Enhancing the Workshop Physics Program with New Techology

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As part of the continuing development of its nationally recognized Workshop Physics program, the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Dickinson College is replacing Macintosh SE computers located in two introductory physics laboratories with Macintosh IIsi computers and color monitors which are linked by Ethernet to a file server, laser printers, and two video analysis stations already developed at Dickinson. This equipment is being used intensively by both introductory physics students in the Workshop Physics courses and upperclass physics majors. It is also being used by other groups at various levels: non-science students taking freshman seminars and other required science courses in the department; college and university teachers attending NSF sponsored summer workshops; minority high school students; high school girls visiting for a science career day; and local citizens learning to monitor radiation.The upgrade of equipment is occurring for several reasons. Our older computers and Apple Talk network, now in their fifth year of service, lack the memory, disk storage capacity and speed to allow us to make full use of the capabilities of new software for spreadsheet modeling, video analysis, symbolic equation solving, data sharing and simulations. Two recent NSF grants allow collaboration between Dickinson College, Tufts University and the University of Oregon for laboratory curriculum development aimed at helping other institutions make use of integrated computer tools and interactive teaching methods. The work of these projects is being greatly enhanced by the availability of state-of-the art laboratory computer tools for the development and classroom testing of curricular materials.