Undergraduate physics laboratory activities are the main way that students get to apply physics concepts and develop experimental skills. Consequently, the presentation of experimental techniques is exceedingly important, and a poorly constructed guide could hinder student success. I have created a lab manual for use in PHY 372 Modern Physics Laboratory at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). This lab manual helps students develop experimental skills valuable in their future careers in a variety of fields. I evaluated the teaching effectiveness of the lab manual using a survey at the end of the Fall 2017 semester, revised the lab manual, and evaluated it again at the end of the Fall 2018 semester. The 2018 lab manual improved upon the 2017 lab manual overall but did not effectively implement an inquiry-based lab. Further work can be done to study how the skills gained in this laboratory section help student success in future lab experiences at EMU.
","abstract_html":"<p>Undergraduate physics laboratory activities are the main way that students get to apply physics concepts and develop experimental skills. Consequently, the presentation of experimental techniques is exceedingly important, and a poorly constructed guide could hinder student success. I have created a lab manual for use in PHY 372 Modern Physics Laboratory at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). This lab manual helps students develop experimental skills valuable in their future careers in a variety of fields. I evaluated the teaching effectiveness of the lab manual using a survey at the end of the Fall 2017 semester, revised the lab manual, and evaluated it again at the end of the Fall 2018 semester. The 2018 lab manual improved upon the 2017 lab manual overall but did not effectively implement an inquiry-based lab. Further work can be done to study how the skills gained in this laboratory section help student success in future lab experiences at EMU.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Pickard, Brendan Jacob"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Physics and Astronomy","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Jonathan Skuza, Ph.D.","Ernest Behringer, Ph.D.","Eric Paradis, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:33Z","subjects":["Intermediate Physics","Laboratory Manual","Modern Physics","Education","Physics"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/970","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Jonathan Skuza, Ph.D.","Ernest Behringer, Ph.D.","Eric Paradis, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Pickard, Brendan Jacob"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2019-05-31T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Physics and Astronomy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Intermediate Physics","Laboratory Manual","Modern Physics","Education","Physics"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/970"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Undergraduate physics laboratory activities are the main way that students get to apply physics concepts and develop experimental skills. Consequently, the presentation of experimental techniques is exceedingly important, and a poorly constructed guide could hinder student success. I have created a lab manual for use in PHY 372 Modern Physics Laboratory at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). This lab manual helps students develop experimental skills valuable in their future careers in a variety of fields. I evaluated the teaching effectiveness of the lab manual using a survey at the end of the Fall 2017 semester, revised the lab manual, and evaluated it again at the end of the Fall 2018 semester. The 2018 lab manual improved upon the 2017 lab manual overall but did not effectively implement an inquiry-based lab. Further work can be done to study how the skills gained in this laboratory section help student success in future lab experiences at EMU.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Writing and evaluating the effectiveness of a modern physics laboratory manual"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Jonathan Skuza, Ph.D.","Ernest Behringer, Ph.D.","Eric Paradis, Ph.D."],"dc:creator":["Pickard, Brendan Jacob"],"dc:date.available":["2019-05-31T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Undergraduate physics laboratory activities are the main way that students get to apply physics concepts and develop experimental skills. Consequently, the presentation of experimental techniques is exceedingly important, and a poorly constructed guide could hinder student success. I have created a lab manual for use in PHY 372 Modern Physics Laboratory at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). This lab manual helps students develop experimental skills valuable in their future careers in a variety of fields. I evaluated the teaching effectiveness of the lab manual using a survey at the end of the Fall 2017 semester, revised the lab manual, and evaluated it again at the end of the Fall 2018 semester. The 2018 lab manual improved upon the 2017 lab manual overall but did not effectively implement an inquiry-based lab. Further work can be done to study how the skills gained in this laboratory section help student success in future lab experiences at EMU.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/970"],"dc:subject":["Intermediate Physics","Laboratory Manual","Modern Physics","Education","Physics"],"dc:title":["Writing and evaluating the effectiveness of a modern physics laboratory manual"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Physics and Astronomy"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:33Z"}