Motivation for Lecture Preparation

Often students believe that the first exposure to new material is in the classroom. This misconception can lead to poor performance and unsatisfied students.

Learning requires iteration; students must embrace the material on several occasions. Specifically, before it is communicated to them by the instructor in the lecture.

Many first-time students of physics find the subject to be challenging. Studying the material before attending the lecture develops a familiarity with the subject. The result diminishes the tendency to experience fear that can stymie learning.

Lecture Preparation provides a solid foundation on which a lecture can be constructed. The result, we believe, is an enhanced learning environment.

Lectures, and thus preparation are fluid, changing from semester to semester. Computer-based preparation should also allow for changes.

Computer-based lecture preparation stem from a charge that is implicit to an ``all-laptop'' campus such as UMC: ...giving the students a reason to have a laptop computer.

Last modified: Thu Aug 5 11:32:50 CDT 1999