Barbara A. Williams, Instructor
Office: 270 Sharp Laboratory  Phone: 831-6526
Scheduled Office hours: Tues. 2-3 p.m. & Wed. 10-11 a.m.  Unscheduled Times:   By Appointment/e-mail

baw@udel.edu

    The second half of a two-semester course that provides an introduction to algebra- and trigonometry-based physics for students majoring in biology, chemistry, sciences other than physics, pre-medicine, as well as other disciplines.  The class meets three times a week, i.e.,  75 minute sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and  a three-hour session on Wednesdays that includes  laboratory and recitation sessions. The three-hour Wednesday meeting time is devoted to a combination of tasks including the traditional laboratories, problem-solving laboratories, and whole class activities.  This class session should be used as an opportunity to complete assignments, real-world problems, as well as complete laboratory assignments.
 

Course Prerequisites

    The mathematical techniques used in the course require that the students have developed functional skills in algebra and trigonometry.  Functional skills include knowledge of basic algebraic operations, the ability to evaluate algebraic expressions, to translate into algebraic symbols relationships which are expressed in words, to solve "word" problems, to manipulate and solve first and second (quadratic) degree equations, to solve problems involving trigonometric functions and to represent functional relationships graphically.
 

Instructional Approach

    The instructional method used in this course combines both cooperative- and problem-based learning strategies to teach physics principles and their application to the real world and to develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.  Student-student interactions have been restructured so that they are fundamentally cooperative instead of competitive or individualistic.  Students are organized into small groups of three to five members who are encouraged to work together to facilitate each other's learning. Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional process characterized by the use of "real-world" problems as a context for students to learn problem-solving skills and to acquire knowledge.  "Real-world" problems are those that relate basic physics principles to realistic events and situations that are common experiences for most people.  In the past,  peer tutors have been successfully used to assist students with their learning and are expected to be used this semester depending on their availability.

 

Course Description

           The students' learning of physics is structured around a cycle of in-class activities which include mini-lecture, conceptual assignment, "real-world" application (problem and laboratory), and an overview.

The learning cycle encompasses many activities that help students learn regardless of their preferred learning style and is organized around learning units (e.g., kinematics, dynamics, fluids) that represent a body of integrated physics principles that define the content of the course.  Typically, the cycle takes on average more than a week to complete.  The order in which the components of the learning cycle are done can vary  according to the objectives set for each learning unit, concepts being introduced, and the needs of the students.  Sometimes a topic will be introduced with a mini lecture.  Other times a real world problem will be used to  initiate the learning cycle.
     Discussions and mini-lectures involve the whole class, whereas the conceptual assignment, experiments and the real-world problems are performed in small collaborative groups during and outside of class time.  During the group discussions, the instructor circulates among the groups and becomes a "roving" tutor/facilitator along with the peer tutors.  This one-on-one interaction with a group gives the instructor the opportunity to assist with  the task if necessary and to monitor students' understanding of the material.
     During the overview phase of the learning cycle, the entire class becomes a single group that reflects upon the difficulties encountered in the learning unit. Everyone can benefit from additional discussion of concepts and remaining unresolved learning issues that confront the class.  The overview is also used to help students build an integrated and coherent view of the physical world.  The learning units include the following physics concepts: relative motion, kinematics, dynamics, circular motion, work/energy, impulse/momentum, conservation laws, and fluids.

Course Objectives

    The following objectives are set for the course:

(1) to encourage students' responsibility for their learning;

(2) to identify and address what a student does not know or understand (i.e., learning issues);

(3) to increase the students' discussion of physics principles;

(4) to encourage the use of logic; and

(5) to develop students' reasoning skills.

Learning Expectations

When a learning cycle is completed, the student is expected to be able to identify the physics principles by name and apply them directly to everyday experiences. In order to meet these objectives, the students' learning of physics is structured around a cycle of in-class activities which include mini-lecture, conceptual assignment, "real-world" application (problem and laboratory), and an overview.

 

Course Requirements

    Your are required to do the preparatory reading listed in the syllabus before you come to class.  Homework assignments will be used to monitor your reading of the material.  The term homework is used to describe work that is initiated and completed outside of the classroom.  You are urged to ask questions about the homework during class but before the homework is due.  Homework is due 5 min after class is scheduled to start.  Any homework handed in after class starts will be considered late (see section on Deadlines and Failure to meet them). Do not expect to complete homework assignments during class time.  This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. By completing the homework after you read, this will help you come to class prepared to participate in the group activities. You will be virtually ineffective in your group if you are unfamiliar with the concepts that are being discussed and used in the various learning activities. Those who fail to read before class will take longer to complete the weekly tasks and it will be painfully obvious to me and your group members that you are not prepared to learn physics. You will be graded on homework that is submitted on time. To do well, you need to spend 3 hours a week outside of the class for each credit you take!  This means that you need to spend about 7% of your week reading and studying physics.

    Each group must maintain an activity log indicating how the group used the class period to work through the assignments, laboratories, and group problems.  After each class meeting, each group will fill out an activity log and hand it in.  The log will be used by the group as a measure of how effective the group has used its classroom time to accomplish the assigned group tasks.  The instructor will use the activity log to  determine when to establish due dates for each assignment.  Not every group works at the same pace.  With the activity logs, the instructor can set realistic due dates based on the performance of each group.
     In order to receive credit for the group activities, each person in the group must sign his or her name to an academic honesty statement that will accompany each assignment, laboratory write-up, and group problem handed .  When you sign this statement, you are indicating to me and your group that you have (1) contributed your fair share to the group activity, (2) read and fully agree with the  document submitted by the group, and (3) given credit to anyone who has assisted your group in completing the document.  You must include the names of any individual including the instructor and peer tutors who helped the group comlplete the assignment; otherwise, it will not be graded unless the form is complete and attached to all group assignments. You are encouraged to become familiar with the University's Policy of Academic Dishonesty found in the Official Student Handbook.  Signing your name to the document without having met the three conditions listed above will be dealt with under the university's academic dishonesty policy.
     Each group must submit a commitment of effort (establishes how hard the group will work toward a target group grade and what kinds of behavior it will engage in to ensure that the group meets its academic goal), ground rules for group behavior, and disciplinary actions for members who violate these ground rules.  Each group and group member must participate in the overview phase of the learning cycle in order to receive full group participation credit.
 

Course Policies

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesdays' Classes
    Wednesday classes are devoted to a full three hours of activities that can include mini-lectures, problem-solving laboratories, demonstrations, and experiments.  You are expected to use this time period to complete experiments and demonstrations, and to continue working on group assignments and problems associated with the current learning cycle.  In the past, time management has been a problem for groups that have not used Wednesdays' classes effectively.  To insure that the 3-hour classes are used effectively, you must demonstrate that all group assignments and problems associated with the current learning cycle are complete and ready to hand in.  If a group leaves early on Wednesday, all group assignments and group problems associated with the current learning cycle are due at the beginning of the next class meeting.  Failure to meet this deadline will result in penalty points described below under grading.

Social Behavior
     Abusive behavior both verbal and physical will not be tolerated in this course.  I suggest that you leave personal problems and difficulties outside the classroom when you enter and try to work together as a cooperative group.  Sometimes group discussion of ideas can often lead to heated exchanges between participants.  Your arguments should be supported by sound reasoning and solid physics principles rather than  who can yell the loudest. Anyone who cannot control or conduct himself/herself in a manner that is respectful to all others in this course will be removed from the classroom. Yelling, screaming, and verbally abusive behavior and personal attacks will not be tolerated and can result in your dismissal from this honors course.

Attendance
     Attendance in this class is mandatory since the group activities rely on every member being present.  However, if you need to be absent for any reason, you are required to call all of your group members.  It will also be necessary for you to contact group members after the missed class to find out your assignments for the coming week.

Group Activity
     It is essential for everyone in the group to contribute to the group effort.  In order to ensure that everyone participates fully, roles will be assigned which will rotate weekly or with each new group problem.  The description of responsibility for each of the roles is as follows:

Manager - Responsible for moving the group forward in accomplishing the assignment. Refocuses the group if discussion goes astray.  Watches the time spent on each step.

Recorder/Checker - Responsible for recording data and notes on discussions.  Also records initial problem- solving strategies.  Responsible for submitting group write-up of problems. Checks for understanding of all members.

Skeptic/Reporter - Helps group avoid coming to agreement too quickly.  Make sure all possibilities have been explored. Responsible for writing the group lab report and submitting it to the instructor one week after the lab performed.

Summarizer/Accuracy Coach - Summarize groups discussion and conclusions. Responsible for checking text and notes for accuracy of discussion during lab and problem solving sessions.

All group members should check the group's folder to ensure that assignments, laboratories, and problems have been handed in on time before you leave the class.

Ground Rules and Disciplinary Actions
     It is important to establish ground rules for behavior when working in groups.  Each group will decide on the ground rules they will adopt. However, at the time you set up ground rules, you must define disciplinary actions to be taken by the group in the event your ground rules are violated by members. A recommended list of ground rules is the following:

     1. Attendance is mandatory - if you are absent, you are hurting your group.  Labs are designed to be worked in groups of four.  You will be assigned a role (see above) every week.  If you do not attend, there is a gap in responsibility.

     2. Come to class prepared, which means reading the required chapters in the text and submitting homework assignments on time!  It is your responsibility to be ready to learn physics and to contribute to the group effort.  The group can stay prepared by addressing and resolving all the learning issues generated by your members.

     3. Fulfill your role responsibility.  If you are the lab reporter, you must prepare and turn in the lab report.  If you are the accuracy coach, you must bring the text and notes, etc.  If you are the recorder, you must prepare and submit the write-up of the group problem.

     4. If there is disagreement about experimental procedure, conclusions about data, problem-solving strategies, etc., the group should come to a consensus before writing the lab report or problem set.  However, if the group agrees, a "minority" report can be submitted with the group lab report or problem set.

Your group can establish other ground rules as long as everyone in the group is in a consensus.  Your group should discuss and put in writing disciplinary actions taken against group members who do not "carry" their share of the responsibility.  Your disciplinary actions can range in severity depending on how egregious the behavior of the delinquent member is.  Make sure all members of the group have a copy of your ground rules and disciplinary actions and that a copy is provided to the instructor. Your group must also decide by consensus the commitment of effort that will be made by the group. Draw up a statement in which you all agree to work toward a target grade for the group work.  For example, your group may agree to expend the effort required to attain an A- or B+ for group work.  Give each member a copy of the agreement and a copy should be submitted to the instructor along with your ground rules and disciplinary actions.  A recommended list of disciplinary actions is the following:

     1. The member receives zero points for the problem or laboratory assignment.

     2. The member is suspended from the group for a week and has to do the problems and laboratory assignment alone.

     3. The member is permanently ejected from the group and must do the remaining assignments and laboratories alone.
 

 Group Feedback
     Once a week, you should give each other feedback on your performance that week.  This feedback should focus on what each member of the group did to help the learning process and what each member could do differently to help the group.  Appropriate feedback will be modeled by the instructor.  Two to three times during the semester, you will be asked to evaluate the individuals in your group and rate their contributions in the group.  These evaluations will be part of the individual's grade.

Laboratory Reports
     Laboratory reports are due one week from the time the experiment is conducted.  Laboratory activities will be a group effort and only one report will be submitted per group.  It is advisable, however, for each member of the group to keep data and notes on the experiments for future reference.  Each week, the group will designate a reporter who will be responsible for writing up the group's effort and submitting the final report.  The role of the reporter will rotate weekly, so that each member of the group has the responsibility to write the weekly lab report.  The lab report should include the names of all students in the group doing the work and the name of the reporter for that week.

Assignments, Group Problems and Homework
     These assignments will generally consist of provocative questions that stimulate discussions of physics principles within the group. Assignments are initiated in the class and can be completed outside of class time.  The real-world problems that have been developed for this course demand that students connect new knowledge to old; recognize what they know and understand and what they don't, and learn concepts well enough to explain and teach them in their own words.  You are required to initiate and work through these problems in class.  Some will be group assignments while others will be individual.  These problems will be graded and returned with appropriate feedback to you or your group. Homework assignments means that it is an assignment that is done outside of the classroom.  Questions concerning homework will be addressed in the  classroom but no time during the classroom activities will be devoted to the completion of homework.  Homework will be viewed as preparation for the in-class activities.  You are not prepared if the homework has not been completed and handed in.
 

ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY
             In this class, you will be collaborating with other students in your group to solve problems.  Some solutions to be handed in as a group activity and some will be individual ones.  When doing individual assignments, you may still collaborate with members of your group or other students.  However, you must give credit to others who have given you some insight into solving a problem; just as professionals recognize others who have helped with their research or writing.  You are also encouraged to become familiar with the University's Policy of Academic Dishonesty found in the Official Student Handbook available on the University of Delaware's world-wide web page.
 

See Academic Dishonesty Policy

Deadlines and Failure to Meet Them
    All assignments, homework, problems, and activities in this class will have deadlines both day and time.  The deadlines for assignments, and real-world problems will be announced at least three days in advance of their due dates unless your group leaves Wednesday's class early. (See Course Policy on Wednesday's classes for more details.) The homework due date is given in the syllabus.  Since due dates for the homework are subject to change, you will be notified in class of any changes as they occur. Because it is important for me to interact with all the groups to insure that everyone receives assistance in completing the task, in most cases, I will not be able to give a due date at the time the assignment/problem is first handed out.  It is important that you be flexible and remember that groups generally work at different rates and that I will try to accommodate the more challenged groups.  I do not anticipate that flexible deadlines will be burdensome or will be abused by the class because your progress on in-class activities will be monitored closely. The deadlines that are set will be reasonable and consistent with your daily progress through the course.
    Laboratory writeups are always due one week from the time the experiment is conducted and must be submitted no later than 12:30 p.m. on the Wednesday following the experiment.  Deadlines for assignments and problem solutions will be announced in advance of their due dates and times.  Failure to meet deadlines by day and time outlined in the syllabus and announced in the class will result in a 10 percent point deduction.  For each day, thereafter, the assignment, homework, problem solution, and laboratory writeup is past due, you will receive additional percentage deductions.  For example, if an assignment, problem, or homework contributes 35 points toward your total course points, then you will lose 3.5 point when the item is late.  If the item is overdue 3 days, then you will receive an additional 10.5 point reduction in your earned score (total score = earned score - 13.5).  Point reductions will cease when the penalty points exceed the total points of the item overdue.

Test and Quizzes
     There will be no quizzes in class.  However, problems assigned during class may be collected and graded.  You will receive sufficient feedback on your problem set that quizzes will not be necessary. There are two examinations administered on the Wednesday meeting period and a final examination.  A component of your unit exams and final exam will come from problems similar to textbook and MCAT problems, while others will be similar to those assigned to groups in class.  All examinations will include some group work as well as an individual component.
 

Grading Components
 

Unit Exams	15% each
Final Exam	20%
Experiments	15%
Problem Write-ups/Summaries	20%
Assignments/Homework Solutions	10%
Contributions	5%

 Final Grading Scale

A	90- 100%
A-	87 - 89%
B+	84 - 86%
B	80 - 83%
B-	77 - 70%
C+	74 - 76%
C	70 -73%
C-	67 - 69%
D+	64 - 66%
D	60 - 63%
D-	57 - 59%
F	<57%

OVERVIEW OF CLASS SCHEDULE
  Dates                                 Topics                                Required Readings

Feb. 6 - Mar. 21	Rotational Mechanics  Simple Harmonic Motion Gravitation	Chapters 8, 9  Chapter 10 Chapters 4.7, 5.5-5.6
MARCH 14	FIRST EXAMINATION
Mar. 22 - Apr. 24	Sound  Light  Electrostatics	Chapters 16,17  Chapters 24, 25, 26 Chapters 18, 19, 20.13
APRIL 25	SECOND EXAMINATION
Apr. 26 - May 16	Capacitors & Electric Circuits Magnetism / E&M Induction	Chapter 20 Chapters 21, 22.1 - 22.5
MAY 18   10:30-12:30	FINAL EXAMINATION	CUMULATIVE

 SPRING BREAK  MARCH 24 - MARCH 31

 

Reading and Individual Homework Assignments

 Topics               Topics             Homework       Due Dates      Due Times

Course Expectations	Syllabus	HW #1	2/8	<11:05 am
Rotational Mechanics	Chapters 8 and 9	HW #2	2/13	<11:05 am
Simple Harmonic Motion	Chapter 10	HW #3	2/28	<12:25 pm
Gravitation	Chapters 4.7, 5.5, 5.6	HW #4	3/15	<11:05 am
Sound	Chapters 16 and 17	HW #5	3/22	<11:05 am
Light	Chapters 24,25,26	HW #6	4/5	<11:05 am
Electrostatics	Chapters 18, 19, 20.12	HW #7	4/17	<11:05 am
Electric Circuits	Chapter 20	HW #8	5/2	<12:25 pm
Magnetism/EM Induction	Chapters 21, 22.1 - 22.5	HW #9	T.B.A.	<11:05 am

Wednesday's Schedule of Events
 

Feb. 7	Lecture and Group Activites
Feb. 14	Equilibrium Lab/Group Problem Solving
Feb. 21	Moment of Inertia/Group Problem Solving	Group Functioning Evaluation
Feb. 28	Lecture and Group Problem Solving
Mar. 7	Lecture and Group Problem Solving	Group Functioning Evaluation
Mar. 14	Exam I
Mar. 21	Lecture and Group Problem Solving
Apr. 4	Lecture and Group Problem Solving	Group Functioning Evalulation
Apr. 11	Optics Lab/Group porblem Solving
Apr. 18	Electrostatics Lab/Group Problem Solving	Group Functioning Evaluation
Apr. 25	Exam II
May 2	Electric Circuits Lab/Group Problem Solving	Group Functioning Evaluation
May 9	Electric Circuits/Group Problem Solving
May 16	Overview/Evaluation/Wrapup	Group Functioning Evaluation

 
 

 

10% .......of what is read
20% .......of what is heard
30% .......of what is seen
50% ...... of what is heard and seen  (LECTURE MODE OF INSTRUCTION)
70% .......of what is said
90% ...... of what is said and done  (GROUP-BASED INSTRUCTION)

Knowledge : recall of facts, principles, and information, or a process in exactly the way it was presented.   Key verb that defines this cognitive level is RECALL. (define, state, list) -  lowest level

Comprehension:  understanding of learned material.  Key verb hat defines this cognitive level is EXPLAIN (explain, interpret).

Application: ability to use learned material in new and concrete situations that are unfamiliar.   Key verb that defines this cognitive level is TRANSFER.

Analysis: ability to break material into its component parts demonstrating that organizational structure is understood.  Key verb that defines this cognitive level is SEPARATE.

Synthesis: ability to assemble familiar parts to form a new product.  Key verb that defines this level is COMBINE.

Evalualtion: ability to judge the value of material for a given purpose using a set of criteria. Key verb that defines this cognitive level is JUDGE.     highest level
 

The cognitive development increases in complexity from knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, to evaluation which is the highest.
 

A Useful Problem- Solving Strategy can be accessed by clicking on the following web link:

The Competent Problem Solver University of Minnesota

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Contextual Rich Problem versus the end-of -the -chapter Problem - How do they compare when it comes to learning physics?

Check out the following web link.

Contextual rich problems compared to the Traditional textbook problems University of Minnesota Physics Education

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Student Solution Manual to Textbook

Student Solution Manual to ssm Conceptual questions/Problems in Cutnell and Johnson's 4th edition of PHYSICS  can be accessed by clicking on the following:

CONCEPTUAL QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS

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Anonymous Student Feedback Form

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