MajorCourseRevisionforMLGN593:Bonding,Structure,&Crystallography

BACKGROUND WHATISCHANGING EXPECTEDRESULTS PerspectivesonTrefny CenterSummerIntensiveCourseRevisionProgram:• TheIntensiveCourse

Revisionprogramhelpedmenarrowandfocusmylearningobjectivessothattheyareusefulforthestudents

• Agreatopportunitytoworkwithotherfacultyfromacrosscampuswitharangeofteachingexperiences

• Teachingwellisnevereasy,butlearningeffectiveinstructiontechniquesshouldmakeyoumoreefficientatpreparingforclass.

• Welldefinedlearningobjectiveshelpaligntestsandhomeworkandgivesstudentsclearexpectations,improvingattitudes.

JeramyD.Zimmerman,AssistantProfessor,PhysicsDepartment&MaterialsScienceProgramPhotovoltaic,LightEmittingDevices,MaterialsforEnergyApplicationsSummer2017Cohort

MaterialsScienceGraduateCoreprogram:• MLGN591:MaterialsThermodynamics• MLGN592AdvancedMaterialsKineticsandTransport• MLGN593:Bonding,Structure,&Crystallography• Widevarietyofbackgrounds

• 1/3MaterialsScienceorrelatedDegree• 1/3NOMatSci background

• Norequired materialsscienceprerequisites• Musthaveenoughknowledgeofmaterialsscienceto

performresearchandnotembarrassthemselvesatconferences.

X

LearningOutcomes:• Clear&conciselearningoutcomesdefined

forstudents• Additionofprerequisitelow-levelknowledge

addedtoprerequisiteknowledge(withresourcesforfindinganswers)

Expectedimprovements:• Studentsabletoidentify

whyeachhomeworkisassignedandhowexamproblemsdoindeedbuildonhomework

• Lessofa“firehose”feelingformanystudents

Previousapproach:• Justintimeteaching(JiTT)onreadingsandonlinequizzes• StudentswithweakmaterialsBackgrounds• Ihadtocovermaterialinreadings,eliminatingany

possibletimesavings.Videos&targetedreadings:• Videosbeingcreatedtocoverdifficult

concepts• Pre-classquizzesfocusingonspecificclosed-

endinformation(low-leveldepthofknowledge)andgeneralcuriositiesaboutwhattoexploredeeper

• Materialinreadingsnotrepeatedinclass!• Moretimetoapplyideasinclass

Whychange?• Largeamountofmaterialtocover• Studentsstruggletomastertopicscovered

andstruggletoseehowdifferenttopicsareconnected

Emphasisonmetacognition:• Studentsoftenfocusonmechanicsofsolving

problemandmissthegeneralconcept.• Additionalhomeworkaddedtobuild

connectionstolearningobjectivesandmajorconcepts.

Metacognition:• Assessmentsaddedon

identifyinggeneralconceptslearnedandconnectionstolearningobjectives

• Assignmentsincludingdescriptionsofconceptswithextendedwrittenportions

Classtime:• Slowerpaceforin-class

coverageofmaterial• Timeforrealexamplesand

constructingcomplexideas• Morecomputersimulations

andvisualizationsoftware• Activeparticipationby

studentsinsmallgroupdiscussions