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Spring 2015, Phys 131, Reminders from 2-13 Training

Page history last edited by Kim Moore 9 years, 1 month ago

Reminders from 2/13 Phys 131 TA/LA Training, for week of 2/16 (Lab 1, Part 2):

 

Greetings, Physics 131 TAs and LAs!

Below are the reminders that I promised you from the most recent Friday training session.  Good luck this week! ~KIM

 

1. Recitation:

Link to recitation: http://www.physics.umd.edu/courses/Phys131/spring2014/Labs/Forces%20tutorial.pdf 

For more info on system schema: http://umdberg.pbworks.com/w/page/68452162/System%20Schema%20Introduction%20%282013%29

 

(Break--Pass back graded Lab 1, Part 1; see 2 c below....)

 

2. Lab 1, Part 2:

Link to documents: http://umdberg.pbworks.com/w/page/68933700/NEXUS%20Physics%20Labs%2C%202013-2014

 

*Don't forget to read the TA document from beginning to end--most of what you need to know to run this lab is there.

 

Lots of stuff is going on in this lab.

a) IF you are using the SCL roles: The students should be working in their SCL roles (Journalist, Data Analyst, Critic and Checker--if you are using the roles with your students) and you should record which student is performing in which role (remember, they switch roles for every lab, so that they have done each role at least once in the course of the semester).  If they aren't sure what the roles are, refer them to the Scientific Community Lab (SCL)  document: http://umdberg.pbworks.com/w/page/58234096/Intro%20to%20the%20Scientific%20Community%20Lab

 

b) The students will turn in a lab report TODAY (at the end of the lab).  If students ask what should be in the report, you can always refer them to the SCL document.  Also, your TA lab document includes the following: "Inform students that a lab report (discussing their qualitative and quantitative exploration of and resolution to the scenario) will be collected from each group at the end of the lab today (no error bars needed on graphs for this lab only). Feel free to say that again!  The students will push for an item-by-item list of what to write.  Don't give in!  They are asking you to do the thinking for them.....

 

c)  At some point you do need to pass back their graded data/graphs from Lab 1, Part 1 (amoeba).  I pass that back between recitation and lab (in the break).  I tell the students that "The Checker keeps the lab" when I pass stuff back, but there was no checker for Lab 1, Part 1, so just have them pick somebody to keep it.  Do point out to all students, though, that they should learn from the comments you made on their graded work to produce better data tables and graphs for the lab they are doing today!  The other nice thing about passing work back during the break is that students will have a chance to look through your comments without taking time away from the lab.  I tell students that if they have questions about their grade, they are welcome to ask me about the grading after the lab time is finished (or in my course center hours, etc.).

 

d) As you introduce this lab and have students look at the sample videos, ask them which video looks the fastest.  You can display these videos from the TA computer by turning on the overhead projector and pulling down the screen.  Can they tell using their eyes alone?  (These videos are often sped-up or slowed-down so that the action takes place at a rate comprehensible by our brains.  Hence the need for QUANTIFICATION to resolve the question of the need for antibiotics!)  Ask students what the possible scenario solutions would be (for each video being the fastest).  Ask students how they think the human body responds, immunologically, to bacterial invasion of a wound.  They are likely to indicate some sort of chase-and-eat mechanism (like a cops (neutrophils) and robbers (bacteria) simulation).  Show them the cartoon video (Once Upon a Time in the Life of....) and the first twelve seconds of the Neutrophil Extracellular Trap video--both on the TA computer in the 'My Documents' folder. BOTH of these videos show a chase-and-eat scenario.  (Don't forget to turn up the volume on the speakers.  And DON'T show the second half of the Neutrophil Extracellular Trap video--save this for the end of the lab!)  {In case the speakers aren't working, you can play these videos off of your own computer--files attached., or found here: Once upon a time... Life - The blood (1 of 3) (hq)_31-60s.mp4-.mp4 ; Neutrophil Extracellular Trap (hq)_0-12s.mp4-.mp4 (for use at the start of the lab); and, Neutrophil Extracellular Trap (hq)_12-64s.mp4-.mp4 (for use at the end of lab).}

 

e) You may want to hint to students that it is easiest to track objects moving either purely vertically or purely horizontally.  (They have only done 1-D kinematics, at this point.)  For the wound closure video, if they are tracking individual cells (instead of tracking the green 'wavefront'), the cells must be near the leading edge of the migration (cells near the edge move MUCH faster than cells not near the edge).

 

f) This is students' first exposure to LARGE data files.  Help them learn to handle large data.  I added the following to the TA document:

A particular challenge for the students presented by this lab is the students' first interaction with LARGE data files (especially from the wound closure video).  You will need to help students learn to plan ahead in interacting with large data files:

  • ·         before starting a manipulation of data in Excel, they should create a back-up of the data (so that they can easily 'undo' any analysis mistakes and save themselves from having to analyze the video twice in ImageJ); and
  • ·         before starting a manipulation of data in Excel, they should also sketch out on the whiteboard what steps they will need to take to turn their data (slice and pixel information) into the physics quantities that they want—writing down the plan beforehand will help them be more efficient and will help them diagnose analysis problems before they happen.  (Left to their own devices, the students often analyze the data one lurching step at a time, without thinking about how the next step will/will not help them get to the quantity they want.  As a result, they will do many unnecessary/wrong calculations and will often, when they have finished, not have a clear understanding of what they have done.)

 

g) Students will turn in a lab and TAs should grade it.  (Remind them to put their names on the report!)  This lab is worth 10 points.  I promised you more information about what the lab report should include, what you should do as a grader, and what you should do to create a lab rubric.  I wrote it all up and put it on the wiki, here:

http://umdberg.pbworks.com/w/page/69242132/Hints%20to%20TAs%20for%20grading%20lab%20reports

I also included the rubric that I have used to grade this lab.  Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.  (Keep in mind that the student participation, for Recitation and for Lab, is recorded SEPARATELY from the lab score.  Please track student attendance and participation in an organized way to make this part of your job easier on you!  If you have not yet entered the student participation scores for past weeks of recitation/lab, please do so ASAP!)

 

h) If you run out of paper for the printer, ask Bill Norwood (office directly opposite our lab room) for more.  He is also the person you get more staples from.  The stapler, in case you haven't found it yet, should be next to the printer or on the TA desk at the front of the room.  If you notice that the paper/staples are running low, please get more (rather than leaving the next TA running out of supplies)!

 

i) Getting the speeds for each video and answering the scenario question about prescribing antibiotics is NOT the end of this lab!  When we get a result that doesn't quite match our experience of the world, it is our DUTY to try to reconcile our experiences with this new information.  In this instance, it seems we must modify our initial, simple model for the body's immunological response to bacterial infection of a wound.  In case you didn't catch all the cool options the human body uses to protect itself in response to uber-slow white blood cells, here is a recap:

  • NETS--ejects its own DNA as a sticky net (play the second part of the Neutrophil Extracellular Trap video--lots of cool bio words);
  • large concentration--floods the region with LOTS of white blood cells--zone defense; and
  • establishing a perimeter--creates a bounded region surrounded by lots of white blood cells--road block ('encysting' the infection).

(Though there are certainly others!  For example, raising the ambient temperature (fever)....)

 

3. Other issues of note:

 

a) Handling questions about HW/Grading/WA: encourage students to get help solving problems in the course center (room 0208). 

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