Science A-47, “Cosmic Connections,” the fourth largest course with 335 students, uses Personal Response Systems (PRS) to involve students in the lectures.
These gadgets allow students to “click in” their answers to questions posed by Assistant Professor of Astronomy David Charbonneau.
By using this system, Charbonneau said he can ensure that students are staying up-to-date on the reading and mastering the basic principles of physics.
“It also keeps the level of energy up in the lectures quite a bit,” he said.
Kristen H. Tracey ’08, a student in the course, agreed.
“It makes us feel more responsible for coming to lecture and keeping up with the material,” she said.
But in Life Sciences 1a, some students said they were frustrated by the large size.
Saachi Sachdev ’09, who enrolled in the course to begin to fulfill pre-med requirements, said of the size that it “definitely is kind of unsettling and a little disappointing.”