I'm not sure which of the labs should be cut...I am tempted to say the
programming parts of the labs, but just because I don't like programming,
that doesn't mean other people can't learn a great deal from it. I
personally don't feel that I learn much from programming, because I spend
too much time trying to figure out the language and the way it's supposed to
all work together. But that's not true of everyone, so it wouldn't be fair
to the other students to cut programming out completely.

I think instead of cutting a lab completely, the labs should be condensed to
cover the basics, but have optional parts to do more with the breadboards
and possibly gain extra credit. This would not punish anyone, but it would
allow those who are very interested in going into an in-depth lab and
spending 10 hours planning and wiring would be rewarded for their extra
work. It would also still ensure that everyone gets the basic concepts, but
not obliterate the idea of teaching more than just the logic behind
computers to those students who really plan to go into the field, and want
to learn.

I hope my suggestions are helpful. Thank you for taking them into
considerations.

--Maureen

On 5/22/08, Robert Dick <dickrp@northwestern.edu> wrote:
>
> > But perhaps the labs should be
> > done during Tuesday, or there shouldn't be as many of them and they
> should
> > be two-week labs, just to decrease the work load and encourage us to
> learn,
> > not just complete the assignment.
>
>
> Which of the labs should be cut?
>
>
> > I suggest getting rid of the CMOS stuff.
>
>
> I think I'll do that next time. It is really useful and lets people
> understand how computers work all the way down to electrons but I can
> summarize it and suggest reading for students who want to learn more. For
> example, this is pretty interesting:
> http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/oct07/5553
>
>
> > Moving Tuesday's session to CG30 would be amazing. That's a good idea.
>
>
> Neal: Do you think that would work? Can we let it be a required study
> session
> during which they can work on labs and homework assignments, help each
> other,
> and get help from you? You can also show problems on the board in that
> room.
> If you agree that it is a good idea, please use the mailing list to
> announce
> that the remaining Tuesday sessions will be in CG30.
>
> Thanks,
>
>
> -Robert Dick-
>
>
Received on Thu May 22 15:28:17 2008