Re: [Phys-l] not our majors now!

[Rick Tarara <rtarara@saintmarys.edu>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Carl Mungan" <mungan@usna.edu>
> A few simple ideas and things I've actually tried and found
> successful when teaching majors:
>
> Problem: Students wait until the last minute to do homework.
>
> Solution: Divide each homework into parts due on successive lectures.
> Rather than 9 problems due on Monday, how about 3 problems due each
> lecture?

I've been doing this for 3 years now.  First year it worked fine, but now I 
am seeing a real down-side to this.  Students are much more likely to blow 
off completely (read not do) a daily assignment (since it is only worth a 
couple points) than they were to avoid a big assignment.  The other problem 
I've found with this--having this year moved my class from 2 PM to 8:30 
AM -- is that I get almost no one coming to the office for help.  I get in 
at 7AM but at best one student may show up at 8:15 with a question.

Rick