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Project-based Learning Community

If you enjoy working in teams and want to take charge of your own learning, consider PLC for your first two terms at WPI.  The PLC is a totally integrated version of three fundamental courses built around a sequence of team projects.  The core of the PLC is the team projects which connect mathematics, and physics with the humanities. 

Recent PLC Projects

• replicate Galileo’s experiments to measure acceleration, using only technology available in Galileo’s time
• study the mathematics of plagues and compare the spread of biological viruses to the spread of computer viruses
• study the engineering, ecological and social impact of dams
• measure how opinions and attitudes have changed over time through an analysis of General Social Survey data

PLC is the full course load for your first two terms. You will receive credit for Calculus I and Calculus II, Physics I and Physics II, and two courses in the Humanities. Students in the PLC cover the standard topics in Calculus I and II and Physics I and II, they use the same text and take the same final exams. The PLC is special because you own the classroom (24/7) for the first two terms.  Students enrolled in this program are a part of a learning community that builds a foundation for success at WPI. 

 

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Last modified: April 14, 2008 09:59:10