Facilitating student learning in the Physics Teaching Laboratory - Imperial College London

All students and staff welcome.

Speaker

Dr Michael Fox (Department of Physics, Imperial College London)

Abstract

In this talk Dr Michael Fox will give an overview of the experimental physics programme for undergraduate physics students at Imperial College London before explaining how a handful of simple changes in the last few years have made a dramatic improvement to the student and staff experience of the second-year lab course.

These changes include updating how reports are graded to align with what they want students to learn; how they assess student lab notebooks and professional skills in the lab; and how the staff and graduate teaching assistants in the lab are trained.

Dr Michael Fox will present a case study rather than a research report, as the effect of individual changes on overall outcomes or student sentiment cannot be separated. He hopes to provide the audience with some examples that may be of practical use when considering how to design or alter their own courses.

Refreshments

Meet at 11.45 level 6 corridor for tea and cakes prior to the talk.