In order to improve my teaching there are some techniques and principles I’d like to introduce into the classroom.  I’m not claiming to know what will be best for all students in the future, after all each new course brings new challenges.  From past experience though it seems evident that an increased use of computers and an emphasis on the interconnectivity of science will be essential. These issues are relevant to physics majors enrolled in statistical mechanics and English majors taking an introductory course.
Instructional technology is a topic that is very relevant now thanks to the rapid growth of the Internet and the accessibility of computers on campus.  I have found email and listservs very useful for continuing in-class discussions.  However, I have also seen some instructors hide behind technology in order to avoid contact with their students. Email should only be viewed as a supplement, not a replacement, to office hours, discussions over lunch and other personal contact.  A related goal that I have for course web pages is to make them as personable as possible.  Computers and their interfaces will continue to become more “user friendly” and I would like to explore the limits on the web. This not only means using visually appealing designs with easy navigation, but also including the human element.  Perhaps by adding QuickTime movies of the instructor and students, the site could be more appealing. 
For the times when hands-on demos are not available or feasible, computer simulations such as the CUPS packages can offer students an opportunity to explore physics.  Another software program that can offer the opportunity to perform both numerical and symbolic calculations is Mathematica.  This is such a powerful research tool that I would like to introduce physics majors to it as early as possible, perhaps even in a separate computational course. 
Because physics, like most disciplines, is such a wide ranging subject, it is broken up into more manageable segments.  Unfortunately, these different courses (classical mechanics, electromagnetism, etc.) are rarely presented as connected subjects.  Even in introductory courses, the individual chapters are often viewed by students as separate entities.  What makes physics so powerful is how simple models and theories can explain a wide range of phenomena.  At the introductory level I want to find was to present the material in such a manner that the connections are made apparent. 
For the physics majors a separate course that illustrates the connections and fields may be useful.  A conceptual physics course that stresses “back of the envelope calculations” is used at UC Irvine for graduate students and could be altered to fit into an existing curriculum.  In this course students discuss situations and solve problems like those in the American Journal of Physics and The Flying Circus of Physics.  This seminar has proven to be very entertaining and beneficial to students at UC Irvine.
Making connections with disciplines outside of physics could be especially helpful for the non-science majors. One way this might be accomplished is with different testing methods.  Perhaps students with strong linguistic skills would respond well to essay questions, “Explain the significance of —Ñ×B=0.” Projects such as photo essays that illustrate physics in the world would be well suited for visually orientated students.  Depending on the needs of the community and students, service-based projects may be developed. There are many ways to make a physics course more rewarding for students.  What I have listed here are only a few ideas, certainly more will follow as I learn more about the needs of the students on your campus.

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