Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

Link to this comparison view

Both sides previous revisionPrevious revision
Next revision		Previous revision
astro300_f16:day6 [2016/09/20 19:17] – jwangastro300_f16:day6 [2016/09/21 19:02] (current) – [Midsemester Evals (15 minutes)] ccheng
Line 16: Line 16:
 ===== Demos (20 min) ===== ===== Demos (20 min) =====
  
-Diffraction grating demo (10 min) +Diffraction grating demo (12 min) - a 7A/120 combo demo. The purpose is to visualize how diffraction/spectrometers work 
-  * Which way are the lines spaced? +  * How a spectrometer works (5 min) - spectrometer in 120 lab is a black box. Now we can look into the box to see what goes on 
-  * How many lines per mm? +      * Laser pointer (red) + diffraction grating + point at white board (2 volunteers: laser and grating (need to hold still)) 
-  * Wavelength dependence +        * Identify orders 
-  * Width of Human Hair +        * Grating equation (simpler one) 
- +        * Grating is created by etching in opaque lines periodically. Which way are the lines oriented? 
-Discussion on doing demos? Has anyone done demos and how did they turn out? +        * What is the spacing of the lines? Need volunteer to mark on the white board and measure things 
- +      * Add/change to a green laser (another volunteer). 
- +        * Explain how this allows us to separate wavelengths so that a spatial location corresponds to light at a given wavelength 
-==== Some notes ==== +        * Explain nuances: spectrometers usually used ruled rather than holographic gratings (better efficiency). Using although reflective rather than transmissive (more compact) 
- +  * More of a general diffraction demo: width of a human hair (4 min) 
-  * Demo basics: +    * Volunteer to supply and hold hair in front of laser pointer 
-    * Demos are a great addition to a standard/dry worksheet. +    * See the ensuing diffraction pattern. Can anyone explain what we're seeing? 
-    * Sometimes they actually do help elucidate concepts and students like doing "hands-on" experiments (this **is** a science class!). +      * This is analogous to the single slit experiment  
-    * As always, the EBRB is a great resource and has a page devoted to [[private:ebrb:demos|demos]]. +      * Equation for single slit experiment (Diffraction minima) 
-    * In addition, on a given topic's page in the EBRB, there should be listed any relevant demos. +    * Volunteer to measure the diffraction pattern (what should we measure?) 
- +    * Human hair ~50 microns with factor of ~2 variance  
-  * What makes a good demo? +      * How does this compare with the diffraction grating?  
-    * Illustrating difficult physical concept(s) +        * Can you use this to explain why it can be desirable to want bigger telescopes? 
-    * Interactive: students can participate +  * Pass out diffraction gratings to class (4 min) 
-    * A springboard to new topics +    * These can be borrowed from the Physics demo room (72 Le Conte - in the basement). C10 also has a bunch in the storage room cabinet on the 1st floor (used for arclamp demo). 
-    * Straightforward: minimal risk of failure +    * What else can we look at with the diffraction gratings? 
-    * Demo actually illustrates concept in question+
  
 +Meta Discussion of this Demo (5 min)
 +  * Demos are great to illustrate phenomena, especially ones that aren't easy to understand. Diffraction is often explained on the board using waves and interference.. seeing it can help build physical intuition of it. (For programming, algorithms can be explained with demos. Or connecting things learned in class to real life (e.g. DNS lookup with dig)).
 +    * Can be fun alternative way to cover a topic rather than a worksheet
 +  * As a class on the board: Thinking about the demo we just did and previous demos you have done, what makes a good demo and a bad demo:
 +  * What makes a good demo? (with e.g.'s connecting it back to the diffraction demo)
 +    * Illustrating difficult physical concept(s) (e.g. diffraction is not intuitive)
 +    * Interactive: students can participate (e.g. getting them to help with the demo - they feel they made it happen)
 +    * A springboard to new topics (e.g. can think about extending this to other applications)
 +    * Straightforward: minimal risk of failure (e.g. mostly straightforward except lasers can fail, backup?)
 +    * Demo actually illustrates concept in question (e.g. this one is straightforward because very little that is analogy)
   * When demos go wrong:   * When demos go wrong:
-    * Demos **can and sometimes do** FAIL! +    * Demos **can and sometimes do** FAIL! (e.g. backups, explain what they should see, test your demo!) 
-    * Sometimes, especially in astronomy, they can confuse students more than help them or oversimplify a concept. +    * Sometimes, especially in astronomy, they can confuse students more than help them or oversimplify a concept. Both overly complex and overly simplified demos can be confusing! (e.g. this demo attempts to treat diffraction at the same level as the course) 
-    * Materials may be missing or broken, so CHECK IN ADVANCE!+    * Materials may be missing or broken, so CHECK IN ADVANCE! (e.g. go check on diffraction gratings a week in advance, test lasers) 
 +  * Collect diffraction gratings from class
  
   * Some of our C10 favorite demos: see [[astro300_f13:day8#administering_demos_20_min|notes from Ay375 Fall 2013]].   * Some of our C10 favorite demos: see [[astro300_f13:day8#administering_demos_20_min|notes from Ay375 Fall 2013]].
Line 50: Line 60:
  
 Group discussion - you've probably been doing this but making it more explicit: Group discussion - you've probably been doing this but making it more explicit:
-  * (5 min) General office hour/email experiences so far (if not yet discussed).  +  * (15 min) Handling Student Questions 
-    * Have there been people coming?  +    * When you get questions from students on homework questions, how do/should you handle them? 
-    * What kind of questions have you been getting?  +      * We don't generally want to just tell them how to do the problem 
-    * How are you handling them? +        * We don't want the reason they did something to be: "The GSI told me to do it this way" 
-    * Specially for lab courses where the course is focused on implementation/execution, what kinds of questions have you been getting? Are they high level or very technical? +    * In groups of 2-3, come up with 1 question you face or could face and how you would handle that one question without giving away the answer (e.g. I have trouble doing problem _, can you help me?). Come up with an example of a question of where you should just give away the answer and explain why that is the case (7 minutes) 
-  * (5 min) When you get questions from students on homework questions, how do/should you handle them?+  * Go over as a class (8 minutes)
     * General strategy: Identify where the confusion is and address it     * General strategy: Identify where the confusion is and address it
         * Identifying the confusion: ask them to explain the problem to you as best as they can and see where they run into trouble         * Identifying the confusion: ask them to explain the problem to you as best as they can and see where they run into trouble
Line 64: Line 74:
             * e.g. Where do you think it is? What did your brain just do to try to figure out where it is? How could I put that in mathematical/programming terms to implement it? (Basically what I've done is taken a higher level question, and thought of some lower level questions that can guide me to the answer)             * e.g. Where do you think it is? What did your brain just do to try to figure out where it is? How could I put that in mathematical/programming terms to implement it? (Basically what I've done is taken a higher level question, and thought of some lower level questions that can guide me to the answer)
     * Learning how to problem solve and get to the answer are skills we want to teach     * Learning how to problem solve and get to the answer are skills we want to teach
-    * We don't want the reason they did something to be: "The GSI told me to do it this way" 
-  * (3 min) Debugging (specific to lab/python) 
-    * How to handle debugging issues? Ask for opinions 
-      * When do you help them?  
-      * Avoid spiral of debugging everyone's code  
-    * General rule for Astrolab: because the class does not explicitly prereq coding, especially at the beginning, help them debug but also use it to teach them how to debug (print statements, pdb, how to use IDEs, how to use Google) 
-  * (2 min) When should you just give them the answer? 
-      * Things that do not really contribute to the learning objectives 
-        * Math errors: 1+1=3? (Exception: equations in wrong units) 
-        * Coding API questions (how do I make an array in numpy, what is the argument to do...) 
-        * Things that take a long time to figure out how to get, but don't have very much benefit to learning (examples?) 
  
 +    * Debugging (specific to lab/python)
 +      * How to handle debugging issues? Ask for opinions
 +        * When do you help them? 
 +        * Avoid spiral of debugging everyone's code 
 +      * General rule for Astrolab: because the class does not explicitly prereq coding, especially at the beginning, help them debug but also use it to teach them how to debug (print statements, pdb, how to use IDEs, how to use Google)
 +    * When should you just give them the answer?
 +        * Things that do not really contribute to the learning objectives
 +          * Math errors: 1+1=3? (Exception: equations in wrong units)
 +          * Coding API questions (how do I make an array in numpy, what is the argument to do...)
 +          * Things that take a long time to figure out how to get, but don't have very much benefit to learning (examples?, position of maxima of interference pattern when putting a hair in front of a laser (need to find maxima of sinc^2(x)))
  
 ===== Midsemester Evals (15 minutes) ===== ===== Midsemester Evals (15 minutes) =====
 +  
 +  * Why do we do mid-semester evals (1 min) 
 +    * There is a department wide, official end of semester eval, but by then it's too late to fix things for your current students. 
 +    * The point of student feedback at mid-semester is to allow you to adjust your section and teaching style as necessary to match your current students' demands. 
 +    * However, take the responses with a grain of salt; Ay 10 student don't always know what's best for them! 
 +  * General overview of mid-semester evals (1 min)
     * These questions should cover things you want feedback on. Be explicit about what you want to know whenever possible.     * These questions should cover things you want feedback on. Be explicit about what you want to know whenever possible.
     * There should be room for some free response (e.g., if there's anything else not addressed here...)     * There should be room for some free response (e.g., if there's anything else not addressed here...)
Line 84: Line 98:
       * If you have quantitative questions, this might include averages, or distributions.       * If you have quantitative questions, this might include averages, or distributions.
     * You should make sure they are able to fill them out anonymously.     * You should make sure they are able to fill them out anonymously.
- +    * We aren't doing one for this class due to how short it is (we will be using notecards periodically instead) 
-  * NOTE: The Ay 375 eval is a little bit on the long side; we did this purposely since Ay 375 is such an amorphous class and **should** be tailored to what its students are interested in. +  * Going over Aaron's old Ay375 mid-semester eval {{:midsem_evalf13.pdf|Midsemester Evaluation for 2013}} (10 min) 
-  * Discuss the wisdom from past GSIs and Slater & Adams chapter 9: +    * Your mid-semester should be short (1 sided to 2 sided max). This one is just super long to give you different examples on how to approach it. You should feel free to take what you like 
-     * Assigning a combination of "Informal Written Response" and "Check-box Questionaire". +  * Going over Carina's C10 mid-semester eval {{:midsemester_eval_carina.pdf|Carina's Eval}} 
-     * In addition, we've done two types of "Observation by a Critical Friend", both a peer visit and a videotape. +    * Question 1: Useful to know how serious to take the evaluation comments (i.e. take it more seriously if a student attends all the time). 
-     * Use different colored highlighters for positive and negative comments that merit further review. +    * Question 2: Free response allows students to express themselves. 
-     * Four categories of "course difficulties": +    * Question 3: Take it with a grain of salt, because most students want more lectures. 
-       -simple fixes +    * Question 4: Another free response. 
-       -fixes for next semester +    * Questions 5-8: Useful to gauge how the difficulty of section compares with the class as a whole, and whether you're hitting a middle-ground level of difficulty in section. 
-       -offsetting concerns +    * Questions 9-10: Fun, extra questions. Pros: makes the evaluation less formal and fun to read. Cons: can get some inappropriate responses (Carina got a bunch of pick-up lines once and also a phone number) and worrisome responses (one person said they'd be pluto because no one cares about them and they're sad and depressed). 
-       -issues without remedy +  * After the eval is filled out: (1 min) 
-  * Why do we do mid-semester evals +    * It's a good idea to read through them all twice: once to just read every answer and the second time to see if you can spot some trends and consistencies (based on the assumption that if a majority of students agrees on something, then it might actually be a valid point or an accurate assessment). 
-      * There is a department wide, official end of semester eval, but by then it's too late to fix things for your current students. +    * Arguably the most important part of evals is responding to the criticisms (both positive and negative) publicly in front of the class and addressing at least some of their concerns (Slater & Adams call this 'closing the loop'). 
-      * The point of student feedback at mid-semester is to allow you to adjust your section and teaching style as necessary to match your current students' demands. +  * **We will ask you to compile a short summary report:** Some things to consider including: 
-      * However, take the responses with a grain of salt; Ay 10 student don't always know what's best for them! +     -consistent comments 
-  * Mid-semester eval basics +     -averages/standard deviations/histograms for any quantitative questions 
-      * They should be done about half-way through the semester (try to avoid right before or after an exam -- this usually skews your results!); halfway through the semester is one week from today. +     -any hilarious, unfairly mean, or really thoughtful comments 
-      * They should be anonymous (however you might want to ask for their section number so you can compare your multiple sections). +     -a personal assessment of what you've learned and what you'll change (and when)
-      * Sometimes this is done during the last 10 mins of a section, but you get less accurate responses this way since many students will rush through it just to leave early. +
-      * Consider doing it in the middle of section (maybe right after your initial lecture review/Q&A session). +
-      * The GSI will usually step out of the room during this time or //at least// turn their back to the class. +
-      * Have a student collect all of the evals and put them in an envelope. **DO NOT** open the envelope until way later (//i.e.// after you've left Evans and there are no students around you at all). +
-  * **Always** be sure to give students way more than enough room to write.  You don't want them to limit responses simply because they feel they don't have enough room.  You might even consider printing the evals one-sided and make a note at the beginning of the eval saying that if the student needs more room to write that they should feel free to use the back of the page. +
-  * Here's a ranked list of general topics that might be found on an eval (the last three are of the least importance by far with the last one being almost not worth putting on the list): +
-     - Section structure (lecture review, Q&A, worksheets, demos, group work, //etc.//) +
-     - GSI's skills (board skills, student interaction skills, lecture skills, //etc.//) +
-     - Section content (which topics are covered and how long is spent on each) +
-     - Stuff besides section or lecture (//i.e.// star parties you're at, your TALC, office hours, //etc.//) +
-     - Course content (which topics are covered and how long is spent on each) +
-     - Course structure (order of topics, demos during lecture, audience participation during lecture, grading, //etc.//) +
-     - Prof's skills (board skills, student interaction skills, lecture skills, //etc.//) +
-  * Types of questions: +
-     * Open ended (good because they allow students to discuss the things they feel most strongly about and students shouldn't feel constrained about what they can and cannot comment on). //E.g.//: +
-        -Describe three things you like about this section. +
-        -What does your GSI need to do less of in section? +
-        -Put any additional comments. +
-     * Quick answer (very directed or short answer questions are good for students who don't want/can't write a lot and the answers can sometimes give a more quantitative evaluation than the free response questions). //E.g.//: +
-        -On a scale of 1-5 (5 being great, 1 being horrible) rank the following. +
-        -Give the section a letter grade. +
-        -Circle MORE, LESS, or THE SAME for the amount of time (relative to the semester so far) we should spend on each item. +
-     * Humorous (but still informative). //E.g.//: +
-        -Draw a face that best describes how you feel about this class. +
-     * Humorous (just for fun). //E.g.//: +
-        -Make up an hilarious nickname for your GSI. +
-     * Humorous and/or totally random questions are good **in moderation**, they can break up the seriousness of the eval and show off your personality. +
-     * Put a variety of types of questions so that all types of students can give accurate feedback and you can get both qualitative and quasi-quantitative results. +
-  * After the eval is filled out: +
-     * It's a good idea to read through them all twice: once to just read every answer and the second time to see if you can spot some trends and consistencies (based on the assumption that if a majority of students agrees on something, then it might actually be a valid point or an accurate assessment). +
- +
- +
-     * **We will ask you to compile a short summary report that includes:** +
-         -consistent comments +
-         -averages/standard deviations/histograms for any quantitative questions +
-         -any hilarious, unfairly mean, or really thoughtful comments +
-         -a personal assessment of what you've learned and what you'll change (and when) +
-     * Food for thought: In addition to turning it in to us for this class, the summary report could be sent to the Head GSI and/or prof (as opposed to having them read all of the evals).  Most professors, however, do not request reports or copies, or even require that you pass out midsemester evaluations. +
-     * Arguably the most important part of evals is responding to the criticisms (both positive and negative) publicly in front of the class and addressing at least some of their concerns (Slater & Adams call this 'closing the loop'). +
-  * Different profs have different opinions of students responses on the evals: some ignore them completely and assume that the students have no idea what's best for them, some ignore them because the prof teaches the way they teach and that's that and it won't change, and some actually read through them (or at least read their GSIs' summaries of the evals). +
-  * Sample ones on the [[private:ebrb:evaluations|EBRB]]. +
-  * Handout the [[astro300_f09:writing_evals|eval handout]]? +
- +
  
 =====Homework===== =====Homework=====
  
-  - Write a midsemester evaluation and administer them in your sections next week (9/26-9/30). After reviewing your students' responses, write up a ~1 paragraph summary of the evaluation (What did you learn? What changes might you make?). Bring this summary and a copy of your (blank) evaluation to class on 10/5. If you are teaching a lab course, you are encouraged to talk to the Professor of the course and see if it's possible to adminster a midsemester evaluation for the class as a whole. If you are not teaching at all this semester, please draft a general midsemester evaluation (one that you could use in future semesters), but you will not be administering it. +  - Write a midsemester evaluation and administer them in your sections in the next couple of weeks (9/26-10/5). After reviewing your students' responses, write up a ~1 paragraph summary of the evaluation (What did you learn? What changes might you make?). Bring this summary and a copy of your (blank) evaluation to class on 10/5. If you are not teaching section-based classes, you are encouraged to talk to the Professor of the course and see if it's possible to adminster a midsemester evaluation for the class as a whole. If you are not teaching at all this semester, please draft a general midsemester evaluation (one that you could use in future semesters), but you will not be administering it. 
   - If you haven't done so already, visit your peer's section. Meet up for discussion and complete the {{:peergsivisit.pdf| Peer Visitation Worksheet}} by 9/28 (next week!).   - If you haven't done so already, visit your peer's section. Meet up for discussion and complete the {{:peergsivisit.pdf| Peer Visitation Worksheet}} by 9/28 (next week!).
  

Trace: