Now that students have some physics background knowledge on the lecture content, we attend a large lecture class at Smith Hall. Our Classroom Observation University Partner has written the content for the introductory science course Seven Ideas that Shook the Universe. He also posts lecture outlines and other study resources online for students. Students gain a first-hand experience of what classes will be like at the university and often have many questions that we can address in our debrief session after the observation.
Stressing the importance of being prepared, we provide students with notebooks and pencils as well as the background knowledge for the day’s class. We discuss classroom behavior and the importance of being “here and now” during the class. Although this is a review for many high school graduates, it is still a class with a high failure rate since only three exams are given for the semester. We stress the importance of joining study groups and using the tutoring opportunities available through the university.
