Re: switching from quarters to semesters

[jriley@lib.drury.edu (Jim Riley)]

We are a small private school so that our case may not be comparabale to
yours.  We teach the calculus based physics class in two five credit
semesters.  We used to have the standard 
4 hours of lecture and two hours of lab per week but have changed to the
Workshop Physics format of two hours per day three days per week.  

We have our physics majors take the course concurently with calculus as
freshmen.  If we don't do that we find that we have a large loss to
chemistry and math during the freshman year before we even get a chance to
meet them.  Our pre-engineers do the same thing.  they are enrolled in a
dual degree program so must complete most of their graduation requirements
in three years.  If they start as sophomores they can't finish in time.
Everyone else is recommended to take physics as a sophomore although many of
them postpone it until later.

> Here in Utah the legislature recently mandated that all state institutions
> of higher ed switch from quarters to semesters.

(snip)

> It boils down to a question of when do we think they
> should take the course.  Should engineering students take physics as
> freshmen concurrently with calculus or as sophmores after they've had
> calculus?  Are the answers any different for physics majors?
>
> Please advise.
>
> Thanks very much in advance,
> Larry
>
>
>
> Larry K. Smith                                  | Not everything that counts
> Dept. of Physics   mailto:Larry.Smith@snow.edu  | can be counted; and not
> Snow College       fax: (801) 283-6879          | everything that can be
> 150 College Ave.   phone:  (801) 283-4021 x232  | counted counts.
> Ephraim, UT 84627 USA                           |      Albert Einstein
Jim Riley, Department of Physics
Drury College
900 N Benton Ave.
Springfield, MO 65802
e-mail: jriley@lib.drury.edu
Phone:  (407) 873 7233