Expert TA Blog

Online Exams, Academic Integrity, and Covid-19

marketing@theexpertta.com (The Expert TA Team) — Thu, 28 May 2020 15:27:26 GMT

As schools moved to an online-only mode of instruction, many professors were forced to adjust to the new circumstances. Covid-19 pushed instructors to do remote testing and the absence of an in-class proctored environment caused everyone to rethink how they administer exams.

AAPT - Promoting Physics Education

marketing@theexpertta.com (The Expert TA Team) — Tue, 27 Nov 2018 16:10:49 GMT

The AAPT, or the American Association of Physics Teachers, was founded in the 1930s and is the premier global professional society for physics education. Their goal is “to enhance the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching.”

Twice a year, the AAPT organizes a national meeting at various locations across the United States, giving its members and physics educators at all levels a chance at ongoing professional development. There will be a collection of speakers, workshops, and hundreds of sessions over a four or five-day period all centered around physics education.

Relevant software companies, organizations, and STEM promoters are typically represented at these meetings, along with many product-specific groups such as PASCO, Arbor Scientific, Merlan Scientific, Vernier and Texas Instruments each wanting you to demo their tools and equipment.

"Many of our members have told us that attending an AAPT national meeting has been the single-most transformative experience in their teaching careers. Attendees come away from our meetings equipped with ideas that they can quickly incorporate in their classrooms." says Mike Hall, Director of Membership at AAPT. How to become a member of AAPT?

In San Diego at the 2018 National Winter Meeting, Dr. David Pritchard of MIT and other contributors collaboratively presented, "The State of Online Physics Courses & Building Online Communities of Learning". The talk touched on the evolution of online homework which included data analysis of effective methodologies including blended learning, the flipped classroom, social media engagement, and the positive use of peer instruction.

Getting Started with Expert TA

marketing@theexpertta.com (The Expert TA Team) — Thu, 17 May 2018 20:02:27 GMT

Whether you are a first-time instructor using Expert TA, or an educator who has leveraged our online homework system for many years, the following blog will provide a look at how easy it is to get started within the Expert TA environment.

TCU Addressing Online Cheating - Something Can Be Done

marketing@theexpertta.com (The Expert TA Team) — Mon, 14 May 2018 15:53:37 GMT

Many instructors are frustrated with students using the internet to cheat on homework and other assignments. This article is an example that instructors and schools are not powerless. As TCU is showing, a firm position can be taken and something can be done about this problem.

Making the Move to a Flipped Classroom

marketing@theexpertta.com (The Expert TA Team) — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 15:13:40 GMT

Many educators look for new and innovative ways to teach their students. Thanks to today’s technology, content is provided in a wide range of formats to suit different styles of learning.

The flipped classroom is an instructional strategy that replaces the traditional approach of using class time for lecture. With this method, lectures are delivered online before class, in video form, for students to view at their own pace. This provides more time in class for group discussion, meaningful Q&A sessions, and problem solving activities.

In an earlier post, we broke down some of the pros and cons of the flipped classroom and offered a few recommendations on how to get started.

Interested in Flipped Classrooms? Start Small.

Expert TA continues to develop new features that allow instructors to take advantage of the latest trends in education. We look forward to sharing more information about the release of our pre-class video series, coming for Fall 2018. In our original post, given that the instructor would have to produce all of their own content, we recommended starting small. Our coming video series will allow you to transition seamlessly to the flipped classroom and start big.

Online Free Body Diagrams Done Right

marketing@theexpertta.com (The Expert TA Team) — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 14:30:56 GMT

The Value of Solving Problems the Right Way

While online homework makes grading more manageable, many instructors feel that it is a compromised version of hand-written homework. Yes, students should solve for final numeric results, but most instructors agree that they should also deal with key symbolic relationships, and draw Free Body Diagrams when necessary. Emphasizing the problem solving process and including symbolic expressions has always been central to Expert TA’s online homework system, and is backed by case studies showing measurable increases in student outcomes.

How To Promote Student Engagement Through Active Learning

marketing@theexpertta.com (The Expert TA Team) — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 14:53:37 GMT

Student engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught. High engagement is the expected outcome of a wide range of instructional practices, encompassing everything from active learning strategies to inquiry-based experimental design, and methods for student reflection.

Data-Driven Instruction: Collecting The Right Data

marketing@theexpertta.com (The Expert TA Team) — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 18:02:25 GMT

With the multitude of ways for teachers to gather and analyze information about their classes, and the wealth of information available to instructors via the internet, becoming a data-driven instructor can be an overwhelming thought. There are many questions to consider when you are first getting started - “What does data-driven instruction mean?” “How should I collect data?” “What information is most important to me?”

What Your Students Should Know About Michael Faraday

marketing@theexpertta.com (The Expert TA Team) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 20:16:28 GMT

Michael Faraday was a 19th century British scientist that made major contributions in the area of chemistry and physics. The son of a blacksmith, Faraday had limited education, working as a bookbinder’s apprentice, but had a keen interest in the natural sciences. This interest was given clear direction after attending a lecture on electrochemistry by Humphry Davy of the Royal Institute. After the lecture, Faraday asked Davy for a job, which he was later granted. It was in this position that Faraday conducted his most famous experiments.

Do These 6 Things To Reduce Cheating This Semester

marketing@theexpertta.com (The Expert TA Team) — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 20:31:33 GMT

In previous posts we have discussed the complex issue of academic integrity due to the environment created by online cheating websites and so-called tutoring services available on the web. These elements have made it much easier for students to find answers online, and pose a threat to authentic assessment in the classroom.