Audio Taped Explanations of Freshman Experimental Calculations We hsve fonnd audio t a p s r*, be eflerrivr replarcmenrs for live, i d a b erplnnntiona of experimenrnl mlrz~larions. Our explnnnrions nre 5et up O H rape in the lnngunge nnd sryle one would mae in speaking direrrly to m. individual pertaining 1 0 thr e n . Ar the beginning of eavh txpe, the srudmt is direvwl to plwe hefor~him all m~teri~1.i experimental dismsion st hand and in pa~limlarto set outscrap paper on which to write his calculations as he listens. The explanations are recorded st such a. pace that s student can listen to one portion of the explanation and then shut off the tape to do the calculations involved with it before going on to the next part. Running time of the tapes varies from 15to 75 mi". Students are not required to use the tapes. On the contrary, these tapes are designed for the student who wanla help with the calculations. Listening equipment and the applicable tapes are made available to all students from a few days before a given experiment begins until after the due date of the experimental report. The tape usually gives a brief overview of the experiment and then explains actual calculations, piece by piece. I t was hoped that% student for whom the experiments were difficult would listen to the appropriate tape before beginning an experiment and again when he needed help with the calculations. Actually, few students seek tapes bejow the experiment and more thin 911'; have wed t l ~ r mfor help with rh& T C ~ O T I S . ?
