a few facts
Basic Info
- Instructor: Dave Feldman
- Pronouns: he/him/his
- Help Sessions: TBA, Zoom
- Individual Meetings: By appointment
- Tutors: Nynke Ham, Katrine Østerby
what your evaluation will be based on
Evaluation
Your evaluation will be based on your performance on homework assignments (approx 90%) and your contributions in discussion sections (approx 10%). 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?
Structure and Pacing
This is my tenth time teaching this class, so I have a pretty good sense of how it will go. But this is my first time teaching it on zoom, so there are some things I'm uncertain of:
- It will take me a little while to get used to the mechanics of the class: writing with a sharpie on paper instead of a chalkboard, looking for questions in the chat, etc. Your patience and feedback is appreciated.
- It will also take time for me to figure out the pace of the class: how much we can comfortably cover in sixty minutes on Zoom.
- In addition to zoom, it is easy to for me to make videos presenting content or working through examples. We can adjust the ratio of recorded content to live zoom as needed.
- This class meets three times a week instead of the usual two. This gives us of flexibility, room to experiment, and the ability to take a snow day or two.
This class has several parts:
- During the first 1-2 weeks of the class I want to spend some time building community: getting to know each other and getting in to the routine of zoom classes.
- The first 1-4(ish) weeks we'll cover some core material and build up some skills. We'll cycle back to to key ideas frequently. This course is about building quantitative and analytical skills, and the only way to do this is through lots of practice. Weeks two-four may be a little challenging as you get your feet under you and (re)develop some skills.
- The last half of the class you'll have a solid base of skills and so the mechanics of the homework will likely go more smoothly, while the physics and climate implications of what we cover will get more and more interesting.
- At some point toward the middle of the course we'll take a little detour and learn some financial mathematics. You will likely find this more interesting than you think you're going to find it. Really.
There will be two discussion sections on Tuesdays. You should attend one discussion section each week. I would prefer that you attend the same section each week if possible. The discussion sections 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 will frequently be short readings to do that we'll discuss in the discussion section.
You learn math and physics (or anything, really) by practicing
Stuff about Homework
- There will be a homework assignment due almost every Friday. It is essential that you do these assignments, as this is how one learns math, and also this is most of what your evaluation will be based on.
- As discussed in this
video there will be two parts to almost every homework
assignment:
- Problems to be submitted on Edfinity
- Problems to be submitted on "paper" (a scanned pdf) on google classroom
- Edfinity is an online homework system. I use this system even
when the world is not in a global pandemic. There are three reasons
why I use 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.
- 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.
- Since the problems are automatically marked, I can spend more time helping you and won't have to spend as much time grading.
- If you need extra time for one or two of the homework assignments, it's not a big deal. But be mindful to not fall farther behind every week.
- 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.
- You are strongly encouraged to work together on homework. You can also consult me, class tutors, other faculty, friends, and family. However, the homework you hand in should represent your own understanding.
- As I plan on sending out homework assignments and other information via email/google classroom, it is important that you check your email/classroom regularly.
- I anticipate that there will be two exams one around week six and the other during the last week of the term. These exams will be open-notes and (essentially) untimed.
- You will want to have at your disposal a scientific calculator or phone/tablet app. I strongly suggest an actual calculator. You do not need a graphing calculator for this course (or, in my opinion, ever).
Life in the zoomscape
Getting the Most out of an Online Class
- This class meets three times a week on zoom. Class sessions will vary in length but will almost never be more than an hour.
- Video stuff:
- As much as possible, please keep your video turned on during class. This will help you stay engaged and will help me have a sense of how class is going. I have been teaching a long time and am generally good at gauging whether or not a class is following what I'm teaching. But I won't be able to do this if I'm looking at a screen full of black rectangles.
- Of course if you have connection problems or if you need to turn the camera off for a few minutes, that's fine.
- It's ok to wear pajamas to class.
- Pets are welcome to join in. Especially cats.
- I plan on turning on zoom at 2:30 but not starting class until 2:45. Please feel free to come early and hang out. Some days I might still be getting ready for class. Some days I might play some music (which you can mute if you don't like). Other days I'll be available to chat. Most days class will end around 3:45, but I'll keep zoom open until around 4:00 in case people have questions, want to talk, etc.
- I strongly encourage you to take handwritten notes. The physical component of taking notes helps to keep you engaged. And taking handwritten notes requires you to do some on-the-fly synthesis and prioritization, deepening your understanding.
- During class there will frequently be times where you will work in small groups on problems. Figuring out the best way to do this on Zoom might take some trial and error.
I don't want to be negative, but
What this Class Isn't
- This course is not about the following things, although this course
should help you do/think about the following things better and
more richly.
- 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
- 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.
you can get help, and a lot more, at help sessions
Help Sessions
The Teaching Assistants and I will have a handful of help sessions every week. You are warmly invited and encouraged to attend these sessions. Help sessions are relaxed, informal, and hopefully fun. Things that happen at 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.
- Others do the problems at home and come to the help session with specific questions.
- We can experiment with breakout rooms for folks who want to work together in small groups during the help session.
- Help sessions are also a chance to ask general questions about the course. Conversations also sometimes 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.
Everyone is welcome and respected
Diversity and Inclusion
It is my intent that students from all backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, that students' learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength, and benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, religion, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture.
Learning about diverse perspectives and identities is an ongoing process. I am always looking to learn more about power and privilege and the harmful effects of racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, and other forms of discrimination and oppression. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally, or for other students or student groups. If something was said or done in class (by anyone, including me) that made you feel uncomfortable, please talk to me about it. You can also reach out to Provost Ken Hill, or Associate Deans Bonnie Tai or Jamie McKown.
Some fine print