Using a Research-based Approach to Reform Upper-division Laboratory Courses

摘要课堂科学与独立实验室研究之间的飞跃是巨大的，高等物理实验课程通常代表着帮助弥合物理课程中这一具有挑战性的过渡的最终经验。这些课程影响人们对科学事业的态度和期望，并培养学生的科学推理能力和实验技能，使他们能够在研究生院、工业界和其他专业领域取得成功。这个先进的光学/现代物理实验室正在通过以研究为基础的转型进行改革，以满足这一理想，他们正在与更广泛的物理界分享发展和发现。为这门形成性的课程，大量改良的实验材料正在开发中，此外，他们还汇集了一个高水平的先进实验室实验和其他机构正在开发的项目的图书馆。这项为期两年的努力的课程成果包括：一套形成性高级实验课程的课程材料，评估高级教育改革影响的评估工具，以及建立教学资源以帮助未参与课程转型的教师继续这些最佳实验实践。本研究的研究成果包括：对学生成功从事科学事业的能力的操作性定义和评估，对高级实验室经验对学生职业目标影响的相关性的研究，对学生在高级实验室课程学习的初步研究，以及对教师使用这些新的基于研究的课程和实践的评估。由于制作的材料可以在网上免费提供，并且这些工作者积极参与解决本科物理教学这一关键节点的会议和出版物，预计将产生广泛的全国影响。

ABSTRACTThe leap between classroom science and independent laboratory research is large, and advanced physics lab courses often represent a culminating experience in helping bridge this challenging transition within the physics curriculum. These courses impact attitudes and expectations about what a career in science will be like and seek to develop the scientific reasoning and laboratory skills that enable students to succeed in graduate school, industry, and other professional endeavors. This advanced optics/modern physics lab is being reformed through a research-based transformation to match this ideal, and they are sharing developments and findings with the broader physics community. Extensive reformed lab materials are under development for this formative course, and in addition they are bringing together a library of high-level advanced laboratory experiments and programs being developed at other institutions. The curricular outcomes of this two-year effort include: a suite of curricular materials for this formative advanced lab course, assessment instruments to evaluate the impact of upper level educational reforms, along with establishing instructional resources to assist faculty members not involved in this course transformation to continue these best lab practices. The research outcomes of this study include: operational definitions and assessments of student abilities that lead to successful careers in science, a study of the relevance of the advanced lab experience in impacting a student's career goals, preliminary studies of student learning in upper-division lab courses, and an evaluation of faculty use of these new research-based curricula and practices. A broad national impact is anticipated as materials being produced are made freely available online and as these workers participate actively in conferences and publications addressing this critical juncture of undergraduate physics teaching.