Has anyone expanded the powerpoint presentations provided by LI-COR? It will be good to share slides with each other.
LI-6400XT use in the classroom
(21 posts) (17 voices)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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I have used the powerpoint slides from LI-COR and modified several of them to fit my course.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I am looking to set up some sort of collaboration between my plant physiology course (spring semesters) and another plant physiology course or other course, where students can exchange data, info, findings, questions, etc. I'm not sure how we can do this, but, I think it would be a good thing for students to interact with others using the LI-6400XT.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Hi...I, too, would like to collaborate with others on exercises, etc. for classroom use. I just obtained an instrument late fall and used it in my plant physiology class this spring. I found I was recreating a wheel, and although the PPTs were nice, it seems that it would be good to have a series of canned labs ready to go. I still haven't created any but am willing to work with folks to share. Steve
Posted 4 weeks ago # -
I'd be interested in collaborating on labs involving the Li6400 XT as well. I received my LiCor last fall and haven't yet used it in a class. I teach plant physiology every other fall and won't teach it until Fall 2014. Right now, I'm most interested in developing labs for use in my plant ecology lab this coming fall. But I'm also very interested in creating labs and opportunities for students to share data in a plant physiology course.
Posted 4 weeks ago # -
I am also interested in collaborating on labs. Lik ssaupe and ahove, I received my 6400 in the fall, but I haven't used it yet for class. I teach plant biology and plant physiology in the fall. I will be attending the LEEF training in June. Anyone else planning on attending? That might be a good opportunity to start.
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
I got my 6400 in 2009 and have used it in my plant physiology course four times now (every spring semester). I developed a few lab activities by excerpting from the users manual and modifying to fit what I want to do. I have one lab on an introduction to the instrument (after students have watched the ever-exciting video!), Simple Experiments (where they actually do an A-Ci curve and light response curve manually), Plant Response curves (using the auto-programs), Leaf Fluorescence, and soil respiration (we go all around campus to find different soils & settings). If those of you who have been posting are interested, I would be willing to share my handouts that I give students. A note to daubrey: I did the LEEF training in June 2009. It was a week very well spent! I really learned alot.
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
I've used the 6400 in a Physiological Ecology class for about 10 years, as well as in undergrad rsch projects. Of course it's a great tool for looking at light response curves in sun/shade & C3/C4 plants - and students love it. But the ramp-up time to get them comfortable using it is significant, as opposed to my using it in a demonstration. Does LiCor have any plans for abstracting manuals and/or disseminating something along the lines of lab handouts?
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
I just got my 6400 this past winter. I am planning to use it in a field course and undergraduate research project. But I did not get this machine through the LEEF program. So I am wondering if there is a way that I can get the PPT files for my teaching.
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
My 6400 was a LEEF purchase 5 years ago. I have used it in class and in the field: we only have undergrads here. I think that the biggest challenge for the students is fear. They are terrified that they will break the machine. It takes a lot of encouragement to ensure them that if they do they will still graduate. A fun lab that I have developed (upstate NY) is comparison of red/orange leaves to green leaves in early Fall. They read a few papers on pigments and photoprotection etc. We then do quick light curves followed by light fleck response and light "stress" curves. Green leaves are just always better so it allows us to talk about the hypotheses on photoprotection and other things we could measure to test them more effectively. By the end of lab discussion they usually get to fluorescence as a next step... which we do the next week.
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
It is a great tool especially for undergraduates. When undergraduates see things and measure it by their own hands either in the field or the lab, that make them spark. I hope to get some funding to purchase the LEEF Bud Package sometimes soon!
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
I have used the 6400 for my own graduate research, but now I am an Asst Prof at a small PUI that does not have the resources to fund the "rest" of the LEEF package. How have other folks in similar situations found the funds for this great opportunity?
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
I am in a similar situation, and assistant professor of small undergraduate school. LICOR provides it basically in half price for undergraduate institutes. However, you have to come up with the other half, which is still a lot for small schools to commit. I tried to get the school to buy, but no way they could afford it. Now I am applying for external funding hoping to get funded and then I can buy it.
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
In my undergraduate Plant Physiology course, I require students to operate the instrument. I set it up and change out chambers when necessary, but I tell students that THEY are the ones that are doing the experiments. In the beginning, it is usually one of the better students that steps up and operates it. During each lab, I try to get as many students as possible on the machine. By the end of the semester, each student has operated it at least once. JWatkins - I like the idea of the fall leaves. Do you have a handout or exercise developed for that? If so, I would like to get a copy.
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
We have the old version, the LI-COR 6200, and never quite figured out how to make it work for a class of 16-20 students. Now it is just sitting in the cabinet collecting dust. I am reading these comments and am wondering what makes the 6400 different that one can actually use it for teaching a class of say 16 student? Or are your class sizes smaller? I would be interested in reading some of your labs to see if this is something we could use and maybe upgrade or trade in our old machine.
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
A few comments from a non-teaching grad student perspective. I've done Licor 6400 demos in the lab and in the classroom for non-lab classes. The machine's screen is very difficult for more than one person to see, and watching someone else operate it in that mode is about as educational as watching someone else answer e-mail. You can project the screen display onto a big screen, so the whole class can actually see it. With prior set up, you can show only the leaf response to the light curve, or whatever, but this is still low-intensity activity. I think the best use is for individual students to work through mastering the machine for work on their own leaves, as JduBois requires. Our undergraduate researchers who use the Licor routinely for field work really get the best understanding of plant function.
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
I agree that the looking over the shoulder approach doesn't work very well. Even when getting undergrads setup to do their own research, they typically take at least several sessions to get used to the instrument. And it isn't until they start working with the data that they truly understand what the instrument is doing.
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
The LEEF site offers a list of potential external grant opportunities at: http://www.licor.com/env/education/LEEF/grant_info.html LEEF also offers to have a grant writer review a LEEF participant’s grant before submission to an external grant. Regarding manuals and lab handouts, we currently do not have plans for this, but it is a great idea! We are always looking for ways to add to the program, so maybe this would be something to consider. Thank you for the suggestion!
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
I would be interested in looking at a copy of JDuBois lab - this seems like a fun and information rich lab for the students. Has anyone had experience using iPads with the 6400? It seems like this would make the level of engagement rise in those students not directly using the 6400 at the time.
Posted 2 weeks ago # -
Because there is a lot going on "under the hood" of the 6400XT, this semester I introduced the students to gas exchange by having them first build a much simpler gas exchange system using qubit components borrowed from a colleague. The next week I introduced the 6400XT and had them work through carefully designed exercises that demonstrated the greater environmental control and measurement capability of the 6400XT. I believe this exercise did much more to solidify their understanding of what the system was doing (and thus what it could do for them) than using schematics alone. We used the 6400XT throughout the remainder of the semester, and when it came time for them to design their independent projects I found that many were opting to use the 6400XT in their projects and were able to use the instruments on their own.
Also, I'm seeing lots of good ideas in the above comments. Maybe we should consider developing a forum to share 6400XT lab exercises that we find to be particularly useful for enhancing student learning?
Posted 2 weeks ago # -
A collaborative forum is an excellent idea. We already have the Professor to Professor section here on the LEEF forum, which is password-protected to keep students from finding answers to things through what one might call creative googling, but we can easily create other forum sections if we need to.
Posted 2 weeks ago #
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