Notes from Carl Wieman's Physics Lecture

Clckers are used intermittently (about 4-6 times per lecture). The response rate (out of total clickers) is about 70%-80%. The clickers responded and the final tallies are displayed on the screen.

Students are ecourage to discuss a "clicker" question with a peer before answering the question. During these times of ad-hoc discussion, instructor(s) walk around and provide assistance/clarification.

Lectures are fairly fast-paced and involve a dense slideshow with multi-media. Students are encouraged to ask questions and occur frequently (more than the usual lecture halls).



~150 respondents per question
~ 2 questions (Wieman generally does more) and time runs out

Outside of class, students are given online homework (part multiple choice, part essay) and participation surveys each week. A long answer question is also due each week in lecture. The participation surveys ask questions like, "How long did this week's homework take to complete?" and "What was this week's most confusing concept?" If enough students identify a single issue, the professor will try to clarify in the next class. Some students enjoy Wieman's style of teaching because he takes it slow and emphasizes important concepts. Alternately, some students hate his teaching style for the exact same reason. "He doesn't just give you information and run with it [like most engineering professors]."