introduction

Introduction

Physics 222, Elements of Physics II, Summer 2025, is an asynchronous online introductory physics class with laboratories.

The class material, which I have designed to promote self-study, spaced learning, retrieval practice, and practice testing is mostly text based. You have to study this material. As the instructors, I and the lab instructors are your learning facilitators. We provide you with the learning materials, help you stay on track, and also help you to overcome obstacles. The course structure is tailored to provide ample individual assistance and feedback.

Physics is not a a collection of formulas that you can remember. Classical physics consist of a few principles that you have to understand conceptually. Once you understand them, you can apply them to analyze various situations. Some concepts can be expressed in terms of mathematical formulas. But to really understand them, you also have to be able to express them in words.

To become familiar with the course layout and all the course requirements, please start with these steps.

Read the syllabus for the class.
Familiarize yourself with the course schedule.
On Canvas, under Modules, read through the short modules under More Course Information.
Under Account, on Canvas, set your Canvas your notification preferences so that you receive announcements when they are published.
This is very important for an online course.
On Canvas, under Modules, review the Summer 2025 Physics 222 Lab Syllabus.

Physics 222 is a 4 credit hour, asynchronous online course taught over 7 weeks in the Summer 2025 semester.

A traditional, face-to-face lecture based course would require students to attend a 50-minute class meeting three times every week and at least ten 2 hour and 40 minute lab/recitation sessions. In addition, students would be expected to review their class notes, read the textbook, and complete homework assignments.

You are expected to invest an equivalent amount of time in this class.

Class structure

Spaced learning:

There are 10 modules. Each module is divided into two parts.

Carefully study the class material for the sub-module before or on the day shown on the schedule.

Self study: (Read and Think)
You have to study the material linked on the schedule. This is the material the assignments and tests refer to.

Read it slowly. It is not an extremely large amount of material. Ask yourself if you understand the concepts and how to apply them. Study the solved problems. Could you now solve them without looking at the solutions? Use the discussion forum to ask questions and help other students. Explaining something to others is the best way to learn it. (Read the corresponding chapters in the textbook to review the material. You may prefer the presentation in the textbook.)

Retrieval practice

A lab is associated with every module. Complete the lab after you studied the material for this module. In the lab you apply what you have learned in the module. You have to recall the important concepts to complete the lab.
Submit each lab before its due date. The lab instructors will monitor the discussion forum for lab questions.
Do not copy lab reports from cheating sites on the web. All labs have been modified from previous semesters, so that it is easy to spot a copy. If you submit a lab report with a plagiarized section, you will get zero points for the lab and may be reported for plagiarism.

Practice testing

A homework assignment associated with each sub-module lets you check your understanding of the material. Submit all assignments associated with the sub-module before their due date. Again, use the discussion forum to ask and answer questions.

After you have completed a module, review the summary slides for this module under "Modules" on Canvas. They offer some additional problems to test your understanding.

Note: I strongly recommend submitting earlier than midnight on the due date and not waiting until the last minute. You can submit all homework assignment multiple times. Submitting early allows you to ask questions and get feedback if your first answer was incorrect, and it allows you to help other students once you have arrived at the correct answer.
If you need more help, attend the office/tutoring hours of the instructors. They are offered at various time throughout the week. You can attend the office/tutoring hours of any instructor.

AI chatbots

Asking questions and exploring different aspects of the topics covered in the class material is one of the best ways to learn physics. You can use AI chatbots as a helpful tool for this purpose, as they can give you answers, explanations, examples, and more. Try to think of good questions that interest you, challenge you, or help you review what you have learned. Then ask an AI chatbot and see if its answers make sense or not.

You can also share the answers you get from the AI chatbots with your classmates in the discussion forum. This will make this activity more engaging and collaborative. Everyone can comment on the answers and discuss whether they helped them understand the concepts better or not. You can also learn from each other and exchange different perspectives and insights. Please remember to identify which answers are generated by AI chatbots and which are your own.

Using AI chatbots to ask and answer questions can be a fun and effective way to deepen your knowledge and curiosity about physics. I hope you enjoy this activity and benefit from it.

Summary:

The online material is my contribution to the class. It covers all topics that may appear on homework assignments and tests. Example problems are worked out in the online material. The textbook presents the same material but expands on some aspects of it. It is always beneficial to go over new material more than once. Different presentations are better suited for different audiences.