Process of transforming of an introductory mechanics lab course at fort lewis college

Abstract

There are many recent calls to transform lab courses to better engage students in authentic scientific practices and develop their views on the nature of science. To address these calls and support local desire for an improved lab curriculum, we have begun to work with Fort Lewis College faculty, staff, and students to transform their introductory mechanics lab to improve student learning of experimental physics. Here, we describe our preliminary work in which we sought community engagement and input on goals and content for the labs. We did this through in-depth interviews with faculty, classroom observations, student reflections, and through the formation of a Student Advisory Council. From these sources, we developed a set of guidelines and consensus learning goals, which will inform the creation of the transformed lab course.