Course Syllabus

PHY 4905     The Physics Learning Assistants Program   

Essential Information

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Engage with diverse students and physics content in the Physics I/II sequence using the Socratic method to enhance a deeper understanding of the relevant physics concepts.
2. Provide effective feedback to students in the physics course by facilitating small group problem solving, in a scaffolded fashion.
3. Critically reflect on and implement novel physics instructional techniques.

Course Description

The LA Model is characterized by three essential elements: Pedagogy, Weekly Preparation, and Practice. This course introduces new Learning Assistants (LA) to active learning. The course will use activities that support:

1. Eliciting student ideas and helping all group members become active and engaged in the class. An emphasis will be placed on inclusion.
2. Facilitation skills: Listening and questioning.
3. Building relationships.
4. Integrating learning theories with effective practices.

Expectations of Students

To achieve the learning outcomes, students are expected to:

• Check eLearning for 'Announcements' in the course regularly.
• Plan your engagement with course content for the week ahead.
• Do any assigned work.
• Provide effective written and oral feedback to students in the physics course 2004/2005/other.
• Engage with students in the PHY2004/2005/other course in a small-group setting and/or via the Discussion Board. You may be responsible for assisting a few small groups or moderating the Discussion Board.
• Participate in coaching a subset of students from the Phy 2004/2005 cohort in study skills. 
• Participate in peer observation in a constructive fashion.
• This course requires time to do all of the above, and students should plan accordingly to spend upto 2 hours per week of study for this course, outside of LA class meetings.

Required Materials

For the LA Course: There is no textbook to be followed for this course. There will be various learning activities based on readings and video-viewings. These materials will be provided to you by the instructor. We will implement the Learning Assistants Alliance model as developed at the University of  Colorado-Boulder. 

For the implementation course: The required text for Phy 2004/2005 is Physics: Principles with Applications by Douglas Giancoli, 7^th ed, published by Pearson. As a LA you will have access to the e-textbook, homework, homework solutions and reading quizzes in Mastering Physics, at no cost to you. The required text for Phy 2054 is Physics by Knight, Field, Jones, 4th ed., Pearson.  Your instructor will arrange for this access.  

Grading

Grades will update weekly in Canvas.

The following grading standards will be used in this course showing the minumum needed to obtain a grade:

If you are not willing to consent to have your voice recorded during class, you will need to keep your mute button activated and communicate exclusively using the "chat" feature, which allows students to type questions and comments live. The chat will not be recorded or shared.

As in all courses, unauthorized recording and unauthorized sharing of recorded materials is prohibited.

Communication Policy: All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all email messages, threaded discussions and chats.

Institutional Policies

Health & Wellness

U Matter, We Care: If you or a friend is in distress, please contact umatter@ufl.edu or 352 392-1575 so that a team member can reach out to the student.

Counseling and Wellness Center: http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwc (Links to an external site.), and  392-1575; and the University Police Department: 392-1111 or 9-1-1 for emergencies.

Sexual Assault Recovery Services (SARS): Student Health Care Center, 392-1161.

University Police Department: at 392-1111 (or 9-1-1 for emergencies), or http://www.police.ufl.edu/ (Links to an external site.).