ection 1.1
Introduction: Faculty Notes

This section contains Faculty Notes for each of the laboratories. The Faculty Notes, in conjunction with the Management Plan, are designed to support faculty as they guide and coach students throughout the process of working on a lab. The Faculty Notes may offer suggestions relative to the technology problem, bibliotechnology research, mathematics tools, the model portfolio, the thesis defense, and the scientific method. Underlying the Faculty Notes is the tacit assumption, in accord with principles of academic freedom, that in spite of the numerous recommendations in the Management Plan, you will still need to make numerous decisions about the way you will conduct the course or club. You will need to make decisions on matters such as:

• The depth with which to treat topics
• Selection of the lab(s) for a course or club
• Team setup
• The degree of learning independence expected from the teams
• The ways you will work with each team
• Interpretation of the scientific method in the context of each lab
• Arranging site visits to technology-using firms
• The audience to whom the teams will present their model portfolios
• Your role as a co-learner with the students
• The number, kind, and extent of in-course progress checks
• Methods for evaluating team members' work
• Protocols for crediting resources used
• Methods for improving students' collaborative learning skills
• Methods for improving students' independent learning skills
• Using class time effectively in a research-based, learning-driven environment.