Gabriela Gonzalez, assistant professor of physics, looks at the results
of lab work done by Roger Wang, left, and Lindsay Anne Woods.
Photo: Greg Grieco
Gabriela Gonzalez, assistant professor of physics, looks at the results
of lab work done by Roger Wang, left, and Lindsay Anne Woods.
Photo: Greg Grieco
By Alan Janesch
Public Information
For many people, the words "college physics class" may evoke an image of an Albert Einstein look-alike in a big auditorium, with a blackboard full of complicated equations behind him and a crowd of uncomprehending students in front of him.
But at Penn State, the reality can be quite different. In "dynamic physics" classes taught in a high-ceilinged, computer- and gizmo-filled space in Osmond Laboratory, undergraduate students working in teams are learning physics through projects like:
* piloting a fire-extinguisher-powered "rocket wagon" and calculating how much friction is needed to keep it from crashing into the wall;
* using Web-based computer technology and other software to model the motion of objects ranging from medieval-style catapults to the planets, and to analyze the forces operating on amusement park rides and launching rockets; and
* working with batteries, wires, electronic elements and light bulbs to create electric circuits and discover the laws of electricity and magnetism (the basics of electronics).
Penn State faculty members teaching the courses haven't completely abandoned the lecture, but in the dynamic physics classes they generally keep them to 10 minutes in length and cover only the basic concepts the students need to do the activities. Through the activities, periodic quizzes that ensure the students are grasping the major concepts, and the faculty members' monitoring and coaching of team activities, the students learn the rest. When the students "get" the concept the activities are supposed to teach -- and figure out which equations to use and how to apply them -- you can see the light go on.
"Wow," they say. "Cool."
The classes are taught by full-time, experienced faculty members with the help of teaching assistants -- both graduate and undergraduate students. For Philip D'Ambrosio, a physics major and undergraduate teaching assistant, the success of the course was measured by the number of "aha" experiences he helped generate.
"The 'ahas' happened at least a few times each time the class met," said D'Ambrosio, who's graduating this term. "When I helped someone get the 'aha,' it was a good thing."
D'Ambrosio helped other students get the 'ahas' by being alert to the needs of the student teams and trying to teach through analogy and discussion. The class works, he said, because the students have to be engaged in the activities and can't get through the class on autopilot. To complete the activities successfully, they have to get involved and they have to split up the work with their team members.
Faculty members teaching the classes make similar observations. Vincent Crespi, an assistant professor of physics who taught this semester's mechanics course, said his students soon discovered "that they don't learn by listening, they learn by doing. In many ways the course is tough, making strong demands on the students' skills in independent learning. But the wonderful thing is that the students actually like it. They do more work, but the work feels more like fun."
Gabriela Gonzalez, an assistant professor of physics who taught electricity and magnetism this semester, said that the best thing about the class is not that the students memorize the particular physics formulas they learn. If you need a formula, you go to the book and look it up, as working physicists do. "The value of the class is in relating physical concepts to the real world," she said. "Physical laws exist in experiments, not in textbooks."
The courses Crespi and Gonzalez taught this semester were developed over the past two years by physics professor Paul Sokol and associate physics professor Nitin Samarth (who also taught a section of electricity and magnetism this semester). The courses are based on a concept of "studio physics" classes developed several years ago at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and "workshop physics" classes at Dickinson College. Updated to incorporate the results of the latest education research, the classes also take advantage of Web technology and innovative, user-friendly new software packages.
The results of their efforts are tailored carefully to the students. Sokol, who has compared test scores from students who have taken the dynamic physics version of the class with those who have taken the lecture-based version, said that the students in the dynamic physics classes do 20 percent to 60 percent better than the others.
"They're also better able to apply the knowledge they've learned," Sokol said. "They show up early for class and stay late, they have a better appreciation of the material, they learn more, and they end up not hating the subject."
To upgrade the Osmond Lab where the course is taught, the University spent thousands of dollars on renovations and computers. Some outside grant money is also supporting the courses. University leaders are so pleased with the success of the dynamic physics courses that additional funds are being allocated to the program. The additional funds will mean that all engineering and science students will be able to take the dynamic physics courses each semester.
Meteorology instructor Paul Knight, seated, and students Luis Rosa, Joe
Koval, Joshua Fox,
Hayden Frank and Brian Davey, far right, examine recent forecasts. Knight
makes
forecasts alongside teams of students, and then compares the results.
Photo: Greg Grieco
By Mary S. Risley
Special to Intercom
Teachers are generally accustomed to giving grades, not getting them. But when scores are posted in Paul Knight's "Mesoscale Forecasting" class, this instructor of meteorology's numbers are posted right alongside those of his students.
In a class designed to teach meteorology students how to better predict the weather, mesoscale forecasting is done on a regional basis the same way professionals do: by using the latest technology and working in teams.
Knight, who is Pennsylvania's state climatologist, divides his class into five-member teams that take turns being the class leaders. Before the class period, the team posts to a course Web site a variety of weather maps it has selected from the abundant sources available on the World Wide Web. The team members choose maps they believe will be most helpful in determining the weather in their selected region. Through consensus, the team then captions the maps and gives its forecast for the region.
During class, other class members log onto the Web to review the team's chosen maps, then prepare their own individual forecasts. The students rate the maps on how helpful they were in developing those forecasts. At the next class meeting, a "post mortem" is held: evaluating all the forecasts for how closely they matched the actual weather patterns. Group scores are posted outside the classroom, with the most accurate score claiming the top spot on the list. There among them is Knight's score -- and it's not always at the top. In fact during a recent class, Knight's score was just above the mean.
"Hey, sometimes there are bad forecasts," said Knight. "It's like that here. It's like that in the real world."
Of course, there was the time that everyone in the class predicted a huge snowstorm in North Dakota: everyone, that is, except Knight.
"He's the only one who correctly predicted thunderstorms, not snow," said Joe Koval, a senior in the class.
Knight's class, sponsored by the Schreyer Institute for Innovation in Learning, was inspired by his belief that real-world experience makes his meteorology students better weather forecasters. So in the spirit of teaching, Knight willingly subjects himself to class scrutiny to make a point: Even professionals are not correct all of the time.
"This is just the nature of the business. Your self-worth has nothing to do with the posted scores," he said.
Knight, who's glad to know his students can see him as human, said the intent of the class is not to be a perfect forecaster, but to learn to work as a team and learn how to use the resources and technology available for forecasting -- including the Internet.
Knight's active and collaborative approach is just the kind of teaching the Schreyer Institute supports.
"Paul's classroom is a harbinger of the future," said Larry Spence, director of the institute. "He has designed a whole experience where he directs students through the process and works beside them just as a master would work with apprentices."
In a recent class, the team leaders chose the best weather map which was on target for snow amounts. However, the class and Knight didn't believe the map and forecasted differently. As it turned out, they were all wrong.
"Welcome to the world of forecasting," Knight said.