Computer Intensive Physics Robert G. Fuller

Portugal Conference

March 6, 199827 University of Nebraska - Lincoln

This was a difficult action for the students to take. They are used to doing what you are doing in this talk, come and sit, and write down notes. In the paperless course students can not do that. They have to be there doing something with the computer or nothing happens.

Technical technology access turns out to restrict the study opportunities. For a normal physics course the day before the homework is due, say, midnight you go get your textbook, you find page 27, you copy down the homework problem and solve it. Midnight of this paperless course, homework due the next day. You have to find a computer if you do not own one. You have to make sure it will play the CD-ROM. You find out you cannot just open a book. You have to type in a search of the InfoMall. If you search on "Einstein" you get 5,000 hits, too many; search on "linear motion", 200 hits, too many. You have to figure how can you find the information you want. You cannot just do it the last 5 minutes before you go to bed. And you have to have access to the technology, a big problem for the students.

These activities were designed around the Karplus learning cycle where you don't tell them the answer at the beginning of the week so the students are learning by discovery.(See Figure 47). It was uncomfortable for our students. They do not like to be stumbling along. They think they should be "learning" and getting 100% of everything, no false steps. For them to wander around and have the software crash was difficult for them. I need a whole new generation of students! Take these away and bring me some new ones.

Because we did not use paper the students did not use paper, even for notes. They could use paper. They just could not hand in paper for me to evaluate. They would frequently not take notes on what they were doing with the computer. The computer crashes - - - gone. Or they mail it to the wrong address - - - gone. They did not even take notes on paper We tried to encourage them to write notes for themselves. They just could not send them in as part of their grade. It was a problem for the students.

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