phonon
Course-support instrument

Conceptual momentum for difficult technical courses.

In an indirect bandgap a photon supplies the energy, but the transition only completes when a phonon supplies the missing momentum. Phonon the product supplies the missing conceptual momentum for students facing heavy courses — a single weekly loop of preparation, review, and targeted practice, with analytics that tell staff exactly what to cover.

The weekly loopMAT204
pre
lec
post
rec

The interface always answers two questions: where am I in the cycle, and what do I do next.

How it works

One loop, repeated every week

01
Pre-lecture

A short primer before class, so the lecture lands on prepared ground instead of cold.

02
Lecture

Happens in the hall — external to the app. Phonon just marks where you are in the loop.

03
Post-lecture

Consolidate what was just covered while it is still fresh, before it decays.

04
Recitation

Prep with targeted practice; the TA arrives with a briefing built from where the cohort struggled.

Pedagogy

Every concept, two ways

Deductive
Theory first
concept → formula → worked example → problems
Inductive
Puzzle first
scenario → experiment → extract the rule → formalize

Pick a default at sign-up — or let Phonon vary it and learn from what sticks. The mode switch stays visible mid-session; switching re-renders the current step in the other variant and never resets your progress.

Practice

Feedback that escalates, never punishes

1st miss

A likely-slip hint — e.g. you used eV where joules were needed.

2nd miss

A tolerance number-line: your answer against the accepted band.

Correct

The why, the class answer distribution, and a mastery chip.

MCQ and numeric problems (with authored tolerances and units). Hints are free and logged, never penalized — the goal is momentum, not a grade.

Who it's for

Three roles, one course

Student

Join with an enrollment code, run sessions, practice, and see your own progress and weak topics.

TA

Aggregate-only cohort analytics — heatmaps, misconceptions, a timed recitation agenda. No student identities, by construction.

Teacher

Author content, manage structure and publishing, and track per-student progress across the cohort.

Ready to start the loop?

Create an account, or join your course with the enrollment code from your instructor.