[Phys-L] Re: Maximum Physics Lab Enrollment

[John Clement <clement@HAL-PC.ORG>]

The critical limit on students may not be the number per instructor, but the
number per equipment.  I would suspect that the difference between 24 and 18
per instructor may not be that noticeable for conventional labs.  However if
one is using labs which require Socratic dialog of some kind, the number of
students / instructor may be critical.  As I recall Hake Socratic Dialog
labs need 2 instructors per room and that there may be 24 students.  So
12/instructor may be the limit.  Dick Hake could be a better guide here.
McDermott tutorials may also require a smaller number of students.  Real
Time Physics Labs should not have a stringent limit.  The Modeling program
recommends 3 member lab groups which limits the students/equipment.
Workshop Physics also has firm recommendations that vary from 2
students/group to larger numbers.

My school, a private HS claims to limit the class size to 22 but routinely
stuffs in 24 or more per room.

In the end, the program you wish to use can provide the actual limits.  But
the answer is usually decided by politics and $$$.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX


> Our school is in the design phase for a new science
> building and one issue is the maximum student
> enrollment for labs.  Currently, we have a maximum
> enrollment of eighteen students per instructor in our
> physics and chemistry labs with biology labs ranging
> from eighteen to twenty-four students per instructor
> depending on the course.  Administration wants all
> labs to be at a maximum enrollment of twenty-four
> students per instructor.
>
> What is your maximum student to instructor enrollment
> ratio for first year physics labs?  Here, instructor
> could be a faculty member and/or a TA.
>
> I'll start with my school, Minneapolis Community &
> Technical College.  Please add to the table.
>
> School and student to instructor ratio.
>
> Minneapolis Community & Technical College  18/1
>
> Thanks,
>
> Bob Carlson
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