Collaborative Project: Research-Based Laboratories for Introductory Physics

物理学导论课程是一门以研究为基础的课程，在取代微积分导论课程的标准背诵部分时，它在提高学生的概念理解方面已经被证明是有效的。该项目正在创建一套15个实验室，其中一些是基于教程。其他的则是基于新的和现有的对学生理解三个领域的研究：能量和动量守恒、矢量、扭矩和旋转。然后，这些实验室将经历一个研究、评估和实施的迭代开发周期，并在为不同学生群体提供服务的6所大学进行测试。这个项目的智力价值包括以下目标：(1)有助于理解不同学生群体的需求；(2)扩大研究性课程的影响，在全国范围内完善物理导论课程；(3)以经过验证的课程材料为基础；(4)针对现有工具目前未充分解决的特定主题开发评估工具。本项目的更广泛影响是：(1)拓宽了物理导论课程有效开发的研究基础；(2)传播物理教与学的研究成果；(3)为物理教师和助教树立有效的实验教学模式；(4)为妇女、代表性不足的少数民族和有志于从事科学相关领域职业的残疾人提供服务；(5)提供涉及科学探究过程的实验室体验。

Tutorials in Introductory Physics is a research-based curriculum that has been demonstrably effective at improving students' conceptual understanding when introduced in lieu of a standard recitation section in the introductory calculus-based course. The project is creating a set of fifteen laboratories, some of which are based on Tutorials. Others are based on new and existing research into student understanding of three areas: conservation of energy and momentum, vectors, and torque and rotation. The laboratories then undergo an iterative development cycle of research, evaluation, and implementation and are being tested at 6 universities that serve diverse student populations. The intellectual merit of this project includes goals to (1) contribute to efforts to understand the needs of different student populations; (2) widen the impact of research-based curriculum, improving the introductory physics course on a national scale; (3) build upon proven curricular materials; and (4) develop assessment instruments for specific topics that are currently inadequately addressed by existing instruments. The broader impact of this project is to (1) broaden the research base for effective curriculum development in introductory physics; (2) disseminate the results of research on the teaching and learning of physics; (3) model effective laboratory pedagogy to physics faculty and teaching assistants; (4) serve women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities with aspirations for careers in science-related fields; and (5) provide a laboratory experience involving the process of scientific inquiry.