Evaluations consist of two parts:
- A Program Description which is the same for all students and described the work of the program
- An Evaluation of Student by Faculty, which is unique to each student and describes their learning
Self-Evaluations are required of all students in the program at the end of each quarter. Self-Evaluations should minimize duplication of material contained in the Program Description. The Fall Quarter Program Description follows:
Fall Quarter
The fall quarter of Matter and Motion integrated the study of calculus, chemistry, and physics. In this all-level program, we covered introductory topics in these subjects through lectures, workshops, and labs. Students improved their mathematical and scientific reasoning and their problem solving abilities in calculus, chemistry, and physics. Student evaluations were based on: quizzes, exams, and revisions; written and on-line problem sets; lab notebooks and write-ups; a portfolio of collected work; and engagement in lectures, laboratories, workshops, and seminars.
Learning objectives for students included: improving ability to articulate and assume responsibility for their own work; improving oral and written communication skills; strengthening skills and sensitivities in collaborative learning with the goal of creating a more inclusive classroom; learning differential calculus (and some of its applications, particularly to physics) and the basic ideas of integration; utilizing mathematical models that describe and explain motion in the natural world; using the main ideas of classical mechanics to solve fundamental and applied problems; learning foundational concepts in chemistry and using fundamental laboratory tools to investigate chemical and physical properties of solids, liquids, and gases.
Calculus I: Students worked through chapters 1 – 3 and sections 4.8 and 5.1 – 5.4 in Stewart’s Calculus: Concepts and Context (4e). Pre-calculus topics were reviewed and then calculus topics (limits, derivatives, and integrals) were studied. Students learned graphical, numerical, and analytic techniques to find derivatives of polynomial, rational, exponential, trigonometric, and inverse trigonometric functions and their compositions using the limit definition and the power, product, quotient, and chain rules, as well as implicit differentiation. Student also learned to determine simple anti-derivatives, to calculate indefinite and definite integrals, and to apply the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Most applications were in a physical sciences contexts to integrate with the other program components. Students completed: 5 lab investigations using Desmos; 7 weekly online reading responses; 8 problem sets of between 24 – 30 problems each (of which 10 problems per set were submitted using the online homework system WebAssign); and took 7 quizzes and 2 exams with the opportunity to submit revisions.
Calculus-based Physics with Laboratory: Fall quarter focused on classical mechanics. Students learned to understand concepts about and solve problems involving: kinematics (linear and rotational), dynamics (translational and rotational), work and kinetic energy, and conservation of energy, momentum, and angular momentum. These were reinforced by frequent hands-on activities and lab exercises, often with Vernier sensors and software or video analysis. As topics were covered in calculus, they were incorporated with the study of physics. Students worked through chapters 1 – 7 and 9 – 11 in Wolfson’s Essential University Physics. Students had the opportunity to complete 8 laboratories, 9 homework sets consisting of 9 to 21 questions or problems, and 8 quizzes and one exam, with the opportunity for revision on each.
General Chemistry with Laboratory: Students worked through McMurray and Fay’s General Chemistry: Atoms First, 2nd ed., from the beginning to section 7.4. Students had interactive lectures and collaborative workshops that covered topics such as: chemical measurements, structure of atoms, nuclear chemistry, electronic structure of atoms, ionic compounds, bonding, molecular structure, and stoichiometry. Students’ abilities were assessed primarily through short weekly quizzes and a final examination, but also through completion of quiz/exam revisions and online problem sets. Students also participated in lab, which covered topics such as significant figures and precision, spectrophotometry, periodic properties, identification of unknowns. Students used laboratory experiences as a tool for developing written and oral scientific communication, submitting lab write-ups and doing a group Powerpoint presentation.
Suggested Course Equivalencies
- 4 – Calculus I
- 6 – General Chemistry I with Lab
- 6 – University Physics I with Lab