Project Team
- Ernest Goh, Instructor, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science (Lead Applicant)
- Claire Yan, Senior Instructor, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
- John Hopkinson, Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Themes
- Flexible Learning
- Program Development and Transformation
Year
2019
About the Project
Currently APSC180 Statics is offered in three different terms: Winter 1, Vantage and regular Summers. The durations are 13, 8 and 6 weeks respectively. This project aims to modularise the course into a number lessons that collectively cover the syllabus. For example, for the Winter 1 term, each lecture of 1.5 hours covers a lecture module while each tutorial covers two tutorial modules. In contrast, in the Vantage Summer tutorial, which is held once every three lectures, each tutorial covers three tutorial modules. In each regular Summer lecture of 2.5 hours duration, similar flexibility is available.
The students in these three terms have a diverse background. Those in the Winter 1 term are mainly from Canadian school systems, with international students being in the minority. In the Vantage Summer term, all the students are international, with only about half from Canadian school systems, and their prior knowledge vary greatly. In the regular Summer term, many are repeating the course. By modularising the course, both students and instructors can decide which parts of the course to spend more time on. However, to cater to those whose learning needs are different from their classmates including those in PHYS112 Introduction to Physics for the Life Sciences I with no prior physics background, this project also aims to develop media and teaching materials for automated delivery and self-learning. Thus, those who need more exposure to specific parts of the content can get up to speed with the rest of the class on their own. On the other hand, those with a more advanced prior knowledge (e.g., in the regular Summer term) can progress at a faster pace.
Additional Information