How is physics taught under OCAAT?
Each faculty member has his or her own favorite methods, but you will find a number of common differences between an OCAAT physics course and a course on the semester plan. Students almost always have time every day to work on problems in the classroom with the instructor present or down the hall in an office. Some students might finish all their homework during class; others will work on it at home and then use that time to clear up problems. Classtime is also used more for hands-on exercises (like building a circuit or looking through some lenses). We devote one entire block to the introductory labs after students have been through two blocks of physics. This is a good review, allows us to concentrate on lab technique, and uses labs that involve several areas of physics. In our advanced lab, students choose a project to work on for the month. They use the entire block to research the project, build an apparatus, gather and analyze data, and create a presentation — much like work in
