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Graduate Students - First Year 

Teaching Award-Dr. Roxanne Springer 
 
Dr. N. Russell Roberson retires 
 
New Faculty-Dr. Shailesh Chandrasekharan 
 
Math and Physics Library Renovations 
 
FEL Construction 
 
Visiting Lecturer - Dr. Carlos Frenk 
 
Dr. Larry Evans retires as Chairman 
 
Dr. Daniel Gauthier receives tenure 

Altavista

The Department is now making a sytematic effort to improve the environment and student learning in the laboratories that accompany the introductory sequence courses. Through support provided by a National Science Foundation Recognition Award for Integration of Research in Teaching to the University, we are developing a new laboratory curriculum which makes use of results from the physics education research community on student misconceptions and learning in introductory physics. As part of this effort, we have recently submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation for new, state-of-the-art computer-based laboratory equipment which will allow the students to view the behavior of the physical systems in real time, without having to experience the drudgery of collecting data. The University has also expressed its committment to the project in the form of matching funds for the equipment as well as in funding the extensive renovations to the laboratory rooms. 

Members of the department are working closely with physics education research groups around the country to develop a set of experimental activities that will not only target students' conceptual difficulties, but that will also introduce them to modern data analysis techniques. The pedagogical strategy that we are employing is known as "guided inquiry," which consists of structured activities that engage the students in the process of constructing their own understanding of physical concepts and phenomena. They do this through a series of increasingly complex exercises that ask them to make predictions and then to explicitly resolve any inconsistencies that may have arisen between their predictions and the actual outcomes. The activities are designed in such a way that as the students work together in groups on their experiments; they must confront and resolve their difficulties before moving forward. We have found that this creates a very lively atmosphere in the labs as the students discuss and debate the underlying physics principles. 

Another important component of the project is the training of the laboratory instructors. The new materials in the laboratories require that the instructors now play a significantly different role than they have in the past. Instead of simply walking around and answering the students' questions, the lab instructors now play the role of facilitators in a 
Socratic dialogue. When the students are having difficulties, the instructor's role is now to ask a series of pointed questions which help the students to resolve the conflict on their own. This strategy has been shown to be very effective in helping the students to gain greater understanding.  In order to help the lab instructors understand why this method works, as well as to get practice in actually doing it in the laboratory setting, we have developed an extensive four-day training program held every fall at the start of the semester. In this program the lab instructors participate in a series of workshops and discussions on student-centered instruction, misconceptions, principles of cooperative learning, and interactive engagement methods in the classroom. 

The lab space design also plays a large role in the project, as we wish to create a comfortable physical environment that contributes positively to the student experience in the laboratories and that encourages interaction among the students. The labs are no longer arranged in a hierarchical fashion where the students all face the instructor in the front of the room. Instead, the computers face the center of the room and are on tables lining the perimeter of the lab--against the wall. In addition, each work area has a peninsular extension into the middle of the room around which students can discuss and collaborate on their experiments. Our design is adapted from a similar layout developed by the Workshop Physics Project at Dickinson College. 

We are very excited about the positive changes now taking place in our introductory labs and will keep you posted as the project proceeds! 

(we are pursuing sources of funding to make the necessary changes in the labs)