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Spring 2015 Physics 132 Reminder from 5-01 Training

Page history last edited by Kim Moore 8 years, 11 months ago

Reminders from 5/01/2015 TA/LA Training (for week of 5/04)...

Please remember to have all of your lab and recitation/lab participation scores entered into ELMS by NOON on Wednesday, May 13th I need all of the scores so that the professors and I can renormalize the lab grades.  If you cannot enter your lab scores in this time frame, email me ASAP.

 

1) Recitation: Why do we see in the visible? 

Link: Why do we see in the visible

 

(Break--pass back graded Lab 11 (and any earlier graded labs you have not yet returned)!  Get all Lab grades into ELMS!!  Kim will renormalize the sets.)

 

2) Surveys (for ALL students)--Students should take these surveys in the listed/following order (URL's on the blackboard, or copy-paste them into an email and send them to your students).  It is best if students take these surveys in the lab/recitation room (rather than at home)--so don't send them in an email to your students until AFTER the section time/session has started.  The TinyURL is easier to type.  In case it isn't working (we have had trouble in the past), I have also included the direct link to the Qualtrics survey. 

 

Please say the following to the students before they begin the surveys:  "These surveys are for PARTICIPATION credit--each survey must be completed in order to earn credit for that survey.  Responses to the surveys will not be seen by professors or TAs until after the course grades have been assigned.  Only the research team will see students' names--all data will be anonymized before professors or TAs see the results.  These surveys should take a total of 30-45 minutes to complete.  Please provide honest, constructive feedback."

 

i) End-of-Course (End-of-Term) Survey for Physics 132:

tinyurl:   http://tinyurl.com/Phys132-Spring2015-EOC-Survey

qualtrics direct:   https://umdsurvey.umd.edu/SE/?SID=SV_bD9IO3cwgBFzBg9

 

ii) E-CLASS Survey:

tinyurl:   http://tinyurl.com/Phys132-Spring2015-ECLASS-Post

qualtrics direct:   https://cuboulder.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_1Ro41ypkSUA4z0F

 

iii) UMD Course Eval (students have access to this).

 

3) Make-Up Lab: 'Unexpected' Fluorescence (Date and Time TBD--I will send an email with this info on Sunday, 5/03)

Link: NEXUS Physics Labs, 2013-2014 ; Phys132_MakeupLab_InvestigatingUnexpectedFluorescence.pdf

File for use with spectrometer & LoggerPro: Spectrometer.cmbl --There is a clean copy of this file on the TA computer.  Ask students to print out their spectral graphs or take screen shots of their work, rather than saving the file (as they often accidentally over-write the main file!)

 

a) Fiber optic cables: Please review the proper use instructions for the fiber optic cables.  These cables, costing over $200 each, should not be bent, coiled tightly, or crushed (pressed upon with sharp edges or great force). 

 

b) Safety Instructions: Please make sure that all light sources are turned off before students leave the lab room.  The chlorophyll samples (KALE suspended in isopropyl alcohol) will need to be transferred between the sealed bottles and the open-topped plastic containers.  After the measurement have been made, put the chlorophyll samples BACK IN THE GLASS bottles and re-seal the lids (tighten).  Do not pour out/destroy the chlorophyll solution.  The same warnings hold for the pure isopropyl alcohol.  The two vials of alcohol and the empty glass vials are with the disposable pipettes and cuvettes in the top drawer of the back-left cabinet.  The student lab documents are also in this drawer. (When the lab is over, please put the equipment back neatly where you found it!  Check to make sure that no light sources or spectrometers are missing.)

 

c) Students determined the best relative orientation of light source, sample, and detector for these measurements in Lab 11 (orthogonal source and detector is best).  Adjustments to these settings may be helpful, such as covering the system with a light-blocking, light-weight cardboard box.  Make sure that they are justifying why the set-up they have chosen is the best.

 

d) Help students think through the start of Part II:  What else in the system could be responsible for the observed fluorescence?  How can they design an experiment that tests these options given the available equipment?  (What other equipment might they want that they don't have access to?)  In gathering the data for their experiment, they will likely find it necessary to adjust the sample time for the data (from the default of 32ms to 100ms, adjust by clicking on the "Intensity" button above the graphical display) AND to adjust the vertical scale for the Intensity axis in the graph.  Hints as to what might be needed are available if students carefully compare the student data in the lab document--they can also look at this on-line (or in the email sent to them) for a color version they can zoom-in on.

 

e) Help the students make sense of the results they get.  If everything else in the system besides the chlorophyll has been eliminated as a source of the observed fluorescence, what possibilities remain?  Is the chlorophyll truly fluorescing due to green light?  Could the Green LED contain light that isn't green?  Alison's addition of the 'green' filter to the equipment for this lab can help answer this question.

 

f) As this is a one-week lab, lab reports should be collected by you at the end of the 2-hour lab period.  Please bring these reports to Kim (in room 1322) and she will scan these and get them back to you for grading.

 

g) When the lab is over, please make sure that the room is straightened-up for the next section.  Re-collect all the fiber optic and data cables.  Make sure that students put the other small equipment (Red Tide spectrometer, UV flashlight, and 3 LED lights; vials of chlorophyll (tightly sealed), cuvettes, isopropyl alcohol vials, etc.) back into the plastic bins and store these in the back cabinet--please check these bins to ensure that the equipment is present and properly sorted.  Sort and stack the student documents.  Dispose of any used eyedropper pipettes and any used paper towels.

 

h) If students make a presentation of their work to you (or to you and the other make-up lab group), then feel free to challenge them with questions and base the majority of your grade on this presentation (but still have them write the report and give it a cursory glance).  This lab report is scored out of 15 points and there is a column in ELMS for entering these grades.  Students also earn 3 participation points for this lab--add these to the points they have got in the Participation column for this week in ELMS.  This means that a kid doing the make-up lab could earn extra points for participation this coming week, above what the column in ELMS says it is worth--that's perfectly okay. 

 

4) Logistics:

 

a) In order for me to do the lab score renormalization, I need all lab scores entered into ELMS (including the Make-up Lab scores) by NOON on Wednesday, May 13th.  Please email me if it will take longer than this for you to enter your grades.

 

b) Matt and Dr. Buehrle may have other grading deadlines for you and may also want to meet with you next Friday (5/08) to discuss end-of-course logistics.  Look for emails from them.  Matt has informed me that you have a meeting on Friday at 11am in room 1304 (Toll Physics Building).

 

That's everything for now.  Good luck!

~KIM

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