Course components (in gory detail)

Cartoon of speaker addressing a classParticipation:  There is an old saying that "It's better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." While this attitude is quite pervasive among students, it usually constitutes an impediment to learning in the classroom. Class participation is very important not only for your own success but also for that of your classmates. So try to become active participants in the learning community, whether it be the actual classroom or in the discussion board. Form study groups, participate in classroom discussions, and be prepared to answer questions when called upon in class. Of course, feel free to ask questions at any time. While attendance is not mandatory, except in labs and during student presentations, excessive absences can lower you participation grade and will also leave a bad impression.

dig_hole

Homework: To help you keep up with class material, weekly graded (required) assignments have been set up at at http://webassign.net. Expect about 20 problems per week to 10 days, which will translate to about 2-3 problems per day (with proper time management). For best results, you should first work on the problems by yourself with as few resources as possible, as if you were taking a test. That means no notes, no books, no tutor. Remember that frustration and some trial and error are essential parts of the learning process. Merely getting the right answer with the help of the book or a tutor may bypass the critical learning component. Students who rely too much on outside help often develop a false sense of security and experience a collapse on the exams. Of course, you should get help after making a sincere effort and hitting a dead end. However, even after getting help, make sure to reproduce the solution under test-like conditions.

Exams: This is your chance to show off what you have learned. Much of the material on the exams is taken almost directly from the homework. So if you do your homework and stay alert in class, you should have no trouble. The final tends to be a bit more challenging than the midterms, particularly for those students who tend to cram and memorize. On the other hand, the final can also be your opportunity to make up for any weaknesses that may have existed up to that point. Because of the wide spectrum of preparedness on the part of the students, the distribution of scores on the exams can also be quite broad. An average of 50-60% is not unusual, with some students significantly above and some below. If you need special accommodations, please let me know in advance.

Lab: This is the place where you get a chance to participate in some "hands-on" activities, designed not only to make the subject matter less abstract but are hopefully also just plain fun.

"In the matter of physics, the first lessons should contain nothing but what is experimental and interesting to see. A pretty experiment is in itself often more valuable than twenty formulae extracted from our minds."--Albert Einstein, A. Moszkowski, Conversations with Einstein, page 67, Horizon Press (1970)

Students will form groups of about 3-5 people and will apply the scientific method to the collection and analysis of data from various experiments related to class topics. For each lab, each group will submit a write-up subject to peer review. We'll try to keep lab as fun and informal as possible, but attendance and punctuality are mandatory.

Typing ComputerWebassign and Canvas: All assignments in this class are submitted online either at www.webassign.net or in Canvas (http://Canvas.highline.edu). Webassign is used for homework and exams; Canvas is used for everything else. You should log in regularly to make sure that you are aware of all due dates. To access and submit your assignments, you need to input your username, password, and institution name. The institution name is highline.cc.wa. While webassign is a powerful instructional tool for both student and teacher, it is regrettably not free. Students pay a per-quarter fee of about $20 online (http://www.webassign.net/info/support/access_codes.html).

Group presentation: This is your opportunity to research a topic of interest to you (but related to course material) in some depth and educate your peers (the class), while sharpening your communication skills. They do say, after all, that the best way to learn a topic is to teach it. Your presentation should include a short poster and/or PowerPoint presentation. You are encouraged to choose a topic of particular interest to you. Keep in mind, however, that it is ultimately your responsibility to find a topic. You are also encouraged to use any other props which you feel will enhance your presentation and stimulate your audience. For instance, you may choose to entertain the class with a demo (related to the class), which is a simple experiment that demonstrates an important scientific principle. A degree in engineering or astrophysics is not required, but a creative spirit and an outpouring of enthusiasm wouldn't hurt. You should work in groups of 3-5 people, but you must share the workload.

sunrise over pond

Journal: A journal is a record of occurrences, experiences, and reflections kept on a regular basis--a bit like a diary. Whether in industry or in an educational setting, making observations and generally being more self-reflective are helpful in identifying areas of strength and weakness so that appropriate adjustments can be made and better problem-solving algorithms can be developed. By directing you to be more self-reflective, a journal can increase your effectiveness by helping you define objectives and set goals, and monitor progress toward them. Secondarily, this process would also allow an outside observer (e.g., supervisor or teacher) to offer some useful feedback. In this class, you will be expected to keep such a journal and make regular entries in Canvas, roughly every couple of days. Entries can include things you've learned or are having trouble with, and any other school-related experiences that may be affecting your performance. Here are some guidelines:

Evaluations: In addition to the day-to-day observations in your journal, you will have the opportunity to evaluate the class, the instructor, and your classmates. Two important areas of evaluation will be the student presentations. Evaluation criteria for the presentation are suggested at: https://people.highline.edu/iglozman/classes/preseval.htm. Lab evaluations are described here: https://people.highline.edu/iglozman/classes/labeval.htm. The effort that goes into your evaluations is no less important than the actual presentation, so please take it seriously. The exercise of evaluating others (as well as yourself) is a valuable learning tool because it forces the evaluator to take responsibility and focus on important issues.

Evaluations will be graded mostly on the effort and thought that goes into them. Constructive criticism generally receives the highest marks. An effective critique is one which takes a position and offers a justification. An ineffective critique is one which offers an empty statement like "Everybody was great," with no further justification. Remember, everyone can always do better, so try to come up with some tips and observations. Evaluations should be submitted in a timely manner in Canvas. Toward the end of the course, you will also have the opportunity to evaluate the course and estimate the grade that you think you deserve based on the criteria in this syllabus. Here's the list of important opportunities to make observations and offer analysis:

Discussion List Cartoon

Forum:  One good way to interact with your classmates without the headache of organizing meetings is to exchange ideas in the “virtual forum” or discussion web set up specifically for your class in Canvas. I encourage you to use the forum to solve homework problems together, ask questions, make suggestions, or simply air some thoughts. In addition, important announcements will appear in the forum. Remember that you are all in this adventure together, so please do as much as you can to contribute. Most of you will find visiting the forum a pleasant adventure, a way to hang out with familiar characters. For some, the forum will turn out to be an addiction--but fortunately one of the healthy ones. Note: To get full credit for forum participation, you need to demonstrate not only a consistent effort throughout the quarter but also some depth in at least a few of your posts. As with the science articles (see below), it is not sufficient to unload during the last couple of weeks.

Science articles: Read an article on a science-related topic and submit (post) a short blurb in the Articles forum. This blurb should be no longer than a couple of sentences, a quick summary of the big ideas--just long enough to whet the reader's appetite. Include a couple of challenging questions (and answers) related to the article, as well as a reference (link). Science sources can be found all over the web, as suggested by (but not limited to) to this list:

http://people.highline.edu/iglozman/bibliography.htm

Here is a couple of examples::

says &apos

These articles are intended to encourage you to practice your written communication skills, especially as they relate to scientific material. Your effort on the articles will become part of your overall grade on the presentation. While some students find it difficult to add yet another task to their already busy schedules, the potential benefits suggest that it might be a good investment. These include:

Be prepared to respond to questions that might arise in connection to these articles. This is all very informal, so try not to be too stressed about it, but do put some effort into it. As with forum participation (see above), consistency is very important, so try not to unload during the last week or two. You need to do about 1 article per week (in the forum). More is better, less is worse. You also need to respond to at least two articles per week in the forum. Your response not only keeps you alert to others' posts, but also encourages others to keep posting. (An indifferent audience is not very motivating.) Keep track of your activities with regard to articles and comment on them in the journals.

Keys to success

Attitude and perspective:  Although physics tends to be challenging for most students, the real difficulty is not the subject matter but rather the attitude with which it is approached. The best approach is to work hard and apply oneself. In addition, maintain a positive attitude and a love of learning at all times. Try not whine about how difficult the material is; instead, try to have fun and be grateful for your educational opportunities. When you start to feel a little stressed from school, try to think about the starving orphan in some third-world, poverty-stricken village who would love to trade places with you. It's all a question of perspective, so try to maintain a healthy one.

Deadlines and due dates: Deadlines and due dates are an integral part of the world we live in. We all have to deal with them and they help us stay on track. In that regard, this class is no different: All assignments come with a due date. The due date should not be interpreted as the day to work feverishly on an assignment; rather, you should be working on assignments with consistency (not in spikes) as soon as they are available, keeping the due dates in mind as aids in helping you manage your time and tasks efficiently. Those that have trouble staying on top of due dates might consider mentally moving the due date up to a somewhat earlier time. Keep in mind that the ability to keep up with the due dates is part of each assignment. If you miss an assignment (for any reason), you should explain your circumstances in your journal and/or in person to your instructor.

***Preparing for class:  In this course, students are expected to come to class prepared, having gone over at least some of the relevant material in the textbook. For best results, the class should be considered a supplement rather than a substitute for reading and independent study. The instructor cannot make you learn; the instructor is only the tour guide. So don't be afraid to learn things on your own, outside of class. You are expected to do so--during this class and during the rest of your lives. Throughout the quarter, students will be given frequent opportunities in class to demonstrate their level of preparedness by making a sincere attempt to answer questions posed by other students or by the instructor. While this may seem intimidating at first, it is really an effective way to motivate students to be actively engaged in a classroom discussion. (The alternative, and usually less appealing, option is the dreaded pop quiz. So stay on your toes and don't make me resort to it.:))

 

Objectives

Academic maturity:  Academic maturity is an umbrella term used to describe those characteristics which allow students to reach their academic potential and achieve growth in an academic environment and ultimately in the field of their choice. Characteristics generally associated with academic maturity include:

In their book Making Sense of College Grades (Jossey-Bass, 1986), Ohmer Milton, Howard R. Pollio, and James A. Eison found that learning-oriented college students were more inclined to explore possibilities and relationships rather than to work only with known facts; they also were more attentive to lectures. In contrast, grade-oriented students who focus on "making the grade"--for example, who only read material that will be tested and view other class reading as an inconvenient waste of time--performed less well on exams, had poorer study habits, and were twice as likely to report having cheated repeatedly. So try to approach your educational opportunities in a mature, knowledge-hungry way. Remember that only about half of your grade will be based on exams. The other half will be based on academic maturity (in its various forms).

Independent learning: In this class, students are expected to develop the ability to read the book and to be independent of the instructor (as much as possible) in learning the material. The instructor should be viewed more as a tour guide and facilitator than a transferrer of  knowledge. For best results, you should try to familiarize yourself with the concepts before seeing them in class. The due dates for homework assignments are timed to motivate you to stay on top of the material and discourage you from procrastination.

 

Critical thinking: "Critical thinking" and "thinking outside the box" are catch phrases which are receiving increasingly more attention in both education and in the industrial world. Traditionally, education of the masses has emphasized the rote memorization of facts rather than depth of understanding. In today's fast-paced world, however, as information proliferates and becomes obsolete more rapidly, the traditional assembly-line philosophy of learning can no longer be considered adequate. Indeed, information becomes less important than the ability to access information, to identify and define issues or problems, to generate hypotheses, to construct arguments, to make inferences, and to evaluate results. All these new demands require that students actively engage in learning rather than passively "receive" knowledge. So do your best to become active learners.

 

cartoon man with the top of his head lifting up from the pressure of an earth and other things.Understanding vs memorization: Physics deals with quantitative as well as qualitative concepts. The quantitative aspects of physics generally involve the manipulation and application of formulas. While the initial impression may be that there are many, many complicated-looking formulas, the reality is that all these formulas are based on only a few fundamental and relatively simple relations. You will find that if you invest some time into understanding these simple relations and the qualitative concepts behind them, you will not only gain a deeper and longer-lasting understanding of physics, but you will also save yourself from the daunting task of having to memorize these formulas and from the recurring nightmare of misapplying them. For your continued edification, the "internalize but do not memorize" mantra will be chanted repeatedly throughout the course.

 

***Computer literacy: Computers are a general-purpose tool; they may appeal to different people in different ways. One person may like graphics and animation. Another may like electronic mail. Another may prefer video games. Whatever one's particular uses of a computer, proficiency with a computer can dramatically increase one's productivity and potential for success. Unfortunately, not everyone is completely comfortable with the use of computers, and some even suffer from computer phobia. Fortunately, like all irrational fears, computer phobia is no match for a determined, curiosity-driven mind and gradually dissolves with practice and perseverance.

As with most new things, there is a learning curve, and feeling some frustration at times is perfectly natural. The important thing to realize is that learning to use computer technology (in its many incarnations) is not something that should be considered a distraction from class work; it IS a big part of the class. Irrespective of background, all students in the class will be expected to master the following list of computer-related skills:

 

Pedagogy

A paradigm shift: According to William Perry's Scheme of Intellectual Development, the typical first-year college student has a dualistic view of knowledge, believing that right answers for everything exist in the absolute and that the role of the instructor is to teach them. Knowledge represents a gradual accretion of right answers acquired through effort and obedience to the instructor. Sadly, traditional teaching practices, particularly in introductory courses, tend to reinforce, rather than challenge, this unsophisticated view of learning. Traditional approaches emphasize the presentation of information, and define learning as its absorption. In contrast to this traditional content-driven paradigm, an effective student-centered, learning-oriented classroom involves a more active approach to learning, characterized by the following basic principles:

 

Learning Pyramidteach learnActive vs passive: ***In the traditional model of education, the instructor is expected to have all the answers, while the student is expected to listen, take notes, and then demonstrate how full of knowledge he/she has become (usually on a test). In this model, brains are essentially treated as passive receptacles to be filled by the expertise of the instructor. And while most educational experts today recognize that this is not an effective mode of teaching (as this learning pyramid illustrates), it is still unfortunately the predominant mode of education at the undergraduate levels. Hopefully, we can do a little better in this class. In particular, students in this class will be expected to be active participants in the learning community, teaching themselves as well as others, being proactive instead of reactive. While this is not always most comfortable for many students, it does appear to be the best way to learn, which is the objective in this class.

If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

running brain 

Here's an interesting pamphlet with some useful tips for and observations about learning physics. For example, it points out that taking good notes in a physics class is quite different from taking good notes in a history class. Do you know the difference? Although written just after World War II, the pamphlet shows that the approach to learning physics has remained essentially the same.

Bloom's Taxonomy: Much of the philosophy behind the various class activities and components is based on Bloom's Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain, a learning theory based on six levels of intellectual behaviors: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. These levels progress from the simplest, knowledge (the remembering, either by recognition or recall, of ideas, materials, and phenomena) to the most complex, evaluation (the making of judgments about the value, for some purpose, of ideas, works, solutions, methods, material, etc.).

Learning styles:  Have you ever wondered why you loved history while your friends hated it, felt inspired by one particular faculty member while your friends thought she was boring? Have you ever been uncomfortable at a party while others seem to be having a wonderful time? Do you ever wonder why others miss deadlines and never seem to have things organized? All of these are connected to our personality type and our preferred way of doing and viewing things. When we are in a classroom environment that matches our learning style, everything feels right. The teacher is stimulating, the material exciting, the work enjoyable. But if the environment does not match our preferred learning style, we feel out of place, uncomfortable, and unable to do our best. There are no right or wrong, good or bad learning styles, just preferred styles. Understanding learning styles and personality preferences provides an important dimension of self-discovery and personal growth for students.  Knowing what we have in common with others, how we differ, and what is unique about ourselves can be both empowering and critical to our success in college and beyond. One of the most popular rubrics for understanding personality types is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). What's your MBTI? Find out here: http://www.gsu.edu/~dschjb/wwwmbti.html.

Cooperative learning: Extensive educational research indicates that when students learn together in pairs or in small groups, the learning is faster, there is greater retention, and students feel more positive about the learning process. The value of cooperative learning has resulted in its widespread use throughout the country, and it has become a standard part of most pre-service training. Several components of this course, including lab and group presentation, are designed to give you the opportunity to develop some of these skills. When working on group projects, all group members must participate in all aspects of the project, not simply taking turns. While we can all come up with pretty creative excuses why it's difficult to meet as a group outside of class, the ability to do so is an important objective of the class (and in the real world), no less important than the scores on an exam.

 

animation of aurora borealisProcrastination: Procrastination is perhaps the single most insidious deterrent to effective learning. Procrastination has a way of ruling our lives if we do not bring it under control. Not only does it make learning more difficult due the sheer volume of last-minute material, it also leads to excessive (and unnecessary) stress. Since understanding generally requires more time to achieve than short-term memorization, try to be consistent in your effort and don't procrastinate. In physics, perhaps even more so than in other fields, procrastination and cramming are simply ineffective learning strategies. And while it takes a great deal of wisdom and effort to break the clutches of procrastination, the results are usually worth it. Want to join a support group? Click here. Want to know how much of a procrastinator you are? Visit: http://people.highline.edu/iglozman/classes/procrastination_quotient.htm.

 

Head Bang on ComputerPerfectionism:  Are you a perfectionistic procrastinator? The question may seem paradoxical since you might think that a perfectionist is driven to get things done. In fact, perfectionism is often associated with procrastination because perfectionists can be easily paralyzed by the fear that some action may lead to an imperfect result. Perfectionism can lead to "starts and spurts" performance, in which an individual attacks a task with great energy (e.g., cleaning spree) and then slumps back in exhaustion after having exasperated, irritated, or alienated everyone around. Perfectionism has also been found to be strongly related to depression and an extremely critical spirit (either toward self or others). What is perfectionism, then? Perfectionism is a form of rigidity or inflexibility that is marked by three major characteristics:

  1. The intense desire to jump in and do things yourself because others just can't do it right.
  2. The insistent attitude that you wouldn't even start on something if you can't do it well.
  3. The profound need for closure, indicated by agitation or discomfort should something be left "hanging".

Each of these characteristics "drives" the perfectionist to procrastinate. For perfectionistic procrastinators, the first step in dealing with procrastination is acknowledging and disliking these three basic tendencies. Then practical solutions can be applied systematically. For example, moderate your expectations and stop focusing on faults and flaws.

Fear of failure: How often do we find ourselves afraid to try something for fear of failure, ridicule, or imperfection? Ironically, it is this fear of failure, rather than the actual failure, which is the greatest impediment to learning. Failure itself is a powerful teacher and can be the source of much personal growth. One of the reasons that kids are such excellent learners is that they reject all fear of failure. Trial and error is their policy and they are very effective at it. When children fail, they discover that they need to expand their capabilities. And although they may be frustrated by initial failures, they are rarely so frustrated that they don't try again. Just listen to them babbling and groping their way toward language acquisition. They are not always perfectly understood, but they ultimately learn the language, much better than most of us could learn it in school. Interestingly, children are not embarrassed by failure until they get to school; it is here that they learn to fear failure. This is very unfortunate since it is the willingness of young children to fail that is so critical to their ability to learn. Without failure there is no second try, no thinking about what needs to be changed, what needs to be learned. The loss of this willingness to fail is highly detrimental to the very curiosity that drives education. So, with that in mind, give yourself the permission to babble like a child. If you can do that, you'll be well on your way to success.

The mindset of success: Do you avoid challenge or embrace it? Are you sensitive to criticism or do you learn from it? Are you threatened by the success of others or are you inspired by it? When confronted with something unfamiliar, are you more afraid of being wrong than excited to learn something new? Which do you value more, rigid structure or the freedom to explore? The answers to these questions can help you determine whether you have a Fixed Mindset or a Growth Mindset. Which mindset do you think correlates more strongly with success and happiness? This article explores such questions and may be helpful even beyond school.

Teaching/grading philosophy: Most teachers want students to focus on learning and not be too preoccupied with points. To promote this mindset, the grading scheme in this class rewards you more for being motivated and well-rounded than for achieving perfect or near-perfect scores on exams. In particular, perfect scores on all exams but with very little contribution to the learning community may yield no more than a grade of B. On the other hand, a student who gets decent, though not necessarily stellar, scores on exams (e.g., 75%) but is always asking questions, working with and helping others, demonstrating a thirst for knowledge and growth, trying to do more than required (e.g., redoing labs when the data is faulty, experimenting with creative variations, and basically trying to learn and understand) will definitely be in contention for an A. The highest grades will be reserved for those people who not only score decent on exams, but also demonstrate a respectable work ethic and make a contribution to our learning community. My motivation for using this "nontraditional" grading scheme is to encourage students to become independent and self-motivated learners, so that learning and growth continues well after the class is over. You'll find that if you can learn to be internally driven, rather than driven by some arbitrary point system, you'll end up a lot more successful and will probably have a better quality of life. So whenever you don't get the grade that you want on an exam, think of it as an opportunity to learn from your mistakes rather than as something that will prevent you from transferring to some competitive graduate or undergraduate program.

 

Special Accommodations:  If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, please provide the instructor with the Letter of Accommodation you have received from the Office of Access Services. Contact info for Access Services is: building 99, suite 180, phone: 206-592-3857, email: access@highline.edu, or web site: www.access.highline.edu.

Student rights and responsibilities:  One of the fundamental objectives of this institution is to provide the students with a high-quality education while developing in them a sense of ethics and social responsibility.  Students are therefore always expected to abide by the highest ethical standards.  Unethical conduct, most notably discrimination and various forms of academic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, etc.), hurts the entire community and is subject to disciplinary action, as laid out in the Student Rights and Responsibilities document available at the Office of the Dean of Students. Anyone aware of such unethical activities should report to the instructor.

"Living up to basic ethical standards in the classroom—discipline, tolerance, honesty—is one of the most important ways children learn how to function in society at large." -- Eloise Salholz

Tutoring:  If you need extra help with this or any other class, you may find the tutoring center (26-319, x3444) useful.  The people are friendly and the services are free. Many other student resources can be found here: https://www.highline.edu/current-students/

Cultural Diversity Policy: Highline College actively promotes and supports a learning and work environment which ensures social justice, mutual respect, understanding, civility, and non-violence. Highline College is committed to the elimination of discrimination based on biological sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnic background, national origin, class, economic status, age, military and veteran status, disability, language, culture, and religious beliefs.

Inclusivity Statement: Highline actively promotes and supports a learning environment which ensures social justice, mutual respect, understanding, civility, and nonviolence. We will all treat each other respectfully.

Grievance Procedure: In the case of a complaint about a course, students are encouraged to speak with their instructor first, and if the matter is not resolved, students should then contact the division chair if the complaint is against a full-time faculty member, or with the department coordinator if the complaint is against a part-time faculty member. For more detail, please visit: http://catalog.highline.edu/content.php?catoid=2&navoid=33#Instructional_grievance

***************************

Inspiring quotes on success and attitude