Meeting about using Computers in teaching next year.
Dear All, Thanks to those from physics who have filled in the doodle poll, I have added some people from ICT in the hope that one or more will be able to make it. Also Derryck, Luke and Richard Thompson because of another conversation that is going on in parallel. The doodle poll had tomorrow as the preferred day (although only by a slim margin. I will try to take notes during the meeting and distribute them afterwards. The purpose of this meeting is really as an information and needs gathering exercise to make sure that we have things covered - actually I am pretty sure that we don't have everything covered at the moment. This is following a similar exercise that started at faculty level. The start of term is closing fast. A very drafty agenda is below. Best, david A rough draft agenda will be: ============================== 1. Courses and activities that would normally expect to have students physically logging on to the computers on level 3. I know of first and second year computing, Radioactivity Lab (this year), C&N, Computational physics (measurement and errors?)... but I am sure that there are others. Don't forget that this includes PG courses. For each of these I would like to document their plans and needs and for others to comment. Somethings that come to mind for each course are: - are you planning for students to RDP into the machines on level 3 and if so when and how many machines? - what will you do for students who have insufficient bandwidth to RDP in? - do you plan for student to install software locally (all students have been told that they need a computer)? If so: o what guidance/documentation/videos will you give them? o are there any licensing issues with this approach? o are your instructions cross platform (I expect the students will have a mixture of platforms)? o anything else ... 2. Any other teaching needs that are going to be unusual this year. I can think of one off the top of my head. We have some machines in second year lab that run linux and controll and experiment. We want students to be able to do the equivalent of RDP into them from across different platforms. Thete must be others. 3. Other things. e.g. - Would people make use of a Jupyter hub? - If students will be using their own laptops much more how does this impact on printing? -... -AoB
Dear All, I meant to add that hopefully a teams invite will follow tomorrow and that the meeting is 13:00->14:00. I cannot put it into people's calendars as our group do not use office 365 for email (uet). Best, david On 14/09/2020 19:08, David Colling wrote:
Dear All,
Thanks to those from physics who have filled in the doodle poll, I have added some people from ICT in the hope that one or more will be able to make it. Also Derryck, Luke and Richard Thompson because of another conversation that is going on in parallel.
The doodle poll had tomorrow as the preferred day (although only by a slim margin. I will try to take notes during the meeting and distribute them afterwards.
The purpose of this meeting is really as an information and needs gathering exercise to make sure that we have things covered - actually I am pretty sure that we don't have everything covered at the moment. This is following a similar exercise that started at faculty level.
The start of term is closing fast. A very drafty agenda is below.
Best, david
A rough draft agenda will be: ==============================
1. Courses and activities that would normally expect to have students physically logging on to the computers on level 3. I know of first and second year computing, Radioactivity Lab (this year), C&N, Computational physics (measurement and errors?)... but I am sure that there are others. Don't forget that this includes PG courses.
For each of these I would like to document their plans and needs and for others to comment. Somethings that come to mind for each course are:
- are you planning for students to RDP into the machines on level 3 and if so when and how many machines? - what will you do for students who have insufficient bandwidth to RDP in? - do you plan for student to install software locally (all students have been told that they need a computer)? If so:
o what guidance/documentation/videos will you give them? o are there any licensing issues with this approach? o are your instructions cross platform (I expect the students will have a mixture of platforms)? o anything else ...
2. Any other teaching needs that are going to be unusual this year. I can think of one off the top of my head. We have some machines in second year lab that run linux and controll and experiment. We want students to be able to do the equivalent of RDP into them from across different platforms. Thete must be others.
3. Other things. e.g.
- Would people make use of a Jupyter hub? - If students will be using their own laptops much more how does this impact on printing? -... -AoB
Teams link below: ________________________________________________________________________________ Join Microsoft Teams Meeting<https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MWUxMWU1MGItNzY5My00NWNjLWI0Y2MtZjkxMzRjZDQxMDQy%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%222b897507-ee8c-4575-830b-4f8267c3d307%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2231758ee1-834c-4523-9a1f-0f75fb7eafc0%22%7d> On 14/09/2020 19:10, David Colling wrote:
Dear All,
I meant to add that hopefully a teams invite will follow tomorrow and that the meeting is 13:00->14:00. I cannot put it into people's calendars as our group do not use office 365 for email (uet).
Best, david
On 14/09/2020 19:08, David Colling wrote:
Dear All,
Thanks to those from physics who have filled in the doodle poll, I have added some people from ICT in the hope that one or more will be able to make it. Also Derryck, Luke and Richard Thompson because of another conversation that is going on in parallel.
The doodle poll had tomorrow as the preferred day (although only by a slim margin. I will try to take notes during the meeting and distribute them afterwards.
The purpose of this meeting is really as an information and needs gathering exercise to make sure that we have things covered - actually I am pretty sure that we don't have everything covered at the moment. This is following a similar exercise that started at faculty level.
The start of term is closing fast. A very drafty agenda is below.
Best, david
A rough draft agenda will be: ==============================
1. Courses and activities that would normally expect to have students physically logging on to the computers on level 3. I know of first and second year computing, Radioactivity Lab (this year), C&N, Computational physics (measurement and errors?)... but I am sure that there are others. Don't forget that this includes PG courses.
For each of these I would like to document their plans and needs and for others to comment. Somethings that come to mind for each course are:
- are you planning for students to RDP into the machines on level 3 and if so when and how many machines? - what will you do for students who have insufficient bandwidth to RDP in? - do you plan for student to install software locally (all students have been told that they need a computer)? If so:
o what guidance/documentation/videos will you give them? o are there any licensing issues with this approach? o are your instructions cross platform (I expect the students will have a mixture of platforms)? o anything else ...
2. Any other teaching needs that are going to be unusual this year. I can think of one off the top of my head. We have some machines in second year lab that run linux and controll and experiment. We want students to be able to do the equivalent of RDP into them from across different platforms. Thete must be others.
3. Other things. e.g.
- Would people make use of a Jupyter hub? - If students will be using their own laptops much more how does this impact on printing? -... -AoB
I said in yesterday's meeting that I would circulate a link to Alex's installation video which I think is very good. As a bodge it is on my webpages: http://www.hep.ph.ic.ac.uk/~collngdj/Installing_Jupyter.mp4 Best, david On 14/09/2020 19:08, David Colling wrote:
Dear All,
Thanks to those from physics who have filled in the doodle poll, I have added some people from ICT in the hope that one or more will be able to make it. Also Derryck, Luke and Richard Thompson because of another conversation that is going on in parallel.
The doodle poll had tomorrow as the preferred day (although only by a slim margin. I will try to take notes during the meeting and distribute them afterwards.
The purpose of this meeting is really as an information and needs gathering exercise to make sure that we have things covered - actually I am pretty sure that we don't have everything covered at the moment. This is following a similar exercise that started at faculty level.
The start of term is closing fast. A very drafty agenda is below.
Best, david
A rough draft agenda will be: ==============================
1. Courses and activities that would normally expect to have students physically logging on to the computers on level 3. I know of first and second year computing, Radioactivity Lab (this year), C&N, Computational physics (measurement and errors?)... but I am sure that there are others. Don't forget that this includes PG courses.
For each of these I would like to document their plans and needs and for others to comment. Somethings that come to mind for each course are:
- are you planning for students to RDP into the machines on level 3 and if so when and how many machines? - what will you do for students who have insufficient bandwidth to RDP in? - do you plan for student to install software locally (all students have been told that they need a computer)? If so:
o what guidance/documentation/videos will you give them? o are there any licensing issues with this approach? o are your instructions cross platform (I expect the students will have a mixture of platforms)? o anything else ...
2. Any other teaching needs that are going to be unusual this year. I can think of one off the top of my head. We have some machines in second year lab that run linux and controll and experiment. We want students to be able to do the equivalent of RDP into them from across different platforms. Thete must be others.
3. Other things. e.g.
- Would people make use of a Jupyter hub? - If students will be using their own laptops much more how does this impact on printing? -... -AoB
Hi All, Here are some of my notes condensed down with some actions and conclusions at the end. I have put stars around things that are important in the individual reports that I will try to pull together at the end. If there is anything that I have missed (especially in the actions) then shout now as it will soon be too late. Best, david Reports ======== We went around different activities looking at need. 1st year computing ------------------- - It is based on Jupyter notebooks (which will not be switching to Azure notebooks) - The students will be organised into groups via teams - *** It will be completely remote in 2020 and will comprise of 4 weeks of work in the mornings of weeks 2->5, on the mornings Tues->Friday with 70 students in each *** -*** The default is to try to ask students to insall anaconda locally, but the fall back is to use rmote desktop to the machines on level 3. So at most this could take up 70 machines on those mornings *** - *** There is a need for documentation for installation *** - *** There are no licensing issues *** - Jupyter hub would be nice but not essential. 1st year lab -------------- - ***35 students every morning from week 3 to week 10 *** - *** Default is to ask students to install locally but fall back is to use remote access to the macines on level 3*** - *** There are no licensing issues*** 2nd year computing -------------------- - very similar to 1st year computing. -*** every day, morning and afternoon (apart from Wednesdays), maximum 32 per session, default is to ask to install locally, but fall back are machines on level 3 *** - *** Installation documentation needed *** Radioactivity lab ----------------- - Second term! - *** Requires complex software build and installation so DEFAULT is remote desktop connection to machines on level 3. Like second year computing AM and PM every day except Wednesday 32 people/session *** - a GEANT installation guide will be provided but that is the backup solution. Interferometry Lab ------------------ - *** Need for remote screen access to Linux machines that control the experiments - very different from eveything else *** Computational Physics ---------------------- - Don't tell the students which language/IDE to use but most use python and Spyder because of earlier years. - *** Don't tell students which machines to use but typically would expect 35 to 40 students using the machines on level 3 between week 4 and the end of term *** Complexity and networks ------------------------- - Term 2! - Needs python networkx module - *** Will learn from experience of others in term 1 to make everything work*** - Typically expect ~ 40 students to use machines on level 3 (remotely this year?) on Wednesday 10->12 MRes in Plastic Electronics ---------------------------- -*** License for Gaussian needed - this is college wide and may well require the students to use remote access to the level 3 machines *** - *** ~20 in Nov/December students but should have the software installed all machines to give maximum flexibility *** - Jupyter hub could be useful. Other areas that need to be considered ---------------------------------------- - Computing use by MSci/ MSc/ BSc and Erasmus students during projects. - Project use of CX1 (HPC systems) - Printing is not an issue from laptops as students should need to print anymore! - students are required to have a reliable internet connection. Those who live in areas where this is not possible (e.g. North Wales) we need to treat as individual cases. Conclusions and Actions ======================== Conclusions ----------- - *** In the worst case scenarios, the computers on level 3 are very oversold in term 1. This means: o at least at the beginning of the term there is no way that we can allo students to use the machines on level 3 physically. This may evolve... o we need a substantial fraction of the students to install python and other packages on their own machines o Documentation on installation is important *** Actions -------- - *** Aidan Crilly to lead a group producing installation instructions *** - David Col. (DJC) to make sure that required software is installed on the machines on level 3. - DJC to make sure that lab demonstrators have remote access to all machines on level 3 - DJC to work with Adrian on remote access to interferometry lab machines - DJC to try to find out about the needs of MSci/MSc/BSc/Erasmus projects.
participants (1)
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David Colling