Physics307L F08:People/Koch/Grading

This page represents my notes and thoughts while deciding how to carry out grading for the course. It's not an official description. Probably a better place to look is Physics307L F08:Help

Course Goals

 * 1) Gain experience in writing a research paper
 * 2) * Measurable: Producing a complete report on a lab experiment, written in the style of a research paper.
 * 3) Demonstrate diligence in keeping an electronic lab notebook
 * 4) * Measurable: Koch or Hjelm able to read notebook on OWW and clearly follow everything that was done.
 * 5) Gain experience in setting up and debugging experiments
 * 6) * Measurable: Able to fix an apparatus after Koch or Hjelm come over and mess it up
 * 7) Demonstrate ability to properly use other's work and give credit
 * 8) * Measurable: In formal report, all necessary references included
 * 9) * Measurable: In wiki lab notebook: record of all important conversations and who did what ("Koch said ..." "Devon showed me ..." "It didn't work until a classmate (___) showed me how to wire up the capacitor in parallel...")
 * 10) Gain experience in taking high quality data
 * 11) * Measurable: Able to orally defend quality of data and explain possible sources of error.
 * 12) Gain experience in analyzing and processing data
 * 13) * Measurable: Able to electronically fit a line to data (least squares, maximum likelihood); others important (TBD)
 * 14) Gain experience in how to report measurements meaningfully
 * 15) * Measurable: All final measurements reported with error bars.
 * 16) Experience the excitement of measuring fundamental physics quantities
 * 17) * Measurable: Able to explain orally how these measurements were first obtained, and what new information was revealed at the time.
 * 18) * Measurable: Able to explain orally and in writing how the experiment uses fundamental physics to reveal some parameter (such as e/m ratio for an electron). Memorizing formulas not necessary.

Grading used in fall 2006 (we will be different)
From last year's lab manual: 6. Requirements/Grade: Complete all 10 experiments, which should not take you more than about 12-13 afternoons. We like to emphasize quality over quantity. This pace allows you to take additional data on any given experiment if your analysis reveals problems with your initial data set. You will formally write up only 5 of the 10 experiments. The grade will be based primarily on the five lab reports (underlined in the above list). Also important is the completeness of your lab book, In addition, general performance in the lab will be considered. There will be no midterm, but there will be a comprehensive final exam, in which you will be expected to demonstrate understanding and successful completion of all 10 experiments undertaken. More details on the final exam will be given later.