Another semester starting.
Published on Jan 16, 2007 at 9:11 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under college teaching, conference blogging.
Well, another semester is now underway. Today was the first day of class for the Spring semester here. Some of my friends, like Profgrrrrl, have apparently already gotten going. For some reason, though, here in Texas we are a bit later getting started. Well, that’s fine with me, because it gave me the chance to go to the American Astronomical Society Meeting last week. That was way more interesting, enlightening, and useful than the stupid and pointless faculty meetings that the rest of my colleagues here at my college had to go to last week. I learned far more that I can use to better my teaching going to the conference than I ever would have here. And it was more fun, too! Now, if only it hadn’t rained the whole time that I was there …
The one thing that I am most disappointed in is that I didn’t get a photo of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) mockup that was set up outside the convention center. For those of you who don’t know, the JWST is slated to be Hubble’s replacement. It won’t really just replace the Hubble Space Telescope, though. JWST will be much bigger than HST, and it will focus on infrared studies. I’ll have a whole post on it later. But, the last day of the conference, when I had planned to photograph the model, they were taking it down! But, it turns out that Phil took photos and posted on his blog. Go look at them. That is a life sized model. It is HUGE. You know how big it is from reading the specifications, but it really sinks in when you see it. I had so wanted to get photos, but I fooled around and missed my opportunity. Thankfully others got photos!
But, this might be an interesting semester. I had my first lecture tonight. However, before I had even given my first lecture, I had two students asking questions about the homework problems! That’s right! They downloaded the syllabus and the homework assignments from my faculty web page, read the first chapter, and started working on the problems — all before we had even met our first class!!!! I had another student in tomorrow’s class email about the writing assigment due early in February, and one even emailed her term paper topic for approval (that is due late in March!). I have the feeling that several people in that class are going to turn in work due at the end of January tomorrow night, at our first class meeting. Hmm. This might be an interesting semester.
-Astroprof
Seeking Solace on January 17, 2007 at 8:53 am: 1
Wow! Questions about homework and submitting a topic early is refreshing, but scary!
Here’s to a good semester!
Astronomy Buff - How to be an Astronomy Student on January 17, 2007 at 1:55 pm: 2
[…] Astroprof has just started another semester: But, this might be an interesting semester. I had my first lecture tonight. However, before I had even given my first lecture, I had two students asking questions about the homework problems! That’s right! They downloaded the syllabus and the homework assignments from my faculty web page, read the first chapter, and started working on the problems — all before we had even met our first class!!!! I had another student in tomorrow’s class email about the writing assigment due early in February, and one even emailed her term paper topic for approval (that is due late in March!). I have the feeling that several people in that class are going to turn in work due at the end of January tomorrow night, at our first class meeting. Hmm. […]