Revitalizing introductory physics labs with NSF support

Introductory physics labs are a little different at Cornell.

Instead of doing labs that demonstrate physics concepts they already know to be true, first-year physics students conduct experiments to discover answers for themselves. This approach, developed through eight years of active learning workat Cornell, emphasizes how experimental physics works and builds skills and understanding, said Natasha Holmes, the Ann S. Bowers Associate Professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Holmes and two collaborators are sharing what they've learned about best practices in physics education researchwith physics faculty and instructors nationwide through The Introductory Physics Lab Institute: Community and Resources for Experimentation-Focused Introductory Physics Labs, a project newly funded by the National Science Foundation.

The institute offers workshops to train college instructors about research-based methods to teach introductory physics labs, an online community and year-long professional development. The project directors expect it will be used by 10% of all physics labs in the U.S., reaching more than 45,000 students per year.

"It's a chance for us to take the research we've been doing for the last decade and really get it out into the world," Holmes said. "We will be working with faculty and instructors across the country to get these research-based strategies for intro physics lab courses into their courses at their institutions."

For years, Holmes has given workshops on introductory physics lab teaching on an ad hoc basis. The institute will broaden their reach. In addition to leading workshops, she will collected data and research insights on the effectiveness of the program for instructors, lab curricula and student outcomes.

One of three principal investigators on the project, Holmes is recognized as a national leader in physics lab innovation and research. She is working with co-PIs who are leaders in physics faculty professional development and dissemination of best practices in physics education.

Instructional labs are fundamental to an undergraduate physics curriculum and at the introductory level reach students across many STEM majors, the co-PIs wrote of the project. Research by Holmes and others shows that labs focused on developing experimentation skills - rather than reinforcing lecture concepts - improve students' critical thinking skills and boost their appreciation for experimentation.

But impacts of this research on labs have lagged implementation in lectures and tutorial courses, Holmes said.

She finds that many instructors are dissatisfied with the way their labs have been, but infrastructure around large introductory physics labs - the equipment, teaching structure and laboratory rooms - is not easy to overhaul.

"That's support we're trying to provide through the institute," Holmes said. "Not only the resources for folks to make changes and figure out what to change but also building community and ongoing development throughout the semester. A network of instructors doing similar things can work together."

Kate Blackwood is a writer for the College of Arts and Sciences.