Structured Quantitative Inquiry Labs: Developing Critical Thinking in First Year Physics Labs

TitleStructured Quantitative Inquiry Labs: Developing Critical Thinking in First Year Physics Labs
Faculty/College/UnitScience
StatusCompleted
Duration3 Years
Initiation04/01/2015
Completion08/30/2017
Project Summary

A new technique for developing students’ scientific reasoning has achieved remarkable learning gains in the PHYS 107/109 laboratory, including striking evidence of transfer to later courses. This project aims to deliver this learning environment to the much larger group of students taking other first year physics courses. The pedagogy involves a relatively straightforward framework in which students make quantitative comparisons of various kinds; reflect on those comparisons; plan to improve their experiments; then execute those plans. While the structure of these iterative cycles is simple, implementing this approach requires a deep understanding of how the technique works and evolves over a term, which makes it a challenge for transferring it to new Instructors and novice Teaching Assistants. The project will build a sustainable delivery of this new method, anchored in detailed documentation and training programs.

Funding Details
Year 1: Project YearYear 1
Year 1: Funding Year2015/2016
Year 1: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 1: Principal InvestigatorDoug Bonn
Year 1: Funded Amount25,700
Year 1: Team Members

Doug Bonn, Professor, Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science
Joss Ives, Instructor, Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science

Year 1: TLEF ShowcaseYear 1: TLEF Showcase
Year 2: Project YearYear 2
Year 2: Funding Year2016/2017
Year 2: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 2: Principal InvestigatorDoug Bonn
Year 2: Funded Amount16,500
Year 2: Team Members

Doug Bonn, Professor, Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science
Joss Ives, Instructor, Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science

Year 3: Project YearYear 3
Year 3: Funding Year2017/2018
Year 3: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 3: Principal InvestigatorDoug Bonn
Year 3: Funded Amount7,750
Year 3: Team Members

Doug Bonn, Professor, Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science
Joss Ives, Instructor, Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science

Project Report2017-TLEF-SP-Final-Bonn-WEB.pdf