| Title | Improving Student Laboratory Experiences for First Year Large Introductory Physics Courses |
|---|---|
| Faculty/College/Unit | Science |
| Status | Completed |
| Duration | 2 Year |
| Initiation | 04/01/2005 |
| Completion | 03/31/2007 |
| Funding Details | |
| Year 1: Project Title | Enhancing Student Laboratory Experiences for First Year Large Introductory Physics Courses |
| Year 1: Project Year | Year 1 |
| Year 1: Funding Year | 2005/2006 |
| Year 1: Project Type | Small TLEF |
| Year 1: Principal Investigator | Marina Milner-Bolotin |
| Year 1: Funded Amount | 42,447 |
| Year 1: Team Members | Marina Milner-Bolotin, Physics and Astronomy / Skylight, Faculty of Science |
| Year 1: Summary | TREK 2010 emphasizes the goals of introductory science courses as (a) helping students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills imperative for their future success in academia and at the work place; (b) motivating students in science study; and (c) supporting them in becoming independent and responsible thinkers. Student experiences in undergraduate physics labs play a crucial role in addressing these goals, this is especially relevant for large enrollment courses, such as Physics 100 (750 students/semester). Last summer, the UBC Department of Physics and Astronomy started a department-wide process of improvement of undergraduate physics labs. However, the large size of the courses served by the labs, the challenge of integrating the labs within the lectures and tutorials, as well as implementation of TA professional development demand an extensive time and resource investment on behalf of the Department, faculty and graduate students involved in this process. We propose to address the challenges mentioned above by designing and implementing Inquiry-Based Technology Enhanced Labs (IBTEL) and by creating TA professional development support network. The project will focus on: (a) Design and implementation of six three-hour long technology enhanced inquiry-based labs performed in small sections; (b) Design and implementation of three innovative lecture-based labs performed during the interactive lectures by the instructors, in which the data will be collected using modern technology (motion and force sensors, video cameras) and uploaded on the web; while the data analysis will be conducted by the students in small groups outside the classroom; (c) Establishing a year round lab TA training via Departmental TA Professional Development Support Network; (d) Creating Physics 100 Support Centre where the students will be able to get help with lab analysis outside of classroom. |
| Year 2: Project Year | Year 2 |
| Year 2: Funding Year | 2006/2007 |
| Year 2: Project Type | Small TLEF |
| Year 2: Principal Investigator | Marina Milner-Bolotin |
| Year 2: Funded Amount | 50,822 |
| Year 2: Team Members | Mariana Milner-Bolotin, Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science |
| Year 2: Summary | Student experiences in first year science courses play crucial role in helping students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills and motivating them in studying sciences (TREK 2010). This is especially relevant for large enrollment courses, suet, as Physics 100 (750 students per term). Recently, the Department of Physics and Astronomy launched an initiative aimed at improving our first year courses by focusing on interactive engagement during the lectures and creating integrated Inquiry-Based Technology Enhanced Labs (IBTEL). However, the large course size, the need for integration of various course components, as well as implementation of TA professional development make this process rather complex and require multiple iterations before the desired outcome is achieved. Thanks to the 2005-2006 TLEF funding and departmental support we have begun the revamping of Physics 100. We have (1) designed, equipped, tested and implemented six IBTEL and three interactive micro-computer-based lecture experiments; (2) implemented a lab practical exam; (3) put in place extensive TA training; and (4) opened doors of the Physics Resource Centre. Redesigned Physics 100 course ran for the first time in the fall of 2005 and data on students' progress and their feedback have been carefully collected. We are currently analyzing these data, looking for correlations between student performance in different course components as well as their high school marks. Our next step is to modify the labs and lecture experiments, create new inquiry-based lab activities to further enhance the course and extend interactive lecture experiments to the Physics 101 and 102 courses (1500 students per term}. For instance, we have learned that the labs have to include more extensive experimental design component reflected in lab practical exams. Interactive lecture experiments implemented so far were very successful but insufficient (only three experiments per term) to produce a significant impact on student learning. We also plan to improve student lab experiences by incorporating online simulations as well as short video clips for helping them get familiar with the lab prior to their actual hands-on lab experience. |