Each week will look roughly the same. Everyone's time constraints are different so the below timeline is mearly a suggestion. That said, falling behind in this class has shown to be very detrimenatal to success. Physics constantly builds off prior knowledge and getting behind can snowball into a beast that is tough to tackle. Your progression doesn't have to be in this exact cadence, but you do need to keep up on a bi-weekly basis. Only being able to work once a week is probably not an option.

    Weekend before  |  Work on challenge homework and post-lecture and complete reflective writing assignment from the previous week | do pre-lecture prep/homework for upcoming week

    Monday  |  Do 1st lecture | Do your individual quizbit for that week | start your lab

    Tuesday | Finish challenge homework from previous week

    Wednesday  |  Do 2nd lecture | Do 1st post-lecture homework

    Thursday | Do 2nd post-lecture homework | start next challenge homework

    Friday  |  Do 3rd lecture | have lab group meeting | Do 2nd post-lecture homework

In short, spread out the work and do a bit every day. Lab is broken into week-long chunks and you meet with your lab group towards the end of each week. Challenge homwork is due on Tuesdays the following week, giving you a little extra time to work on it and get some help.

To engage properly with a study progression it's important to know the point of each stage. Below is a breakdown of the activities and goals of each stage of a learning cycle that center around a lecture event.

  Familiarize Stage  |  Pre-lecture

    This is a chance to become familiar with some of the words, equations, and ideas used when analyzing a new physical system. This is a largely fact building and organizing stage. It is relatively low on Bloom's taxonomy, meaning it is not intended to trigger a high mental load. It is also all a traditional lecture typically can deliver. This isn't to say that it is not important, on the contrary, it cannot be skipped. We feel (and research confirms) that with videos and the internet there is no reason for this pushing-information-one-direction stage of learning to occur in the classroom. Students commonly express doing this type of studying after attending a traditional lecuture. You will essentially be front loading this fact building/organization stage. That way, when you have an expert there to guide you, we can make efficient use of our time and actually do physics. There are an effectively unlimited number of study resources organized for you on the BoxSand menu to the right. There is a pre-lecture learning guide that includes videos, reading, and pre-lecture homework on the calendar. For more information about the homeworks, check out the dedicated homework page on the syllabus.

        Activity  |  Pre-lecture study by watching videos, reading, interacting with simulations on BoxSand

        Activity  |  Pre-lecture homework questions on Canvas Quizzing.

  Foundation Stage  |  Lecture

    The best way to learn problem solving and critical thinking in physics is to analyze systems, with peers, in real-time. Experts should be available to field questions from the group and to resolve each analysis before moving onto the next. It is called Guided Peer Learning and has been tremendously successful in the on campus OSU physics course. We will simulate this experience in the online world using Virtual Classroom software. During a two day period there will be multiple lecture sessions offered. This is considered the Foundational Stage of learning because we have built everything in a learning cycle around this stage. The problems are considered foundational and address almost every learning objective. They are low to mid-high on Bloom's taxonomy, with the occasional big idea. The pre and post lecture questions are largely chosen with an associated lecture question in mind. The questions studied are mostly entry-level and should leave you with the ability to analyze fundamental and straightforward applications of the current topic. You can use your understanding of the physics during the lecture as a way to measure your progress in the topic. You can then use this to adjust your subsequent studying. This is called formative assessment. Many questions on an exam will be at this level. You can find the lecture templates on the course calendar.

        Activity  |  Live lectures through Zoom or asynchronous lecture assignment on Canvas with video solutions

  Practice Stage  |  Post-lecture

    After a Guided Peer Learning event, where an expert helps you form a foundation of knowledge and skill, it's important to follow up with practice. The post-lecture homework is the main place for skill building practice. These questions will be at every level of Bloom's Taxonomy, with the majority in the mid to mid-high range. Working in groups is strongly encouraged. Find study members or ask questions on the support pages. If you need more practice there is always a supplemental set of questions for practice in the BoxSand menu to the right, under the Fundamentals section of each topic. Post-lecture homework is your primary formative assessment as the level of difficulty is near most of the exams and the feedback is instant. You can find links to the post-lecture homework on the course calendar.

        Activity  |  Post-lecture homework questions on Canvas Quizzing

  Mastery Stage  |  Challenge

    The mastery stage of learning is intended as a place to push the boundaries of our problem solving and critical thinking while using the context of the current topic. After becoming proficient in analyzing systems where there are one or two ideas, challenge homework often requires synthesis of a greater number of ideas and concepts. The experience should be metacognative as you'll have to look at the big picture and see how all the pieces fit together. The hope is you can use this as a synthesis exercise with a relatively low stakes summative assessment. The questions are quite challenging and very high on Blooms taxonomy. Some are above the scope or level of difficulty appropriate for a timed exam. Don't let your ability to not solve challenge homework problems without reaching out for help deter your resolve to succeed in physics. They are designed to get students asking questions and working together. These questions are also to be written by hand and graded by a human with partial credit given. For more information check out the homework page on the syllabus. You can find the challenge homework problems on the course calendar.

        Activity  |  Handwritten homework assignment

  Assessment Stage  |  Exams

    The final stage of a learning cycle is an assessment of what knowledge you possess. This will be in the form of two midterms that focus on current topics and a final exam which is comprehensive, covering all topics. Challenge homework and midterms can be an incredible metacognative learning stage and you are encouraged to review your work after it is graded. Research shows that students who spend time thinking about what they did and did not do correctly, have more success on subsequent exams. With the topics of physics building off each other, this is even more true. To learn more, including what is allowed at the final exam and where to take them, visit the exams page on the syllabus.

        Activity  |  Handwritten midterms and final exam