Learning about Construction

    During class on the 22nd, we all received sets of construction plans for the new physics building on campus. It was a bit chilly outside, so we did not spend too much time outdoors. However, what I did see from walking around the building was that a lot of siding in areas was missing and that just gave the place an extremely unfinished feeling. I did like the terracing on the north side of the building and the loading dock on the south side seemed to be more than adequate.    The sense of incompleteness only got worse on the inside. Just upon initial inspection, things looked a bit rough around the edges; whether that be unfinished looking walls or dented/missing ceiling tiles, the place certainly looked like a building under construction. I did not have any doubts about the structural integrity of the place... all of the walls and elevator shafts were in the right spots, I just was unsure why students are faculty are in there when there is clearly so much more...

A Flipped Classroom     Today we were introduced, as a class, to a new approach towards learning engineering in a classroom. In this style, the earnest is put on the student to come already well versed in topics of discussion. This is so that ideas can be clarified and new perspectives may be gleamed from your peers. I personally I fairly excited about this in terms of this course, I think it will fit well with the material being discussed. I, however, do no picture this method being effective in, say, a Calculus III classroom. This is because the volume and intricacies of such a course would put quite the strain on the student and ultimately take them longer to learn the same material.