstrations can be used in a lecture class to help students successfully build good concepts and correct mental models.
Resources needed: Lecturer. Computer with interface for MBL, large screen display.

2: Constructing Physics Understanding in a Computer Supported learning Environment

Developer: Fred Goldberg, San Diego State
Audience: Preservice elementary & middle school science teachers, introductory physics courses.
Class type: Workshop/studio
Class size limit:24
Description: The goal of the class is to help students individually, in small groups, and as a whole class to develop for themselves powerful ideas that can explain a wide range of physics phenomena. The unit begins with the instructor leading a whole-class discussion to elicit students' initial ideas about a range of phenomena. Then students, working in small groups and guided by computer software, test their own ideas, modify them, and develop ideas that make sense to them. These are then shared with the entire class in a "consensus discussion" led by the instructor. Students then apply the consensus ideas to a wide variety of novel situations
Resources needed:Instructor and assistant. One computer with C-ROM per 3 students, computer projection equipment, TV & VCR.

3. Cooperative Group Problem Solving

Developer: Patricia Heller, U. of Minnesota
Audience:Calculus-based introductory physics.
Class type: Lab.
Class size limit: 24
Description:The purpose of the laboratory is to build students' problem-solving skills and to confront students' misconceptions. Emphasizes context-rich problems and cooperative group dynamics.
Resources needed:Instructor. Laboratory room with standard physics lab equipment.

4. CyberProf: A Hands-on Tutorial

Developers: A. Hubler, J. Libson, U. of Illinois at Urbana
Audience: Calculus-based introductory physics.
Class type: Lecture.
Class size limit: 15
Class Description: This class promotes active learning by bringing the world wide web into the lecture hall. Students can immediately see how the principles they are learning are being applied by active scientists to real-world projects.
Resources needed: Lecturer. Computer with internet connection and projection equipment.

5. Demonstration of the CUPLE Physics Studio Experience

Developers: Jack Wilson, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York
Audience: Calculus-based introductory physics.
Class type: Workshop/studio
Class size limit: 30
Class Description: Lectures are replaced by a studio environment in which students work in groups with multi-media computers, MBL equipment, and theoretical modeling tools )spreadsheets and symbolic manipulators). Classes combine small lecture segments, group work, problem solving, and class discussion in a highly effective concept-building and cooperative-learning environment.
Resources needed: Instructor and 2 assistants. Computer with MBL per 2 or 3 students, standard physics lab equipment.

6. Demystifying Quantum Physics: Feynman's Simple QED

Developer: Edwin Taylor, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
Audience: Introductory quantum mechanics.
Class type: Individual access.
Class size limit: 30
Class Description: This class is a remote-internet class on the subject of quantum mechanics. Computer tools are used to display the basic concepts using the Feynman path integral method, allowing the student to struggle with the central features and absurdities of quantum mechanics. Students obtain access both to the instructor and the class materials on their own schedule using the internet. The course is appropriate for anyone who has had introductory physics plus a smidgen of calculus. (At ICUPE the sample will be presented in a classroom at a fixed time.)
Resources needed: Instructor. Computer with internet access for each student.

7. Integrating Theory & Experiment in Lecture Using Desktop Experiments

Developers: Bruce Sherwood, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania Ruth Chabay, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Audience: Calculus-based introductory physics.
Class type: Lecture.
Class size limit: 120
Class Description: This class focuses on concept building through integrating theory and small desktop experiments performed by the students in a regular large lecture setting. Class size limit: None. Resources needed: Lecturer. Standard physics demonstration equipment (this particular class uses E&M materials).
Resources needed: Computer with projection equipment.

8. Learning Cycle Physics for Future Teachers

Developer: Dean Zollman, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas
Audience: Prospective science teachers.
Class type: Lab
Class size limit: 30
Class Description: Based on a constructivist approach, Learning Cycles uses self-paced exploration and application activities which rely on simple equipment and multimedia. In this sample, participants will explore the properties of a device used to see if infrared-emitting devices are working, then they will apply the information to light sticks which emit light with no apparent external energy source.
Resources needed:Instructor and two assistants. Standard physics lab equipment.

9. Mathematical Tutorials in Introductory Physics

Developers: Edward Redish, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland Michael Wittmann, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
Audience: Calculus-based introductory physics.
Class type: Studio/workshop. Class
Class size limit: 24
Description: A supplement to McDermott's "Tutorials in Introductory Physics". One-hour guided discovery sessions are meant to replace recitations in large lecture classes. Units focus on building students' mathematical insights and skills in a physics context. Makes use of typical studio equipment including video analysis and MBL.
Resources needed: Instructor and assistant. Computer with MBL per 3 or 4 students.

10. Modeling Instruction in Physics: Methods of Teaching Physics

Developers: David Hestenes, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona Larry Dukerich, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
Audience: Prospective and current high school science teachers.
Class type: Workshop/studio. Class
Class size limit: 30
Description: Introduces research-based teaching methods; in particular, the Modeling Method. This method emphasizes using a variety of tools to build conceptual and theoretical models of how the physical world works. Improves the content knowledge of teachers and updates them in the use of computers as laboratory instruments.
Resourcesneeded: Instructor and assistant. Standard physics lab equipment.

11. Peer Instruction: Getting Student to Think in Class

Developer: Eric Mazur, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Audience: Calculus- and algebra-based introductory physics.
Class type: Lecture
Class size limit: 120
Class Description: Lectures are broken into 12-minute-long sections. Each sections starts with about 7 minutes of lecturing on one of the fundamental concepts to be covered. This mini-lecture is then followed by a ConceptTest—a short multiple-choice question that tests the students' understanding. After one minute the students record an answer on their student input devices and are then asked to turn to their neighbors to try and convince them of their answers. This inevitably leads to animated discussions. After another minute or so, the students are asked to reconsider their answer and record it again. A poll is taken so the instructor can decide whether to move on to the next concept, or to continue on the same. This process repeats until the end of the class.
Resources needed: Lecturer. Student input device available from Better Education, Inc. and computer interface.

12. Physics by Inquiry

Developers: Lillian McDermott, Peter Shaffer, Stamatis Vokos, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Audience: Prospective and current science teachers.
Class type: Lab
Class size limit: 32
Class Description: Physics by Inquiry is a set of laboratory-based modules that provide a step-by-step introduction to physics. Starting from their own observations, students develop basic physical concepts, use and interpret different forms of scientific representations, and construct explanatory models with predictive capability. All the modules have been designed to develop scientific reasoning skills and to provide practice in relating scientific concepts to real world phenomena.
Resources needed: Instructor and one or two assistants. Standard physics laboratory equipment.

13. Physics in Context

Developers: Larry Coleman, University of Arkansas, LittleRock, Arkansas; David Griffith, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
Audience: Calculus-based introductory physics
Class type: Lecture
Class size limit:120
Class Description: The class will illustrate our use of an "initial calculation" to provide a first-day context within which the rest of the unit will be developed. The use of real data from the internet will be illustrated during the class, as well as how a simple at-home or in-lab experiment can be used to develop some of the ideas in the lecture. Specifically, we will calculate the temperature of the Earth using the Stefan-Boltzmann Law and the solar constant, showing the effect of clouds and discussing the relation to global warming and the greenhouse effect. The lab experiment will be used to measure the temperature of the Sun's surface using simple store-bought materials in a kind of working backwards of the calculation.
Resources needed: Lecturer. Computer with internet connection, CD-ROM and projection equipment.

14. Powerful Ideas in Physics

Developer:John Layman, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
Audience: Prospective science teachers.
Class type: Workshop/studio. Class
Class size limit: 30
Class Description: Students learn physics by the inquiry method working in small groups. General questions lead students to formulate their own hypotheses, questions, and experiments. Computer equipment with MBL allows easy access to good data. The instructor offers guidance in helping the students come up with explanations and answers on their own.
Resources needed: Instructor and assistant. Standard physics laboratory equipment. Computer with MBL per 4 students.

15. Promoting Active Learning in Large Classes Using a Classroom Communication System

Developer: Jose Mestre, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts
Audience: Introductory physics
Class type: Lecture
Class size limit: 30
Class Description: By using a student response device, feedback between the lecturer and the class can be dramatically improved. This can be used to show how well students actually understand the concepts being taught and can dramatically improve the quality of the course.
Resources needed: Lecturer. Student input device available from Better Education, Inc. and computer interface.

16. RealTime Physics

Developers: Ronald Thornton, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts David Sokoloff, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
Audience: Calculus-based introductory physics.
Class type: Lab
Class size limit: 24
Class Description: RealTime Physics is a laboratory-style class using computers to emphasize concepts along with mathematical function understanding. Students are guided and collaborate to discover concepts for themselves.
Resources needed: Instructor and assistant. One computer with MBL per 3 students.

17. Six Ideas that Shaped Physics

Developer: Thomas Moore, California Polytechnic Institute, Pomona, California
Audience: Calculus-based introductory physics.
Class type: Small class
Class size limit: 35
Class Description: This course is designed to teach physics concepts and problem solving skills by helping students to organize concepts logically and by giving them explicit instruction in model-building and problem solving.
Resources needed: Instructor and 2 assistants. Computer with projection equipment.

18. Tutorials in Introductory Physics

Developers: Lillian McDermott, Stamatis Vokos, Peter Shaffer, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Audience: Calculus- and algebra-based introductory physics.
Class type: Lab. Class
Class size limit: 32
Description: Tutorials are intended to supplement the lecture and textbook of a standard introductory physics course. The materials are designed to address specific difficulties that students have in learning physics. The purpose of tutorials is to engage students at a sufficiently deep intellectual level to develop a functional understanding of certain important concepts.
Resources needed: Instructor and assistant. Standard physics laboratory equipment, computers needed on some of the units.

19. WorkshopPhysics

Developer: Priscilla Laws, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Audience: Calculus- or algebra-based introductory physics course.
Class type: Workshop/studio
Class size limit: 24
Class Description: Workshop Physics replaces the normal lecture and lab sessions by a unified guided discovery lab session. Students work in groups with computers and MBL equipment. The sample class will illustrate WP in a class in which a chaotic mechanical system is used in an engineering physics class to provide a capstone experience for classical mechanics.
Resources needed: One instructor and two assistants. Standard physics lab equipment. computer with MBL per 3 students.

20. Using Interactive Simulations for Conceptual Development and Problem Solving

Developer: Alan van Heuvelen, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Audience: Introductory physics with problem solving.
Class type: Lecture
Class size limit: 120
Class Description: Uses an interactive C-ROM to build conceptual development and problem solving abilities in students in a large lecture environment.
Resources needed: Lecturer. Computer with CD-ROM and projection equipment.

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