Spring 2017 Phys 132 Reminder from 1-26 Meeting

Phys 132, Reminders from 1/26/2016 Meeting (for First Recitation, Surveys and Lab Intro, week of Jan. 30th)

 

This is the set of reminders we promised you at our recent meeting/training.  We will  be having our first TA training (for Lab 6 and the second recitation) on Friday, 1/03, from 9:00am-12:00pm in room 3310.  I have sent an ELMS notice (announcement) to students to remind them to bring their computers, to have a flash/thumb drive for our labs, and to read the lab documents and pre-readings ahead of time.  Students have also been reminded them that we are in room 3310 until further notice (we switch rooms on the 4th of March).

 

This week you need to attend your own recitations and labs  and your course center hours (but no need to attend your "lab helper" hours until we start labs in the week of Feb. 6th).  You might also consider reading a bit about this course--from the course website, the papers you got on Thursday, the email I sent on Wednesday, or the links in the logistics section below.  Also, starting this week you will be working with students in the Course Center (room 0208).

 

I have attached a photo of the blackboard for this week (in case it gets erased, please re-write it!)....  Please remember not to change the blackboard--if you have new info for your students, please use one of the blank whiteboards underneath the chalk tray.

 

I have also attached a ppt giving an intro to the NEXUS/Phys labs--this is not for you to share with your students but for you to look through to supplement your understanding of what we are doing and why we are doing it in a non-traditional way. 

 

Please let me or Profs. Redish and Dorland know if you have any questions or concerns.

 

Cheers! ~KIM

 

This week's outline with suggested timing:

50 min. -- Recitation

10 min. -- Break

45-60 min. -- 3 Online Surveys

10 min. -- Introduce yourself to your students and find out a little about them

20 min. -- Intro to the NEXUS/Scientific Community Labs, incl. attendance policy (perhaps show the videos)

30 min. -- Student Brainstorm on the Purpose of Peer Review in Science and Medicine; Peer Review/Grading Logistics

10 min. -- Download and Install ImageJ and the two Plugins (for NEW students who didn't take Phys 131).

 

This week in Recitation/Lab:

 

(There is no login info for the computers. If a computer is 'logged out,' simply turn it off and reboot the computer. It will automatically login.)

 

0) Take attendance.  You can do this directly in ELMS, in the "Kinesin" column--the max participation score is 3 points and 0 points means ABSENT.  You can also take attendance by checking off their names on a roster printout on paper or in a spreadsheet, or by having the students write their name on a sheet of paper (a sign-in)--you can then enter their participation scores in ELMS later.  Whatever works for you, just be sure you know who is there for each recitation and each lab.  Also, please double-check that the students are 132 students (not 131 students in the wrong room!)....

 

1) Recitation: How a Kinesin Walks

Link: http://umdberg.pbworks.com/w/page/53985671/How%20a%20Kinesin%20Walks%20-%20Revision

Students should NOT write on the "room copies" of the recitation paper. Please collect the room copies between recitation and lab. If supplies are running low, email your Lead TA, Kim Moore, ASAP.  These papers can be found on the printer-table at the back of the room.  Remember that students are not turning in any work for a grade at the end of recitation.

 

Please track the student attendance/participation at the recitations (and labs).  Record the students' participation scores in ELMS, with a max of 3 pts for participation for each recitation (and 0 points means ABSENT).

 

In the "My Documents" folder on the desktop computers, there is a Kinesin Walking video--students saw this in Phys 131, but they may find it helpful to see it again.  (Note: The computers DO NOT have a sound card....)

 

TAs and LAs: Please remember that the general goals of recitation are group discussion, communication of ideas/logic, and reconciliation of individual perspectives. We'd love for the students to get the "right" answer, but that is less important than the exchange of ideas and negotiation of meaning among group members. Please encourage the students to think deeply about what they are doing, rather than rushing through the worksheet and stressing about how "correct" their answers are.  Themes that appear all over these recitations (as well as in the Labs, HWs, and Lecture) are: Multiple Representations, Modeling, Reconciling Perspectives, Interdisciplinary Thinking, and Epistemic Games.

 

TAs: Don't forget the wrap-up/summary at the end of recitation!

 

(10 minute Break.... Start "lab" time on the hour.)

 

2) Surveys:

 

 

3) Introduce yourself and find out a little bit about your students.  Say hello, introduce yourself to your students, and ask them a few questions.  Things you might want to ask about include:

 

• Are there any students in the section who did not take Physics 131 last semester?  If so, did they take Phys 131 previously (before last semester)?  Are they coming from a different UMD intro physics course?  Are they coming from a different institution/did they complete a first semester course somewhere else?  If they have had Phys 131 at some point, then the should transition smoothly to Phys 132.  If they are coming from a different course or from a course at another institution, then ImageJ and the style of these labs will be new to them--note who they are!
• Are there any students in the section who have done research in a real science lab (e.g., a university lab group lead by a professor, a government lab, etc.)?  Have they been authors on any published articles?  (In their opinion, has their average lab experience in high school or college been anything like their research experience?)
• Quick show of hands for: Who is (is not) a life science major? (What are the 'nots'?)  Who is a (freshman/sophomore/junior/senior/post bac/grad student/transfer)?
   

4) (Re-)Intro to SCL/NEXUS Labs: Cover the portions of the Intro to the Scientific Community Lab that you think are most important/interesting.  You must also mention:

 

• the attendance policy (end of the Intro to SCL document);
• that lab scores are renormalized for fairness at the end of the semester;
• that the second semester of this course adds Peer Grading (an approximation of Peer Review) to the labs as a model of how the Scientific Community functions in the real world; and 
• that the Phys 132 labs are often and intentionally weeks ahead of when the content is covered in lecture--this is about developing and understanding epistemology! (Epistemology: What does it mean "to know?"  How do you know that you know? and How do you build new knowledge?) 

 

5) Peer Review Brainstorm: 

• Give the students about 5 minutes to brainstorm in their group (at their whiteboard) about the purpose and function of Peer Review in science and medicine.  (One of the survey questions asked them to think about this, so they should already have their mental gears turning.)
• Take another 5 minutes after the brainstorm for students to share their thoughts and ideas with the class.
• Give the students about 5 minutes to brainstorm in their group (at their whiteboard) about the purpose and function of Peer Grading in school.
• Take another 5 minutes after the brainstorm for students to share their thoughts and ideas with the class.  Focus on helping students see how Peer Grading can be used as a proxy for the Peer Review process.

 

 

• If any of the major ideas of peer review have not been mentioned in the brainstorms, feel free to talk about them with students.  Also, let them know that we will be giving them resources to learn more about peer review and about the peer grading that they will be doing in Physics 132.  This will be an independent reading assignment that they complete in WebAssign due Feb. 12th--there is an ELMS announcement about this.
• If you have time, you might consider discussing some of the logistics of peer grading.  We will talk more about this during the first week of Lab 6.
  
• Logistics: For this semester, all labs will be submitted electronically as PDFs and as a group (and they will get an ELMS notice with more details on how to do this).  Students will then peer grade (within each section) and peer review each others' work, providing constructive and critical feedback and assessing the grades for the reports using a rubric (the rubrics are built from the student lab document, so there is no need for the students to see the rubric ahead of time--they already have (and should already be carefully reading) the student lab documents).  Each report will be peer graded anonymously by approximately four of their fellow students, and the grade for the report will be determined from these scores.  Students' work in doing the peer grading (and the practice peer grading for lab 6) will help them earn up to 4 additional points for their own lab score (up to 2 pts. for timeliness and up to 2 pts. for a critical and thorough but fair review).  The act of reviewing each others' work will not only help the reviewee improve future reports but will help the reviewer, too!  TAs will grade the first report (Lab 6).  Students will read about peer review and peer grading and practice peer grading Lab 6--putting their scores and comments on ELMS and sending their scores and comments to the TA  AND to the LEAD TA (Kim) for feedback on their peer grading.  Students will peer grade Labs 7, 9, 10, and 11.  TAs will grade Lab 8.

 

6) Downloading ImageJ and the Plugins: If you have any students in your section who did NOT take Phys 131 previously, they may need help downloading and installing ImageJ and the necessary plugins to their computer/laptop.  This is not too difficult to do, so please help them.  The download links and instructions are here: ImageJ Download Instructions for Students .  They will need ImageJ for Labs 6 and 7 (the first month of the class). 

 

 

Other Logistics:

 

*** Course Center (room 0208) starts this week.  Full TAs work 2 hours each week.  Half TAs work 1 hour each week.  If room 0208 is locked and you need access, come by Prof. Redish's office or the PERG office (room 1322)--this is Kim's office, too.  Here is a link to the current schedule: Course Center Schedule, Spring 2017 .  If you need to adjust the hours you want to work, email Kim ASAP.

 

Here are some useful links for TAs and LAs: (Please DO NOT share these links with the students!!)

 

Physics 132 TA and LA Information page on the UMD-BERG wiki: http://umdberg.pbworks.com/w/page/68630246/Physics%20131-132%20TA%20and%20LA%20Information

(Here you will find a host of useful links, including:

What am I doing in recitation?

What am I doing in lab?

What happens at the weekly meetings?

What am I doing in the Course Center? (See Prof. Redish's helpful discussion at:  http://umdperg.pbworks.com/w/page/10511168/121-122%20Giving%20Help.)

All reminder emails will be stored here, too. TAs can also find grading information, ImageJ download instructions, and other useful information.)

 

Physics 132 LA Teaching Assignments: (information about your helper TAs and LAs will be added soon...)

 

Physics 132 TA/Student Lab Documents: http://umdberg.pbworks.com/w/page/68933700/NEXUS%20Physics%20Labs%2C%202013-2014

(Including a TA Guide to Guiding labs, How to grade Lab Reports, and the Introduction to the Scientific Community-style Labs (SCL).)

 

Physics 132 Course Web-page: http://www.physics.umd.edu/courses/Phys132/spring2017/

(You can find HW problems, schedule of readings, and list of labs/recitations.  Try solving the HW before you go to the course center.  Read the "What am I doing in the Course Center?" if you are unsure how this learning space works.)

 

ELMS/CANVAS: http://myelms.umd.edu

(For grade-entry, emailing students, finding HW solutions, etc.)

 

UMEG: https://was-3.umd.edu/commonlogin/login?goto=https://www.sis.umd.edu/umeg/

(For printing rosters and setting up a course email reflector.)

 

WebAssign: https://www.webassign.net/login.html

(For grading online homework.)