Attending to experimental physics practices and lifelong learning skills in an introductory laboratory course

Abstract

We have designed an introductory laboratory course that engaged first-year undergraduate students in two complementary types of iteration: (1) iterative improvement of experiments through cycles of modeling systems, designing experiments, analyzing data, and refining models and designs; and (2) iterative improvement of self through cycles of reflecting on progress, soliciting feedback, and implementing changes to study habits and habits of mind. The course consisted of three major activities: a thermal expansion activity, which spanned the first half of the semester; final research projects, which spanned the second half of the semester; and guided student reflections, which took place throughout the duration of the course. We describe our curricular designs and report examples of student work that demonstrate students' iterative improvements in multiple contexts.

23 pages (preprint format), 3 figures; published in American Journal of Physics

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• Model-Based Reasoning in the Upper-Division Physics Laboratory: Framework and Initial Results
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• Attending to experimental physics practices and lifelong learning skills in an introductory laboratory course
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Cited by in corpus (6)

• Student ownership of projects in an upper-division optics laboratory course: A multiple case study of successful experiences
• The Modeling Framework for Experimental Physics: Description, development, and applications
• Attending to experimental physics practices and lifelong learning skills in an introductory laboratory course
• Characterizing lab instructors' self-reported learning goals to inform development of an experimental modeling skills assessment
• Personalized instructor responses to guided student reflections: Analysis of two instructors' perspectives and practices
• Learning to do diversity work: A model for continued education of program organizers