project2ndsemlabs
Table of Contents
1 PROJECT figure out how best to do 2nd semester labs
2 partial literature survey
Have a look at Sebastien's excellent collection.
3 Discussion items with Cormier & Anderson
11am
3.1 TODO Goals
3.1.1 TODO Start w. Thorton & Solokov's Goals
| Each laboratory guide includes activities that | |
| * | are sequenced to provide students with a coherent observational basis for understanding a single topic area in one semester or quarter of laboratory sessions |
| * | provide activities that invite students to construct physical models based on observations and experiments |
| * | help students modify their common conceptions about physical phenomena that make it difficult for them to understand powerful general principles of physics NB: CSL's don't do this, principally because the students are responsible for the design! |
| * | work well when performed in collaborative groups of two to four students |
| * | incorporate MBL tools so that students can test predictions by collecting and graphing data in real time NB:CSL's don't do this. We don't do this because of equipment limitations (running multiple lab sections simultaneously, not have 20 sets of MBL's. |
| * | incorporate a learning cycle consisting of prediction, observation, comparison, analysis and quantitative experimentation |
| * | provide opportunities for class discussion of student ideas and findings and |
| * | integrate homework assignments designed to reinforce critical concepts and skills. NB: CSL's don't do this because they are due at the end of the lab period, there is no time for this sort of reflection and integration. Perhaps this is an opportunity to inject some of instructor designed conceptual reflections, off-line… |
3.2 TODO Required inclusions (skills acquired, familiarity w. certain instruments, and so on)
What if we had web-features that explained the use of all the necessary instruments for all the labs? What if pre-lab meant going online and trying out virtual DMM's, and putting together circuit elements, playing with oscilloscopes, and so forth…..what if a great deal of that sort of thing could be front-loaded as a meaningful pre-lab assgignment?
3.3 TODO Desired forms of student-write-up and associated rubric
See comments on the goals table above (shamelessly stolen from Sokolov, et al., table 1. What if we injected end-of-lab hwk assignment, a few, that could focus attention on typical misconceptions. And make the labs due 2 days after lab is completed……what is the up-side….what is the down side?