| Title | Re-designing Upper-division Physics Labs to Target 21st Century Competencies |
|---|---|
| Faculty/College/Unit | Science |
| Status | Active |
| Duration | 1 Year |
| Initiation | 04/01/2019 |
| Completion | 03/31/2020 |
| Project Summary | Following successful restructuring of first-year labs to emphasize inquiry and the scientific process (Holmes, Ives & Bonn, 2014), this project will develop project-based labs with skills modules to improve the authenticity and coherence of the upper division lab experience in Physics and Astronomy. This proposal coincides with renovations to the Hebb building to create an inspiring, student-centered space with easy access to equipment, enabling student autonomy in experimental projects. This TLEF will redesign the lab curriculum and pedagogy to align with the space’s philosophical design, and the departmental effort to articulate and implement skill-based degree outcomes. This will include increasing student autonomy in design, confidence and improved scholarly communication. We plan to develop modules to teach essential skills. Experiments will shift to more open-ended challenges to promote student ownership, discovery and creativity in design. Students will engage in collaborative, iterative work such as troubleshooting, problem solving and continuous improvement, which more authentically mirrors scientific research. We will improve continuity and scaffold skill building between courses. |
| Funding Details | |
| Year 1: Project Year | Year 1 |
| Year 1: Funding Year | 2019/2020 |
| Year 1: Project Type | Large TLEF |
| Year 1: Principal Investigator | Doug Bonn |
| Year 1: Funded Amount | 75,443 |
| Year 1: Team Members | Douglas Andrew Bonn, Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science |