[Phys-L] Re: Physics Solutions Manual

[Karl Trappe <trappe@PHYSICS.UTEXAS.EDU>]

Exactly.  And that is why UTexas has a HW server with thousands of
such problems and permission from most publishers to add theirs.  I
know they just added all of the 9th ed of Hewitt's Conceptual Physics
(yes, 10th is out).  Serway's College Physics is there.  Lots of
others are, as well.  Again, so many HW problems that if they master
that many they are pretty well on their way in Physics.

The HW Server is used by over 4 million persons world wide.  Now that
I retired from UT, I use it at Austin Community College and at a "for
profit" school, as well.  Many area high schools use it.
Additionally, math, chemistry, and other subjects are available.

The current version has been in use since 1992, and is vastly superior
to the earlier versions.  Patsy McDonald (patsymc@physics.utexas.edu)
oversees the problems and their corrections, and Herb Ward
(ward@physics.utexas.edu) has been writing the phonebook thick code
since 1992.  Graduate students who cannot be in contact with students
until their proficiency in English improves work their TA hours
entering more problems.

The HW Server comes with a discussion board which I encourage students
(via class participation grades) to use to "peer tutor" in solving the
problems.  Every student gets the same problems but with different
numerical values (not always true for conceptual problems). Each HW
set they download online, turn in on line, get graded on line, and
grades appear in the gradebook which they can access for their own
grades at any time.  Consequently, there is no "scholastic dishonesty"
issue, ie, they are *encouraged* to learn together.  Problems vary
from 7-10 answer multiple choice for conceptual problems to 10 answer
(possible solution) work problems to problems which require entering
their solution in scientific notation to within 1%.

But, be forewarned:  There is nothing that incites the frat boys to
retaliate faster than circumventing the grade advantage they paid
dearly to gain via the frat files.  They hate the system that
circumvents Googling their textbook and entering the HW problems in
one place.  It is just too much work to have problems from unknown
sources.  Their "evaluation" is that the HW Server is "too tedious".

For those who wonder about your own textbook:  Google the first
several words of any given HW problem.  Up pops several sources
(including several of our listserve members' sites).  Karl



Quoting John Denker <jsd@AV8N.COM>:

> > > This is the new reality.  (Assume your students have access to the
> > > teacher's solution manual for the adopted text.)
>
> At the college level, this is not much different from the old
> reality.  Verrry old.
>
> Frat houses keep "homework files" and "exam files".
>
> The savvy teacher lives by the principle "utlisé, c'est usé"
> (utilized once = used up).  Alas there are always plenty of
> non-savvy teachers, which gives frat members a treeemendous
> short-term advantage over other students who have to actually
> work out the homework problems (with the corresponding long-
> term disadvantage that they don't know how to solve any
> problem where the answer can't be looked up).
>
> For homework, the only defense is to re-jigger the problems
> each year.  (But be careful;  sometimes a seemingly-slight
> change in wording can transform a difficult problem into an
> easy problem, or vice versa.)
>
> For in-class exams, you can re-jigger the problems, and/or
> draw from such a large pool that learning the principles is
> easier than memorizing the entire pool.
>
> If teachers would cooperate, constructing such a pool would
> be relatively easy.  One might imagine that this mailing-list
> could be a vehicle for organizing such cooperation:  If a few
> hundred teachers contributed a few well-designed questions
> apiece, it would be quite a corpus.
_______________________________________________
Phys-L mailing list
Phys-L@electron.physics.buffalo.edu
https://www.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l