Special Relativity Mid-Semester Evaluations

Key Critiques and Recommendations For Special Relativity

Have too many rabbit holes
- Avoid and have fewer rabbit holes.
Class lacks structure
- Make structure stronger/clearer.
Problems solutions sometimes go way long.
- Put time limits on problem solutions.
Have more more problems and demonstrations.
- Will try to make this a consistent part of the structure – alternating between discussion and examples.
Be more assertive (less collaborative) on the plan. Being so collaborative is somewhat of a failure to supply vision.
- Roger!
Videos and or good models should be introduced to help visualize.
- I had practically forgotten about this possibility since we have been holding class outside, and since the flat-screen TV took so long to arrive. I will think hard about topics that are amenable to short video demonstrations. Long-since past material that could really have used videos were the wave theory of light and Newtonian relativity.

We didn’t highlight that Carmen is looking for more class cohesion.
- If we casually got together a little more between classes, I think that would help a lot — please grab a buddy from class, and come over to the West Duplex — you don’t need an appointment — or just grab me at lunch and say when you want to meet if you’d rather have an appointment.
Contrary to what I said, I see that I am — acckk! — indeed underestimating the amount of remaining time — we have an entire week less at the end of the semester because the semester is ending early and the last day is for the final exam.
- I will need to dump some of Chapter 8 which is a pretty advanced discussion of mechanics. That way we can get on with Chapter 9 (general relativity!).