User:Nsci100Djibouti

This page will serve as the anonymous feedback for NSCI 100, Djibouti. Please edit this page and put your questions below. Dr. Gregg will receive an email whenever the page is updated, and will reply here.

Example. 1. Q. Why is there so much homework?

  A. (Chris) There isn't that much homework, because you should be reading your book!

2. Q. This is an anonymous comment about the class. Dr. Gregg will answer it at some point.

Comment: Physical science class is fun and interesting so far. Given the amount of time and everyone's work schedule, i think that Dr. Gregg is doing a fantastic job at covering the material. I also enjoy his teaching methods. There is quite a bit of reading, but we all understand that these courses are compressed into short periods of time and its not going to be easy. Although, it would be nice not to have class on sunday. Other than that, its a great class

   Answer (Chris): Thanks!  I'm glad you're enjoying the class.

Comment: The class portion of the course has been amazing. The information is presented in a clear and understanding way. There is a good student/teacher communication. I also thank you for not overloading us with homework. We are spending a lot of in class time learning the material. The lab portion of the course (based on the one lab so far) seems counterproductive. This is mostly because of the lack of materials to effectively do experiments. The difficult thing was trying to figure the directions out/learning the programs. It took away from actually learning the science behind it. I think it would almost be better to do these labs together. Maybe have everyone write down a hypothesis and then write down what they saw happened and explain it. Have different people perform different parts of an experiment. That way the focus is on learning the science behind it, and not the program or directions. Everyone has a different way of learning though. You can never have a perfect course.

   Answer (Chris): Thanks for the feedback, and I'm glad 
   you're enjoying the course.  As for the lab, I have two
   comments about it.  (1) I agree that the lack of lab
   materials isn't productive.  However, even the labs with
   equipment will require students to read and follow the 
   lab directions, which would not be any different than the
   first lab (and may even be more difficult because you are 
   dealing with real equipment).  (2) For the next lab that
   is computer-based, I'll try to make it easier to understand
   the instructions.  I do want you to concentrate on learning
   the material (which can be difficult), too, so I don't want 
   to spoon-feed you the work.  I think it will get better the
   more labs that we do.

The structure of the class has been amazing so far! I’ve really enjoyed the time in class and have learned some new and exciting pieces of information.

As we all know the pace of the class is very fast and there’s a lot of information to grasp or take in with just a short period of time.

Is it possible for us to get study guides the week prior to the exam so we can really concentrate in certain areas rather than every piece ?

This may sound like a little much but with the overload I suppose it doesn’t hurt to ask. Thanks

   Answer: (Chris) Thanks for the feedback.  We will talk about the exam (coming 
   up next Saturday, April 13!) this weekend.  As for a study guide, I plan on 
   providing a list (or at least going over it in class) of the end-of-chapter
   questions you should focus on.  Bottom line: if the question includes math
   that will have to be worked out on paper, you won't need to worry about it.
   But, the problems that are conceptual in nature (e.g., if I triple the
   distance of two charges, what happens to the electric force between them?),
   then you should be able to answer them.  I agree 100% that there is a ton of
   material, but if you've been reading the chapters and paying attention in
   class, you should do fine on the midterm.