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George Watson University of Delaware ghw@udel

Technology in a PBL Science Course for Non-Science Majors. George Watson University of Delaware ghw@udel.edu. PBL2002: A Pathway to Better Learning Baltimore, MD June 17, 2002. Silicon, Circuits, and the Digital Revolution. SCEN103 at the University of Delaware

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George Watson University of Delaware ghw@udel

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  1. Technology in a PBLScience Course forNon-Science Majors George Watson University of Delaware ghw@udel.edu PBL2002: A Pathway to Better Learning Baltimore, MD June 17, 2002

  2. Silicon, Circuits, and the Digital Revolution SCEN103 at the University of Delaware http://www.physics.udel.edu/~watson/scen103/

  3. The course: SCEN103 in Spring 2000 was an Honors colloquium designed to introduce first-year students to some of the science behind high technology. Designed to promote scientific and computer literacy and awareness, SCEN103 gives students an opportunity to leverage their interests in everyday devices and high-tech objects into a study of fundamental science concepts. Live demonstrations, in-class group explorations of technology applications, and daily work with the Internet are essential elements of SCEN103. link

  4. A key feature of the writing-intensive work for this colloquium was the student’s setup and development of a personal website. Working in small groups, students also created websites devoted to science and technology topics. This year’s colloquium was designed as a pilot Pathways Course during the discussion of General Education Reform at UD. Much of the learning in Spring 2000 SCEN103 was done with problem-based learning. link

  5. Broad Course Objectives: Analyze simple electrical circuits to assess their function and effectiveness. State and describe fundamental scientific principles underlying modern electronic devices. Explain the basic operation of electrical circuits, simple semiconductor devices, and integrated circuits. Identify the contributions of science and technology to everyday life. link

  6. Interpret graphical data and construct graphs to communicate ideas. Communicate technical ideas orally and in writing. Evaluate the information content of Internet resources. Use graphical and other multimedia elements effectively in a webpage. Create an informative and organized website devoted to presenting a topic of technical interest from various perspectives. Access timely, relevant, and authoritative information for problem solving. Construct technical information into a logical framework for decision making. Establish a frame of mind where quantitative reasoning is embraced. Work effectively in a group to solve complex problems. link

  7. Problem-Based Learning in SCEN103 SCEN103 relies heavily on PBL with students working collaboratively in groups to solve real-world problems. Students learn to apply simple scientific concepts, find and evaluate scientific and technical information, and communicate ideas about science and technology to others. Discussions led by the course instructor, plus supplementary lectures, help to give a context and conceptual framework to the problems. link

  8. Why PBL in SCEN103? The rate of generation of new information in the scientific and technical sectors is truly staggering. Information becomes outdated rapidly and is updated constantly; much of what will be needed to know in the workplace following graduation has not been generated yet! Thus identifying when new information is needed, where to find it, how to analyze it, and how to communicate it effectively are essential skills to learn in college. An important result of PBL is that while problems are used to identify what to learn, the process of learning "how to learn" is also developed. This method of instruction has been chosen to help develop skills important for success both in the students’ undergraduate education and in their professional life following graduation. link

  9. What is effective learning in SCEN103? Effective learning is much more than memorizing information to answer questions on examinations. Learning is a process that culminates in the ability: to ask the right questions and frame good problems, to acquire information and evaluate sources of information, to critically investigate and solve problems, to make choices among many alternatives, to explain concepts to others (both orally and in writing), and to generalize to new situations. link Problem-Based Learning helps develop these abilities!

  10. A Problem-Based Learning Approach to Simple Electrical Circuits Incorporating PBL problems, Other collaborative exercises, and Hands-on laboratory exercises. Link to list of activities and assignments for SCEN103 Spring 2000 Link to schedule of classes for SCEN103 Spring 2000

  11. PBL #1 Crossed Circuits Two roommates argue about perceived use of electrical energy. Who should pay more towards the utility bill? Energy = power x time link

  12. Lab #1 Hairdryers: How much power? Students bring in their hairdryers and test all settings. A relationship is discovered among the three circuit quantities while checking the manufacturers’ claims. Power = current x voltage link

  13. PBL #2 A San Francisco Treat Electrical wiring plans are formulated for a building conversion using floorplans from a “This Old House” project. Parallel circuits Household wiring Power ratings of appliances link

  14. Exercise #1 Electrical Energy Use in the World? Student groups use the CIA’s online World Fact Book to accumulate regional electrical energy use and investigate sources of discrepancies. link Globalization for Pathways Course objective

  15. PBL #3 More Power! Mark and Tim Allen rewire a toaster for more power by using hairdryer parts. Resistance and Ohm’s law link

  16. Lab #2 Resistivity and Play-Doh Students roll out cylinders of various diameters and find a relationship among resistance and geometric factors. Resistance of a cylinder (wire) link

  17. PBL #4 Spring Break Adventure Students investigate the circuit concepts behind the operation of two familiar battery testers. Synthesis of cylinder resistance, Ohm’s law, and Electrical power link

  18. Lab #3 Batteries and Bulbs Students work from the simplest possible circuit to the challenging circuit on the left and its companion on the right. Series and parallel combinations link

  19. Exercise #3 Penetration rates of major consumer products in U.S. households Historical aspects of electrical use link

  20. PBL #5 Lights Out! Students attempt to design a flashlight from a 6V lantern bulb and two AAA cells that will last for five hours. Batteries and internal resistance Energy capacity Circuit Design link

  21. Computer Simulations • A wide variety of educational games exist that represent a PBL approach to learning <www.legacyinteractive.com> : • emergency room www.trauma.org • virtual hospital www.vh.org • archaeological dig dig.anthro.niu.edu • halls of justice www.objection.com • Interactive Java applets and Flash animations are also an excellent way to bring the power of technology to the PBL classroom. • One of my own is a Flash Circuit Simulator that emulates a laboratory for studying the properties of electric circuits.

  22. Motivation for This Project Faster, cheaper ‘what if?’ changes. Anywhere, anytime accessibility to ‘lab’. Wireless technology for collaborative learning. When hands-on experiences in a physical laboratory are not available, computer simulations are often the next best option. For some topics, computer simulations can provide an environment for active learning that is just as rewarding as the traditional laboratory.

  23. Implementation of This Project JavaScript and Java applets are often employed to implement computer simulations for learning that can be accessed over the web. Often overlooked are other software solutions that run from suitably configured web browsers -- Macromedia Flash is one such approach. We have created a simple circuit simulator written in Flash that provides an interactive experience for introductory students of electricity.

  24. Features of the Circuit Simulator The current version provides a prototyping workspace drag-and-drop selection of resistors and batteries multimeters that can be configured to display current and/or voltage for each circuit element wire cutters and wire to complete and reconfigure circuits to carry out simulated experiments. a written and audio introduction to its use.

  25. As initially presented to the students

  26. Running a circuit simulation…

  27. Demonstration http://www.udel.edu/present/showcase/watson/

  28. Wireless Laptop Carts

  29. Technology in a PBLScience Course forNon-Science Majors George Watson University of Delaware ghw@udel.edu PBL2002: A Pathway to Better Learning Baltimore, MD June 17, 2002

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