From: W. Trevor King Date: Thu, 30 May 2013 20:32:11 +0000 (-0400) Subject: Convert teaching-statement template to a letter of intent X-Git-Tag: st-martins~8 X-Git-Url: http://git.tremily.us/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=21bf7d75b9d1ea5a3eddab90090af894ff37ee7a;p=letter-of-interest.git Convert teaching-statement template to a letter of intent --- diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile index f1f7257..39a1750 100644 --- a/Makefile +++ b/Makefile @@ -1,11 +1,10 @@ -BIBS = ts -#bu1 bu2 bu3 +#BIBS = loi -ts.pdf: ts.tex $(BIBS:%=%.bbl) $(BIBS:%=%.blg) +loi.pdf: loi.tex $(BIBS:%=%.bbl) $(BIBS:%=%.blg) pdflatex "$<" pdflatex "$<" -$(BIBS:%=%.aux): %.aux: ts.tex +$(BIBS:%=%.aux): %.aux: loi.tex pdflatex "$<" $(BIBS:%=%.bbl): %.bbl: %.aux diff --git a/loi.tex b/loi.tex new file mode 100644 index 0000000..516f406 --- /dev/null +++ b/loi.tex @@ -0,0 +1,94 @@ +\documentclass[12pt]{letter} + +\topmargin 0.0in +\headheight 0.0in +\headsep 0.0in +\textheight 9in +\oddsidemargin 0in +\textwidth 6.5in +\pagestyle{empty} % no room for page numbers + +\usepackage{amsmath} % \text and other useful math stuff + +\usepackage{hyperref} +\hypersetup{colorlinks} +\hypersetup{linkcolor=black} +\hypersetup{anchorcolor=black} +\hypersetup{citecolor=black} +\hypersetup{filecolor=black} +\hypersetup{menucolor=black} +\hypersetup{runcolor=black} +\hypersetup{urlcolor=[rgb]{0, 0, 0.7}} + +%\usepackage[super,sort&compress,comma]{natbib} +% super selects citations in superscript mode +% sort&compress automatically sorts and compresses compound citations (\citep{a,b,...}) +% comma seperates multiple citations with commas rather than the default semicolons. +%\bibliographystyle{unsrtnat} % number citations in the order referenced + +\signature{W.~Trevor King} +\address{120 Miller Street \\ Highlands, NJ 07732} +\telephone{+1 215 284 6634} +\medskipamount=0pt + +\begin{document} + +\begin{letter}{Executive Assistant to the Dean \\ + College of Arts and Sciences \\ + Saint Martin's University \\ + 5000 Abbey Way SE \\ + Lacey, WA 98503} + +\opening{Ms.~Laura Hoff,} + +Over my years working on my Ph.D. studies at Drexel University, I have +been looking forward to teaching physics at a small, +undergraduate-oriented liberal arts college. While working at a +larger research-oriented institution has been exciting, I have always +been attracted to teaching. I'm excited to be working at a school +such as St. Martin's which clearly has a strong commitment to teaching +excellence and teacher training. Besides teaching physics, I am also +interested in advancing the science of teaching as well as in +developing open source experiment control procedures. Over the past +year I have been active in the +\href{http://software-carpentry.org/}{Software Carpentry} +organization, which trains scientists around the world in current +software development and data management techniques. Software +Carpentry +\href{http://software-carpentry.org/bootcamps/2013-02-uwash.html}{recently} +\href{http://software-carpentry.org/blog/2013/03/washington-went-well.html}{ran} +a boot boot camp at the University of Washington, and I look forward +to working with my SWC colleagues to continue this outreach in the +Puget Sound area. + +I am also looking forward to working at a religious school. While I +myself am agnostic, I enjoyed the traditions of my +\href{http://www.archmereacademy.com/}{Norbertine high school}. I +also have a number of religious family members, including a +grandfather and uncle who were both United Methodist ministers. In my +experience, a religious environment fosters a studied approach to +learning, a willingness to grapple with big questions, and a respect +for the diversity of humanity. Students undertaking a liberal arts +education are well served by each of these qualities. + +On a more prosaic level, I am excited about moving from the +mid-Atlantic where I have spent most of my life to the Northwest. +Starting in the Fall, my wife Emily will be opening a veterinary +surgery practice at the \href{http://olympiapetemergency.net/}{Olympia + Pet Emergency} hospital just down the street. After years of +commuting several hours from our current home in New Jersey to Drexel +in Philadelphia, the chance for jobs that are only two miles apart is +quite appealing. My wife is originally from Vancouver, Canada, and I +have enjoyed our annual summer trip out to visit with her family. I +also look forward to the drizzly climate, since the sun and I have +never been the best of friends. Being able to enjoy the outdoors +(sailing and hiking!) without having to slather on the sunblock sounds +like a good idea to me. + +\closing{Yours,} + +\end{letter} + +%{\footnotesize\bibliography{ts}} + +\end{document} diff --git a/ts.bib b/ts.bib deleted file mode 100644 index c114cbf..0000000 --- a/ts.bib +++ /dev/null @@ -1,482 +0,0 @@ -% Year for live projects - -@string{LIVE = 2013} - -% Licenses - -@string{CC-BY-SA-3.0-US = "CC BY-SA 3.0 US"} -@string{CC-BY-NC-SA-3.0-US = "CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US"} - -% Schools - -@string{Drexel = "Drexel University"} - -% Publishers - -@string{AAPT = "American Association of Physics Teachers"} -@string{ASQ = "American Society for Quality"} -@string{Blackwell = "Blackwell Publishing Ltd."} -@string{DLA = "Digital Library and Archives, Virginia Polytechnic - Institute and State University"} -@string{PH = "Prentice Hall, Inc."} -@string{WSS = "Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company"} - -% Addresses - -@string{Crowell-address = "2233 Loma Alta Dr., Fullerton, CA 92833"} -@string{UpperSaddleRiver = "Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458"} - -% Journals - -@string{AJP = "American Journal of Physics"} -@string{ASQ:HEB = "ASQ Higher Education Brief"} -@string{IJBMM = "International Journal of Biological Macromolecules"} -@string{JEE = "Journal of Engineering Education"} -@string{JITE = "Journal of Industrial Teacher Education"} -@string{NDTL = "New Directions for Teaching and Learning"} -@string{Science = "Science"} - -% Authors - -@string{MBelloni = "Belloni, Mario"} -@string{RBrent = "Brent, Rebecca"} -@string{WChristian = "Christian, Wolfgang"} -@string{SPChung = "Chung, Shih-Ping"} -@string{CHCrouch = "Crouch, Catherine H."} -@string{BCrowell = "Crowell, Benjamin"} -@string{LDeslauriers = "Deslauriers, Louis"} -@string{RMFelder = "Felder, Richard M."} -@string{RRHake = "Hake, Richard R."} -@string{SDJohnson = "Johnson, Scott D."} -@string{WKing = "King, W.~Trevor"} -@string{JLochhead = "Lochhead, Jack"} -@string{EMazur = "Mazur, Eric"} -@string{MPrince = "Prince, Michael"} -@string{ESchelew = "Schelew, Ellen"} -@string{MSu = "Su, Meihong"} -@string{AWhimbey = "Whimbey, Arthur"} -@string{CWieman = "Wieman, Carl"} -@string{GYang = "Yang, Guoliang"} - -@phdthesis{ wking13, - author = WKing, - title = {Open source single molecule force spectroscopy}, - school = Drexel, - year = 2013, - month = jun, - url = {http://blog.tremily.us/Thesis/}, - eprint = {http://blog.tremily.us/Thesis/draft.pdf}, -} - -@article { king10, - author = WKing #" and "# MSu #" and "# GYang, - title = "{M}onte {C}arlo simulation of mechanical unfolding of proteins - based on a simple two-state model", - year = 2010, - month = mar, - day = 1, - address = "Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 - Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.", - journal = IJBMM, - volume = 46, - number = 2, - pages = "159--166", - issn = "0141-8130", - alternative_issn = "1879-0003", - doi = "10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2009.12.001", - url = "http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6T7J- - 4XWMND2-1/2/7ef768562b4157fc201d450553e5de5e", - language = "eng", - keywords = "Atomic force microscopy;Mechanical unfolding;Monte Carlo - simulation;Worm-like chain;Single molecule methods", - abstract = "Single molecule methods are becoming routine biophysical - techniques for studying biological macromolecules. In mechanical - unfolding of proteins, an externally applied force is used to induce - the unfolding of individual protein molecules. Such experiments have - revealed novel information that has significantly enhanced our - understanding of the function and folding mechanisms of several types - of proteins. To obtain information on the unfolding kinetics and the - free energy landscape of the protein molecule from mechanical unfolding - data, a Monte Carlo simulation based on a simple two-state kinetic - model is often used. In this paper, we provide a detailed description - of the procedure to perform such simulations and discuss the - approximations and assumptions involved. We show that the appearance of - the force versus extension curves from mechanical unfolding of proteins - is affected by a variety of experimental parameters, such as the length - of the protein polymer and the force constant of the cantilever. We - also analyze the errors associated with different methods of data - pooling and present a quantitative measure of how well the simulation - results fit experimental data. These findings will be helpful in - experimental design, artifact identification, and data analysis for - single molecule studies of various proteins using the mechanical - unfolding method." -} - -% Talks - -@unpublished{ 2013-05-thesis, - title= {Open source single molecule force spectroscopy}, - author = WKing, - year = 2013, - month = may, - day = 28, - note= {Thesis defense, Drexel University}, - address = {Drexel University}, - url = {http://blog.tremily.us/posts/Thesis/talk/}, -} - -@unpublished{ 2013-01-columbia, - title= {Collaborative version control with {G}it}, - author = WKing, - year = 2013, - month = jan, - note= {Software Carpentry boot camp, Columbia University}, - address = {Columbia University}, -} - -@unpublished{ 2009-10-life-cycles, - title= {Software life-cycles and alphabet soup}, - author = WKing, - year = 2009, - month = oct, - note= {Drexel Physics Graduate Student Association}, - address = {Drexel University} -} - -@unpublished{ 2008-06-locks, - title= {Manipulating combination locks \& Ray tracing with polarization}, - author = WKing, - year = 2008, - month = jun, - note= {Drexel Physics Graduate Student Association}, - address = {Drexel University} -} - -@unpublished{ 2006-05-quantum-computing, - title= {Quantum Computing}, - author = WKing, - year = 2006, - note= {Rochester Solid State final}, - address = {University of Rochester} -} -% month = may, - -% Posters - -@unpublished{ 2013-04-swc, - title= {Teaching Software Carpentry: Better Science through Science}, - author = WKing, - year = 2013, - month = apr, - note= {Drexel CoAS Research Day}, - address = {Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}, -} - -@unpublished{ 2012-04-calibcant, - title= {Thermally calibrating {AFM} cantilever spring constants}, - author = WKing, - year = 2012, - month = apr, - note= {Drexel CoAS Research Day}, - address = {Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}, -} - -@unpublished{ 2011-04-saswsim, - title= {Flexible parallel simulations and packaging}, - author = WKing, - year = 2011, - month = apr, - note= {Drexel CoAS Research Day}, - address = {Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}, -} - -@unpublished{ 2010-04-open-source, - title= {Open source software in experimental protein unfolding}, - author = WKing, - year = 2010, - month = apr, - note= {Drexel CoAS Research Day}, - address = {Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}, -} - -@unpublished{ 2009-03-roughness, - title= {Experimental Estimation of the Free Energy Landscape - Roughness of Protein Molecules}, - author = WKing, - year = 2009, - month = mar, - note= {Biophysical Society Annual Meeting}, - address = {Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}, -} - -@unpublished{ 2008-04-sawsim, - title= {Simulated mechanical unfolding of single proteins}, - author = WKing, - year = 2008, - month = apr, - note= {Drexel CoAS Research Day}, - address = {Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}, -} - -@unpublished{ 2008-02-stiffness, - title= {Effects of Cantilever Stiffness on Unfolding Force in AFM - Protein Unfolding}, - author = WKing, - year = 2008, - month = feb, - note= {Biophysical Society Annual Meeting}, - address = {Long Beach, California}, -} - -% Other people - -@article{ lochhead87, - author = JLochhead #" and "# AWhimbey, - title = {Teaching analytical reasoning through thinking aloud pair - problem solving}, - year = 1987, - journal = NDTL, - volume = 1987, - number = 30, - pages = {73--92}, - publisher = WSS, - issn = {1536-0768}, - url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tl.37219873007}, - doi = {10.1002/tl.37219873007}, - abstract = {The TAPPS technique is a useful device for the - teaching of problem solving because it causes learners to pay - attention to basic reasoning skills.}, -} - -@article{ hake98, - author = RRHake, - title = {Interactive-engagement versus traditional methods: A - six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for - introductory physics courses}, - year = 1998, - month = jan, - journal = AJP, - volume = 66, - number = 1, - pages = {64--74}, - publisher = AAPT, - issn = {0002-9505}, - doi = {10.1119/1.18809}, - url = {http://ajp.aapt.org/resource/1/ajpias/v66/i1/p64_s1}, - keywords = { teaching, education, classical mechanics}, - abstract = {A survey of pre/post-test data using the - Halloun--Hestenes Mechanics Diagnostic test or more recent Force - Concept Inventory is reported for 62 introductory physics - courses enrolling a total number of students $N=6542$. A - consistent analysis over diverse student populations in high - schools, colleges, and universities is obtained if a rough - measure of the average effectiveness of a course in promoting - conceptual understanding is taken to be the average normalized - gain $\langle g\rangle$. The latter is defined as the ratio of - the actual average gain - ($\%\langle\text{post}\rangle-\%\langle\text{pre}\rangle$) to - the maximum possible average gain - ($100-\%\langle\text{pre}\rangle$). Fourteen ``traditional'' (T) - courses ($N=2084$) which made little or no use of - interactive-engagement (IE) methods achieved an average gain - $\langle g\rangle_{\text{T} - \text{ave}} = 0.23\pm0.04$ (std dev). - In sharp contrast, 48 courses ($N=4458$) which made substantial - use of IE methods achieved an average gain - $\langle g\rangle_{\text{IE}-\text{ave}} = 0.48\pm0.14$ (std dev), - almost two standard deviations of - $\langle g\rangle_{\text{IE}-\text{ave}}$ above that of the - traditional courses. Results for 30 ($N=3259$) of the above 62 - courses on the problem-solving Mechanics Baseline test of - Hestenes--Wells imply that IE strategies enhance problem-solving - ability. The conceptual and problem-solving test results - strongly suggest that the classroom use of IE methods can - increase mechanics-course effectiveness well beyond that - obtained in traditional practice.}, -} - -@article{ johnson99, - author = SDJohnson #" and "# SPChung, - title = {The Effect of Thinking Aloud Pair Problem Solving - ({TAPPS}) on the Troubleshooting Ability of Aviation Technician - Students}, - year = 1999, - month = {Fall}, - journal = JITE, - volume = 37, - number = 1, - publisher = DLA, - issn = {0022-1864}, - issn-online = {1938-1603}, - url = {http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JITE/v37n1/john.html}, - license = CC-BY-NC-SA-3.0-US, -} - -@book{ christian01, - author = WChristian #" and "# MBelloni, - title = {Physlets: Teaching Physics with Interactive Curricular Material}, - year = 2001, - publisher = PH, - address = UpperSaddleRiver, - edition = 4, - isbn = {0-13-029341-5}, - isbn-13 = {978-0-1302-9341-1}, - url = {http://webphysics.davidson.edu/physletprob/}, -} - -@article{ crouch01, - author = CHCrouch #" and "# EMazur, - title = {Peer Instruction: Ten years of experience and results}, - year = 2001, - month = sep, - journal = AJP, - volume = 69, - number = 9, - pages = {970--977}, - publisher = AAPT, - issn = {0002-9505}, - doi = {10.1119/1.1374249}, - url = {http://ajp.aapt.org/resource/1/ajpias/v69/i9/p970_s1}, - keywords = {teaching, problem solving, educational courses}, - abstract = {We report data from ten years of teaching with Peer - Instruction (PI) in the calculus- and algebra-based introductory - physics courses for nonmajors; our results indicate increased - student mastery of both conceptual reasoning and quantitative - problem solving upon implementing PI. We also discuss ways we - have improved our implementation of PI since introducing it in - 1991. Most notably, we have replaced in-class reading quizzes - with pre-class written responses to the reading, introduced a - research-based mechanics textbook for portions of the course, - and incorporated cooperative learning into the discussion - sections as well as the lectures. These improvements are - intended to help students learn more from pre-class reading and - to increase student engagement in the discussion sections, and - are accompanied by further increases in student understanding.}, -} - -@article{ prince04, - author = MPrince, - title = {Does Active Learning Work? {A} Review of the Research}, - year = 2004, - month = jul, - journal = JEE, - volume = 93, - number = 3, - pages = {223--231}, - publisher = Blackwell, - issn = {2168-9830}, - doi = {10.1002/j.2168-9830.2004.tb00809.x}, - url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2004.tb00809.x}, - keywords = {active, collaborative, cooperative, problem-based learning}, - abstract = {This study examines the evidence for the effectiveness - of active learning. It defines the common forms of active - learning most relevant for engineering faculty and critically - examines the core element of each method. It is found that there - is broad but uneven support for the core elements of active, - collaborative, cooperative and problem-based learning.}, -} - -@article{ felder09, - author = RMFelder #" and "# RBrent, - title = {Active learning: An introduction}, - year = 2009, - month = aug, - journal = ASQ:HEB, - volume = 2, - number = 4, - publisher = ASQ, - url = {http://asq.org/edu/2009/08/best-practices/active-learning-an-introduction.%20felder.html?shl=093530}, - eprint = {http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/ALpaper(ASQ).pdf}, - abstract = {Richard M. Felder and Rebecca Brent describe active - learning as anything course-related that all students in a class - session are called upon to do other than watching, listening and - taking notes. They provide suggestions as to what teachers and - professors can do to engage students in active learning and the - formats to use for those activities.}, -} - -@article{ deslauriers11, - author = LDeslauriers #" and "# ESchelew #" and "# CWieman, - title = {Improved Learning in a Large-Enrollment Physics Class}, - year = 2011, - month = may, - day = 13, - journal = Science, - volume = 332, - number = 6031, - pages = {862--864}, - doi = {10.1126/science.1201783}, - url = {http://www.sciencemag.org/content/332/6031/862.abstract}, - eprint = {http://www.sciencemag.org/content/332/6031/862.full.pdf}, - abstract ={We compared the amounts of learning achieved using two - different instructional approaches under controlled - conditions. We measured the learning of a specific set of topics - and objectives when taught by 3 hours of traditional lecture - given by an experienced highly rated instructor and 3 hours of - instruction given by a trained but inexperienced instructor - using instruction based on research in cognitive psychology and - physics education. The comparison was made between two large - sections (N = 267 and N = 271) of an introductory undergraduate - physics course. We found increased student attendance, higher - engagement, and more than twice the learning in the section - taught using research-based instruction.}, -} - -@book{ crowell-light-and-matter, - author = BCrowell, - title = {Light and Matter}, - year = LIVE, - url = {http://www.lightandmatter.com/lm/}, - eprint = {http://www.lightandmatter.com/lm.pdf}, - source = {git://lightandmatter.com/physics}, - license = CC-BY-SA-3.0-US, -} - -@book{ crowell-simple-nature, - author = BCrowell, - title = {Simple Nature}, - year = LIVE, - url = {http://www.lightandmatter.com/area1sn.html}, - eprint = {http://www.lightandmatter.com/simple.pdf}, - source = {git://lightandmatter.com/physics}, - license = CC-BY-SA-3.0-US, -} - -@book{ crowell-mechanics, - author = BCrowell, - title = {Mechanics}, - year = LIVE, - url = {http://www.lightandmatter.com/mechanics/}, - eprint = {http://www.lightandmatter.com/me.pdf}, - source = {git://lightandmatter.com/physics}, - license = CC-BY-SA-3.0-US, -} - -@book{ crowell-conceptual-physics, - author = BCrowell, - title = {Conceptual Physics}, - year = LIVE, - url = {http://www.lightandmatter.com/cp/}, - eprint = {http://www.lightandmatter.com/cp.pdf}, - source = {git://lightandmatter.com/physics}, - license = CC-BY-SA-3.0-US, -} - -@book{ crowell-calculus, - author = BCrowell, - title = {Calculus}, - year = LIVE, - url = {http://www.lightandmatter.com/calc/}, - eprint = {http://www.lightandmatter.com/calc/calc.pdf}, - source = {git://lightandmatter.com/physics}, - license = CC-BY-SA-3.0-US, -} - -@book{ crowell-general-relativity, - author = BCrowell, - title = {General Relativity}, - year = LIVE, - url = {http://www.lightandmatter.com/genrel}, - eprint = {http://www.lightandmatter.com/genrel/genrel.pdf}, - source = {git://lightandmatter.com/physics}, - license = CC-BY-SA-3.0-US, -} diff --git a/ts.tex b/ts.tex deleted file mode 100644 index 25a6b0e..0000000 --- a/ts.tex +++ /dev/null @@ -1,148 +0,0 @@ -\documentclass[12pt]{article} - -\topmargin 0.0in -\headheight 0.0in -\headsep 0.0in -\textheight 9in -\oddsidemargin 0in -\textwidth 6.5in -\pagestyle{empty} % no room for page numbers - -\usepackage{amsmath} % \text and other useful math stuff - -\usepackage{hyperref} -\hypersetup{colorlinks} -\hypersetup{linkcolor=black} -\hypersetup{anchorcolor=black} -\hypersetup{citecolor=black} -\hypersetup{filecolor=black} -\hypersetup{menucolor=black} -\hypersetup{runcolor=black} -\hypersetup{urlcolor=blue} - -\usepackage[super,sort&compress,comma]{natbib} -% super selects citations in superscript mode -% sort&compress automatically sorts and compresses compound citations (\citep{a,b,...}) -% comma seperates multiple citations with commas rather than the default semicolons. -\bibliographystyle{unsrtnat} % number citations in the order referenced - -\title{Teaching Philosophy} -\date{\today} -\author{W.~Trevor King} - -\begin{document} - -\maketitle - -In high school, I initially wanted to be a marine biologist. The goal -lasted until my first physics course during my senior year, when Tom -Hoch introduced me to the idea that the kinetic behavior of the world -around us can be described with a handful of simple laws. How far -will this trebuchet launch a baseball? What would you redesign to -make it go farther? How should you build a wheel to win a race down a -5 foot ramp? Besides the joy of attacking the problems themselves, I -enjoyed arguing about them with my classmates. If you pull on a -thread coming from underneath a spool sitting on the table, will the -spool roll toward you or away from you? Physics gives you the feeling -that you can figure out \emph{anything} (to a first approximation), -and if you're not sure you're right, you can usually design and build -a simple experiment to test your understanding. In no other -discipline are the fundamentals of the scientific method so clearly -laid out or so obviously powerful. - -Since that high school course, I have enjoyed honing my skills in -physics and related disciplines, but no task has been as satisfying as -introducing new students to the discipline and sharing my enthusiasm -for the material and philosophy. I have been lucky to have almost a -decade of teaching experience from a range of teaching assistant-ships -covering the classic introductory courses (with recitations and labs -of 20 students in classes of up to 700) as well as some more advanced -numerical methods courses (with as few as five students). The range -of formats allows me to experiment with a number of teaching styles, -from modeling recitation problem solutions to more Socratic approaches -for helping students design and troubleshoot software. - -While I have not yet been in a position to design my own courses, I -have enjoyed building some supportive tools. Over the past several -years, I have developed an open source -\href{http://blog.tremily.us/posts/Course_website/}{course website - framework} and -\href{http://git.tremily.us/?p=course.git;a=tree;f=asymptote;hb=HEAD}{graphics - libraries} for illustrating -\href{http://blog.tremily.us/posts/Course_website/Mechanics-test.svg}{mechanics}, -\href{http://blog.tremily.us/posts/Course_website/ElectroMag-test.svg}{electricity - and magnetism}, -\href{http://blog.tremily.us/posts/Course_website/Circ-test.svg}{circuits}, -and -\href{http://blog.tremily.us/posts/Course_website/stickfigure-test.svg}{stick - figures}. I've also designed the -\href{https://pypi.python.org/pypi/pygrader}{pygrader} framework for -collecting and grading homework assignments that students submit via -email and the \href{https://pypi.python.org/pypi/quizzer}{quizzer} -framework for managing online quizzes and surveys. These tools will -make it easier for me to maintain class notes, homework, tests, and -lecture material, which gives me more time to focus on engaging -students directly. Downloadable class notes also give students more -time to focus on the concepts and applications instead of focusing on -transcription. I look forward to tying these pieces together and -building cohesive courses to introduce new students to physics. - -Earlier attempts at instructional tooling\citep{christian01} have not -kept up with the rapid pace of software development. Using flexible -open source tools makes it possible to distribute maintenance costs -across a community of teachers. This makes it easier for existing -teachers to share ideas and for new teachers to pick up where previous -teachers left off, instead of having to start by recreating earlier -work. On the self-study side of this, Ben Crowell has already -developed a number of open source -textbooks\citep{crowell-light-and-matter,crowell-simple-nature,crowell-mechanics,crowell-conceptual-physics,crowell-calculus,crowell-general-relativity}, -which are freely available along with -\href{git://lightandmatter.com/physics}{their source} under the -\href{http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/}{CC BY-SA 3.0 - US} license. There is room for continued development along this -front, as well as uncharted territory in open source laboratory -materials and equipment. My Ph.D.\ thesis focused on developing open -source software for controlling atomic force microscopes in -biophysical applications\citep{wking13}, and I look forward to -leveraging this experience to develop open source software and -procedures for undergraduate labs. Besides making it easier for other -teachers to collaborate on lab design, an open source platform -(software and hardware) will enable on-the-fly student alterations. I -expect that replacing the magic of ``black boxes'' with well -documented, explorable tools will encourage students to see labs as -chances to build their theoretical and practical familiarity with the -physical world instead of arbitrary, cookbook-style recipes. - -As a scientist, I feel that teaching itself can be improved through -the scientific method. By testing the effect of different classroom -approaches---and by building on the research of my peers---I intend to -gradually refine my teaching to improve student engagement, critical -thinking, and content retention. I am especially excited to try -active learning approaches\citep{hake98,crouch01,prince04}, especially -thinking-aloud pair problem solving -(TAPPS\citep{lochhead87,felder09}), which has been shown to increase -student performance\citep{johnson99}. Besides improving teaching -strategies, an experiment-based approach to teaching is a chance to -practice what I preach, which should help convince students of the -efficacy of the scientific method. Of course, not \emph{everything} -can be measured with sufficient clarity to support this approach. -Developing quantitative evaluations of student learning is tricky, -but---at least at a basic level---it is possible. Mentioning these -difficulties when discussing course organization with students will -provide jumping-off points for discussing the limitations of the -scientific approach and the flavor of scientific progress, while -avoiding confusion about the well-understood fundamentals covered in -the content of the course itself. - -I look forward to guiding students through the early stages of their -exposure to physics, while at the same time engaging in higher level -discussions about the practice and role of science in general. I hope -that this experience is as transformative for my students as my early -physics courses were for me, teaching them how to break down problems -into manageable chunks and encouraging them to make use of analytical -reasoning and evidenced-based inquiry in their chosen profession, -regardless of whether it is directly related to physics. - -{\footnotesize\bibliography{ts}} - -\end{document}