The
Challenge
The Process
Results/Impact
Lessons Learned for Colleges |
- Our physics/pre-engineering program has a strong component of technology in instruction,
especially in the laboratory experience. Computers are used as tools for data acquisition,
analysis/modelling, technical writing and information searching.
- The biggest challenge addressed by our program is to teach our students to use
technology as a scientific tool while maintaining maximum cost-effectiveness for the
College. This is done while actually increasing the quality of their educational
experience, thus enabling us to do "more for less".
- We have accomplished our goal by creating a computer-based physics laboratory with
twelve modularized stations. Each station has a computer which is networked to the college
campus and the Internet. Each station contains all the hardware/software a student will
need for their entire year of physics study at our school. This cuts out the need for
someone to set-up and take-down experiments resulting in a significant saving of personnel
costs. It keeps all the tools in ready reach of the students resulting in more creative
solutions to experimental problems compared to the traditional "canned" labs.
- The self-contained modular stations were designed in-house and built by carpenters on
staff at a fraction of the cost of a similar commercially available station.
1) The new lab has allowed for more "discovery based" active learning situations
which empower the students in their own learning.
2) Having all the tools at hand during labs, and interaction between groups has led to a
greater amount of creative solutions to experimental problems compared to a traditional
"canned" lab.
3) The studio-like atmosphere in the labs has fostered greater excitement and independence
in the exploration of physical law. This has resulted in very innovative student projects
as well.
4) The new lab is a resource for area high-school students/teachers as a exploratorium.
- Our modular computer-based lab has emerged as a platform for effectively addressing the
need for students well trained in the fundamentals of physics. This can be done with this
approach more cost effectively and with better results. The costs involved in such a lab
are not much more than equipping the type of a computer based lab increasingly found in
most colleges across the U.S..
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