Evaluating How Our Students Think and Learn: Research Results from the Trenches
This PowerPoint presentation addresses research on the thinking and learning processes of students and how increased knowledge of these processes can be used to structure lectures in a manner that will change the way students learn. It covers methods for course redesign, classroom assessment techniques, levels of learning and goals in general education courses. Among other things, it was found that student success is predictable, all students benefit from active learning, and group work is impor
Contour Basics
Contour Basics is an exercise designed to introduce students to contour plots. The Contour Activity is a great on-line resource that starts slowly and increases in difficulty. It teaches students basic techniques for generating contours, introduces students to the subtleties of generating contour plots with sparse data, provides many opportunities for students to assess their own progress and understanding and has complete on-line drawing capabilities. The exercise is geared toward atmospheric a
Conservation Ecology: Lessons from the physics education reform effort
Starting in 1992, introductory physics students at Indiana University were pre- and post-tested on their knowledge of general physics. Some students received standard classes of lectures and tests, while others were taught using interactive engagement (IE) techniques. The goal of the study was this: can IE methods increase the effectiveness of introductory mechanics courses? Though the study focused on physics and mechanics specifically, the techniques used can be applied in teaching other scien
Active Learning
This site from SERC's Starting Point explains that active learning is a student centered approach in which the responsibility for learning is placed upon the student, often working in collaboration with classmates. Links to examples of Active Learning techniques are included on the site.
Cannonball Express
Cannonball Adderley and the Cannonball Express. Program contains numerous 'magazine-style' segments, of which the most prominent is host John Slade's interview with musician Cannonball Adderley. Accompanying the interview, in segments before and after, is performance footage of Adderley's jazz band Cannonball Express (with Bobby Timmons, Walter Booker and Roy McCurdy) shot live at Paul's Mall in Boston the night before the interview. Other segments include a performance by the Immala Blakely Dan
As if Memories Could Deceive Me
'As if Memories Could Deceive Me,' 1986, documents a performance or rehearsal of the New England Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, through close-ups, split-screen effects, and collage techniques. Instruments are filmed close-up and appear in boxed-off portions of the screen. As the music rises, archival film images begin to creep in. Many times they are superimposed over the instruments. Film footage includes the interior of a colorful palace, Hitler propaganda and Nuremberg trials, and a men's c
Anges Rebelles, Les
"In six minutes, a conjuring trick combining special effects and the magic of painting enables us to enter the world of Jacques Brissot. It is a visual poem that humorously recounts the building of a collage inspired from artist Peter Breugel's 'La Chute des Anges Rebelles.'" Artist Jacques Brissot is shown adding to and retouching a large-scale collage work, lending insight into his compositional choices and his techniques and methods. Music is by Michel Arich, with Barney Wilen playing saxopho
SGE Chromatography Products - Troubleshooting and Training
A guide to troubleshooting chromatography problems, especially GC. There is also material on increasing column efficiency and reference material on properties of stationary phases.
Chemistry-Based QuickTime, Shockwave Flash, GIF Animations, and Streaming Audio
The Chemistry-Based QuickTime, Shockwave Flash, GIF Animations, and Streaming Audio Web site is provided to "support the teaching of concepts in chemistry in freshman through graduate level courses." Dr. Thomas Chasteen's site offers links to multimedia files related to chemiluminescence, gel electrophoresis, how a grating works, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, titrations, atomic emission detector, and much more. The site is a good collection of helpful visual learning tools that chemi
The NIST Webbook
Chemical and physical property data on over 30,000 compounds. Information includes mass spectra, infrared spectra, UV-Vis spectra, and a large amount of thermodynamic data generated by NIST scientists over the last 30 years.
Middle School Portal: Math and Science Pathways (MSP2)
In this activity, students explore what percentage means when looking at election results. The activity is part of the Figure This! collection of 80 online mathematical challenges emphasizing real world uses of mathematics. The activity features questions designed to help students think carefully about how percentages are used mathematically to determine outcomes. The answer to the first question provides a detailed examination of election results. The importance of understanding the meaning of
Tournaments : I've got to win how many games?
In this activity, students are challenged to determine how many more basketball games were played in a tournament with a field of 64 teams, compared to a field of 32 teams. Part of the Figure This! collection of 80 math challenges, this exploration challenges students to use a variety of problem-solving techniques that include developing equations, making tables, and drawing tournament brackets. The importance of these strategies in making business decisions and planning space missions is noted.
How to accelerate your Internet
Access to sufficient Internet bandwidth enables worldwide electronic collaboration, access to informational resources, rapid and effective communication, and grants membership to a global community. Therefore, bandwidth is probably the single most critical resource at the disposal of a modern organisation. The goal of this book is to provide practical information on how to gain the largest possible benefit from your connection to the Internet. By applying the monitoring and optimisation techniqu
A Beginners Guide to Second Life
Textbook for a Summer School Course about Virtual Worlds at UOC Barcelona.
The textbook offers a glimpse into virtual worlds in general and Second Life in particular. Titled “Mundos virtuales. Un paseo por Second Life” (“Virtual worlds. A stroll in Second Life”), the course (and book) covers a range of topics ranging from basic movement and building techniques to some theories on virtual identities.
1.103 Civil Engineering Materials Laboratory (MIT)
This course introduces the concepts, techniques, and devices used to measure engineering properties of materials. There is an emphasis on measurement of load-deformation characteristics and failure modes of both natural and fabricated materials. Weekly experiments include data collection, data analysis, and interpretation and presentation of results.
Historical Geology Animations
This site features Flash and Windows Media animations that illustrate various aspects of geologic history. They depict fossil cast formation, the Big Bang and earth through geologic time, the significance of isotopic dating techniques, and views of dinosaurs. These resources are suitable for use in lectures, labs, or other teaching activities.
General Classification of Igneous Rocks
These lecture notes are part of a series of lectures available on the geology department website at Tulane University. Topics covered include criteria for the classification of igneous rocks, field identification of minerals present in hand sample, thin section examination and chemical analysis. The general chemical classification covers silica content (silica saturation), aluminum saturation, and alkaline and subalkaline rocks. This resource is part of the Teaching Petrology collection. http://
Crystallography 101
This tutorial on crystallography is broken down into equipment set-up, x-ray diffraction basics, symmetry and space groups, structure factors and phase problems, phasing techniques, model building, and real space correlation plots. Diagrams and interactive topics accompany the text, along with an interactive applet on Bragg's Law.
Allies and Aliens
In the learning module Allies and Aliens students assume the role of agents from planet Earth who must assess varying degrees of prejudice and misinformation as they visit Web sites from other planets. Because most kids don't think to look for bias or false information online and subtle forms of racism may be difficult to recognize, Allies and Aliens uses the pretense of an evaluation mission to keep players from guessing its true purpose right away. The mission is divided into two parts. On Day
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site Teacher's Page
Roanoke Revisited supplements concepts in core curricula courses and provides teachers and their students with appropriate information for the study of pre-colonial America. Although each classroom teacher is likely to find multiple uses for the materials, the suggested method for implementation is through the use of peer-counseling techniques and experiential activities.
