Discovery-Based Laboratory for Calculus-Based Introductory Physics

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Physics (13) The objectives of the introductory physics laboratory are to help students learn experimental techniques, to enable students to think creatively about physical measurements, and to increase students' understanding of physical concepts and processes. Evaluation of student work indicates that the introductory physics laboratory sequence only accomplishes the first of these three objectives. Most students learn how to acquire and analyze data correctly, but many do not fully understand what they are doing and few increase their understanding of physics through the laboratory experience. In order to deal with this well-documented characteristic of the traditional introductory physics laboratory course, Thornton, Sokoloff, and Laws created a series of discovery-based laboratories. These curricular products - Workshop Physics (WP), Tools for Scientific Thinking (TST), and RealTime Physics (RTP) - have been shown to increase greatly students' conceptual understanding of introductory physics. The project is using RTP as a model to develop a discovery-based laboratory sequence that is appropriate for the calculus-based introductory lecture sequence. The RTP approach is being modified by adding computer simulations, adding calculus applications, and reducing coverage of topics treated in high school. Also, these materials will be supplemented with exercises related to the application of physics to astronomy. Even with these changes, the project will adhere to the discovery-based philosophy: students must construct their own conceptual understanding through making predictions and testing predictions. The project is effectively integrating technology into undergraduate education, developing the faculty's ability to use discovery-based educational techniques, and serving as an example of student-centered education and thus serving as a catalyst for educational change at Trinity University.