Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

Some leftover accounts from the past two days: I promised to talk about how I gave the general science requirement mechanics lab class practical exam to some non-native students.

If they have learned to speak well in English since the start of their stay here, they haven’t shown it, because my conversations with them has always been in broken sentences, even though they usually understand what I say and obey my instructions. So I definitely knew we would have a difficult time if I were to ask them questions about the experiments they may not be able to answer clearly within the less than ten minute time limit given.

So I just told them to demonstrate the experiment that they drew. I started them out with 20 points, and just deducted one for every error in the procedure they performed – half a point if it was minor. And they ended up passing with 12 and 14 points out of 20. It’s enough though that they won’t be talking of their experience to their classmates, who would most likely complain if they found out about the difference, regardless of the language barrier.

And since I had three sections handled, that means three of the students were able to pick the special piece of paper marked ‘X’ that meant they could choose what experiment to perform. I’ve never had the case of a student picking one that they would fail on (although not all get a perfect score) and I’ve never had a case of no one in the entire class picking the bonus.

I’ve tried it out so that more than one student could draw the special, but that was in introduction to electricity and magnetism class, so I wasn’t surprised that those who were allowed to choose always took the magnetic field experiment.

I’m still curious as to what would be considered the easiest experiment for this class: torque and rotation?

Maybe I’ll assuage my curiosity next term, when there are three lab classes set.

The other rewards I mentioned that I gave some – I believe – deserving students was allowing one to choose another experiment – pleading that he had not studied on the last one his group mates were still performing. So I allowed him, on the condition that he get a two-point deduction. He agreed.

Another is allowing them to get half-points for identifying the six other set-ups in the room, but I warned them not to tell their classmates about the bonus.

Session 1573 would complain about allowances made for classmates with special needs. Class dismissed.