Universe Exploration in High School and College

April 1, 2010 • written by Emily Beaver

Albert Einstein once said “The most incomprehensible thing about our universe is that it can be comprehended.”  Thus the functions of the universe and all it contains are studied because humans have a drive for knowledge.  The presence of science classes in school play a key part in cultivating this questioning behavior, however, are all science classes the same?  There are many similarities and differences between an AP science class at Park and a science class at the University of Minnesota.  To even the comparison I chose to compare an AP course and a basic University course because the material taught is similar in content.

In an AP science course at the high school students do experiments and labs during class.  In a college course the lab is a separate portion of the class, in some classes the labs are so separate that the professor doesn’t even know what goes on in lab.  Labs are once a week for two hours.  In most cases students get a separate lab notebook and have homework due for lab as well as for lecture.  In my current physics class our homework for the week is collected in lab.

This brings us to another difference between an AP science course and a college one, the AP course is every day while most science lectures are two to three times per week.  Therefore homework is due more frequently, while in a college course more is due all at one time.  There are also various highs and lows depending on the day you schedule your lab.  For example, in my physics course the professor posts the reading and homework for the next week sometime between Friday and Sunday.  My lab is on Thursday so I have almost a whole week to finish the readings and do the homework.  I have a friend though, who’s lab is on Tuesday so she has less time to do her homework.

A similar aspect between an AP science course and a college one are lab reports.  In AP chemistry we had to write reports reviewing the procedure, outcome, and conclusions of the previous lab.  In my current physics class we write reports on the previous labs as well.  I wrote more long and complicated reports for AP chemistry than I do now for physics, but that will change as I reach higher courses.

The greatest difference between an AP science course and a college course is that the curriculum of an AP class is decided by the test at the end of the year.  The whole purpose of the class is to prepare students to take the test.  In college the professors make the test each year, therefore, if there was not enough time to cover a concept in class before a test the professor will just leave it off the test.  This also allows students to give feedback on the layout of previous tests (short answer versus multiple choice) and potentially have their opinions taken into account in the creation of the next test.  The professors can also tailor their review sessions to cover the material that is included in the exam because they wrote it and know what is on it.

An AP science course and a basic University science course share a similar curriculum, however, most similarities end there.  Each class has a different layout and policy when it comes to labs, homework, and tests.  However, this all depends on the type of science course taken, the level of difficulty and the professor teaching the class.  In the end the main goal of the class is accomplished in both environments, the cultivation of questioning behavior and the drive to discover the mysteries of the universe.

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