a few facts
Basic Info
- Instructor: Dave Feldman
- Email: You can figure it out
- Office: Second floor, Turrets Annex
- Pronouns: he/him/his
- Help Sessions: TBA, Dining Hall
- Individual Meetings: By appointment
- Tutors: Sara Löwgren, Katrine Østerby
what your evauation will be based on
Evaluation
Your evaluation will be based on your performance on homework assignments. There will be weekly homework assignments and, towards the end of the course, some mini-case studies and projects. I think there is much to be said against grades; I believe they often interfere with genuine, reflective learning. But I am happy to assign grades if you wish. I do not have any quota of A's, B's, etc.
what's the deal with this course?
More Detailed Info
- This is my ninth time teaching this class, so I have a pretty good sense of how it will go. That said, this course is continually evolving. An ongoing challenge for me is what material to include and what to leave out. I'm also continuing to experiment with the ordering of topics.
- This class will be quite large by COA standards. You and I will need to work together to make sure that this classtime is comfortable and effective, and that outside of class people are able to get all the help they need. I have taught other classes, including this one, with more than thirty students and it worked out fine. So I'm not worried.
- Falling behind in this course is not a good idea. If you're confused about something, it's very important that you seek help sooner rather than later. There are many people around who can offer help. However, we can't offer assistance if we don't know who needs it when. You need to take responsibility to seek help if you need it. On a related note ...
- I do not expect all of the homework assignments to be easy; I don't expect you to be able to sit down and do them easily the first time. Don't let yourself get frustrated. I strongly suggest working with others and seeking help if you need it.
- This class, especially at the beginning, will move fairly quickly and there will be a lot of work. This course is about building quantitative and analytical skills, and the only way to do this is through lots of practice. It is essential that you not fall behind.
- If you need extra time for one or two of the homework assignments, it's not a big deal. But be very careful to not fall farther behind every week.
- Homework will almost always be due at the end of the day on Friday. (What this means is that I come to campus sometime Saturday morning and empty my mailbox of homework assignments.) I will accept late homework assignments. However, I may not grade these assignments thoroughly. Multiple late assignments will result in a lowering of your grade and a mention in your narrative evaluation.
- You are strongly encouraged to work together on homework. You can also consult me, teaching assistants, other faculty, friends, and family. However, the homework you hand in should represent your own understanding. This means that if your friends get a homework problem and you don't understand how they did it, you shouldn't just copy their solution and turn it in.
- As I plan on sending out homework assignments and other information via email, it is important that you check your email regularly.
- Unless we have made arrangements in advance, you are expected to come to class and participate in group exercises.
- Most homework assignemnts will include some problems assigned on
Edfinity, an electronic homework platform. There are several
benefits to Edfinity:
- You get instant feedback while doing the work, so you can learn right away from your mistakes. You can submit solutions many times until you get everything correct.
- Since the problems are automatically marked, the TAs and I can spend more time helping you and won't have to spend as much time grading.
- Some problems are randomized so that you will all get slightly different versions of the questions. This means that collaborating with other students will be maximally effective, since you'll have to share solution methods and not just the final answer.
- I recommend acquiring a simple calculator. You can use your phone, but my experience is that calculators are much easier and faster to use.
- I am writing a book based on this class. I will be writing as the term progresses and sharing updated drafts with you. I'd encourage you to not print out the entire book, as it will be changing almost daily. Feedback and suggestions are welcome.
- In order to supplement what we do in class, I plan on making a number of short videos, mostly working through example problems. If you have requests for topics or examples, please let me know.
- I would like to experiment with an optional discussion section, probably on Friday afternoons. This will be a chance to discuss some of the more complex and multi-layered issues that we won't be able to dig into in class, including social and environmental impacts of various energy technologies.
- There may be a temptation to delve too deep into particular technology to the point that we're swamped with facts and details. There is also a temptation to get bogged down in debates about policy. We should collectively resist these temptations; there are a lot of important topics to learn about.
- Many of the examples in this class are based on a US context. I will incorporate other contexts as I can, and will try to make clear differences between the US and elsewhere in terms of energy.
- I am required to remind you that: "By enrolling in an academic institution, a student is subscribing to common standards of academic honesty. Any cheating, plagiarism, falsifying or fabricating of data is a breach of such standards. A student must make it his or her responsibility to not use words or works of others without proper acknowledgment. Plagiarism is unacceptable and evidence of such activity is reported to the academic dean or his/her designee. Two violations of academic integrity are grounds for dismissal from the college. Students should request in-class discussions of such questions when complex issues of ethical scholarship arise."
- You should expect to spend 150 hours of academically engaged time on this course, or 15 hours per week. In addition to 3 hours per week in class, in a typical week you'll spend 3.5 hours reading and preparing for class and 8.5 hours attending help sessions and completing assignments.
I don't want to be negative, but
What this Class Isn't
- Energy policy
- Social impacts of energy technologies
- Environmental impacts of energy technologies
- Weatherproofing your house
- Building your own wind turbine
- Climate change and global warming
- A physics class
you can get help, and a lot more, at help sessions
Help Sessions
- The TAs and/or I am around to offer help on the homework.
- Some students do most of the homework while at a help session. They work through problems alone or with others, and find it comforting to know that help is immediately at hand if needed.
- Other students do the problems at home or in the library and come to the help session with specific questions.
- Usually there are a group of students working together at one or two tables in the dining hall. You can join this group.
- Some students prefer working in booths, which can be a bit quieter. I'll wander over to the booths and check in on students, or you can move over to the large table or summon me over.
- Help sessions are also a chance to ask general questions about the course. Conversations also wander into other areas: politics, the state of the world, what's for dinner, what classes are offered next term, and so on.
- Help sessions are a great way to meet other students in the class.
there are lots of good reasons why you might want to meet with me one-on-one
Individual Meetings
- You have some in-depth questions that there isn't time to explore in a help session.
- You have a question that you think is too basic or you're uncomfortable asking in a help session. (You shouldn't be uncomfortable, since, as the saying goes, there are no dumb questions! But I understand that you might be uncomfortable nevertheless.)
- You want to discuss some challenges you're facing in the class.
- You want to talk about other classes in energy or physics, or internships, senior projects, etc.