2023 SUMMER PROJECT

1   TEAM:

2   WHY:

  • To better facilitate student learning through careful design of the lab experience.

  • To grow graduate students into leaders.

3   HOW:

  • Semi-daily morning meetings and one discussion meeting per week.

  • Reached for a collaborative environment, according to the 3 C's of our team culture: Communication, Cooperation, and Collaboration.

  • Used the Deming PDCA cycle to track the current state, desired future state, progress, reflection, and standardization.

  • Grew an understanding of the 8 process wastes and teaching principles.

  • Looked at the value stream as a whole: put the customer first, analyzed the current state, envisioned a better future, and committed to continuous improvement. (Asked: Who is the customer and what do they want/value? What is the current state? What should the future state be? What can be fixed right now?)

4   WHAT:

PDCA
  • Continued the PDCA cycle from last year. Recorded the purpose, tracked overall work progress (tasks broken down in RAIL), and reflected on what is working or not working.

  • Created 10 new lab manual drafts for PH1133 General Physics 3 and PH2223 Physics 2.

  • Discussed current state wastes in student learning process: lab manuals, TA training, and equipment. Discussed new ideas and refinements for every aspect of the new manuals. Ensured approval from a recent student and experienced TAs.

  • Maintained the future state vision for a world-class lab experience for the student, where the student's mind is considered first:

    • Comprehension
      • Simple and thorough explanations
      • Visual helps
      • Extra resources
      • Active learning through discussion
      • Oral evaluation
    • Retrieval & Retention
      • Repetition
      • Unaided (or Free) Recall through memory exercises about previous labs
      • Spacing: progressively spreading out episodes of exposure or recall, bridging the gaps between lectures, homeworks, and exams.
    • Experimentation: encourage thinking to connect the concept to real world!

Updated: 2023-08-16