Let your Compass be your guide — unless, of course, you take Physics 211 or 212.

In that case, only smartPhysics will help you navigate through the muddle of Calculus and Newtonian principles.

SmartPhysics is an online program developed at the University of Illinois that enhances the student’s experience in lecture by providing pre-lecture flash-

animations and narrations.

“The lecture can be a great place for student learning, but maybe not in the stereotypical format of the professor providing pure instruction for the students,” said Research Associate Professor, Tim Stelzer.

On the site, it takes students about 15nutes to complete these pre-lectures that address the limitations of “pure instruction.”

“(Pre-lectures) allow constant engagement with the student, versus when you’re just broadcasting, once they’re lost, they’re lost,” said physics Professor Gary Gladding.

Students agree that the value of smartPhysics lies in its ability to provide a solid foundation for the knowledge they build in lecture.

“People don’t like to read the book … by having these pre-lectures, you can see the material before you learn it in class … so you’re seeing it for the second time, and you’re not as bewildered during the lecture,” said John Loftin, freshman in LAS.

Students also receive points for the completion of pre-lecture activities and responses.

During its three years in the Physics Department at the University, smartPhysics has enriched students’ lecture experiences and inspired about 60 other schools to implement the program.

“This is once again Illinois ahead of the curve,” said physics Professor Mats Selen.

Certainly, part of the reason why smartPhysics has met so much success is that University professors had the opportunity to engineer the program to meet their specific needs.

“We had the luxury of starting from scratch and just designing it for our class, while Compass is a much bigger piece of software that has to work within multiple disciplines,” Selen said.

“It was easy to make it perfect for us,” he added.

Easy for professors and easy for students who, in an age where managing technology has become second nature, were quick to pick up on the program and maximize its benefits.

“If we do something sensible students will figure it out,” Gladding said. “(We) have people that are very aware technically of what’s going on and have access … they pick it up very easily.”

After the implementation of smartPhysics, professors saw an increase in exam scores and an even more significant improvement in student feedback.

“I think sometimes the pre-lecture is even better (than standard lecture),” said Lei Jin, junior in Engineering.

Professors were initially concerned with this type of student response because they did not want students to lose their motivation to come to class.

“When you have something to do before lecture, you worry that maybe students will just do that before and not even bother with the lecture,” Selen said. “But in the past, only 40 percent of students said they found lecture valuable, and now that we’ve made these changes 80 percent said they find lecture valuable.”

Another advantage of smartPhysics is what Stelzer calls the “backbone” of lectures, the CheckPoint feature. According to Selen, it fosters a stronger relationship between professors and students in large-lecture settings by enabling students to post questions or concerns that the teacher can read and address.

“You’ve got 1,300 students out there, and they’re wondering, ‘how does he even know I exist?’ And really, how do I know they exist? The students know that we’re looking at these, and it helps them feel motivated to engage,” Selen said.

Not only is this beneficial for students, but professors also experience an improved teaching process as a result of the program.

“We feel obviously excited and happy about it,” Stelzer said. “It’s just so much more fun to teach when the students come in ready with the information.”