Pedagogy

The Symonds II laboratory provides an ideal environment for experimenting with new modes of education. One educational theme that is stressed in many of the classes held in Symonds II is the idea of replacing "teaching" by "learning". Instead of holding lectures using a traditional chalkboard, instructors prepare materials that use the computational and audio-visual capabilities of Symonds II to enable the students to explore and learn class material on their own under the guidance of the instructor.

One class based on this approach is Comp 110, an introductory class on problem solving using computer tools. This class, typically consisting of around 30 students, meets for two 1.5 hours sessions each week in Symonds II. The class covers 10 modules on how to solve a range of introductory problems in science and engineering. Each module consists of a Mathematica notebook that includes expository material, graphical examples and assigned problems. (Mathematica is a high-level programming language and environment popular in academia and industry.)

During class, members work in pairs of two students per machine. Pairings are shuffled by the instructor after completion of each module to reduce the tendency of strong students to pair up. Pairing up allows stronger students to mentor weaker students and reduces the tendency of students to engage in non-class activities such as email or web browsing.

An individual class in Comp 110 typically starts with a 10-15 minute mini-lecture that provides an overview of the material to be covered during the class period. A written description of this material is contained in the Mathematica notebook for the module. The remainder of class consists of self-paced work by each pair of students working through problems contained in the second half of the notebook. Mathematica provides an ideal tool for this approach since it allows class notes, assigned problems and student solutions to all be in a single document. Here is an example of a course module on computing the orbits of the Sun, Earth and Moon using the laws of physics.

During the self-paced portion of class, the instructor and two graduate student assistants circulate and assist individual pairs of students. This help may consist of more detailed explanations of new math concepts, clarification of technical details of Mathematica, assistance in debugging Mathematica programs and hints towards solving assigned problems. Since most classes have around 15 student pairs, each student pair receives significant personal interaction with the instructor and graduate students. The instructors (or graduate students) occasionally interrupt classes to discuss common errors or demonstrate elegant solutions using the large flat-panel displays in Symonds II.

Joe Warren, Professor of Computer Science