Cultivating adaptive expertise in the introductory physics laboratory
type: CreativeWork
description: Introductory physics labs are promising spaces for students to develop their abilities to creatively and independently solve research problems. However, many introductory labs focus their efforts on using experiments to demonstrate concepts from lecture, sacrificing student agency to ensure that lab activities can be carried out quickly and have reliable outcomes. If we want students to become adaptive experts in the lab, the objective of introductory lab instruction must shift its focus from teaching concepts to creating a space that cultivates students' decision-making abilities while supporting their skill development. This dissertation describes a new introductory physics lab format that supports students' adaptive expertise. The new curriculum was developed for a large-enrollment introductory calculus-based mechanics course (Physics 211) at a large Midwestern university. The instructional model prioritizes student agency and decision-making, while developing relevant experimental skills that support expert-like decisions. Simultaneously, the reformed lab leverages the affordances of the Interactive Online Laboratory (IOLab) data acquisition system to encourage ownership and ingenuity. These reforms were piloted with a fraction of the course in the Spring 2016 through Spring 2017 semesters. Course design principles were refined throughout the pilot stage based on classroom observations, and administrative needs were identified and addressed. As of Fall 2019, the new lab format is being used at full scale in the introductory calculus-based mechanics course. This lab reform has expanded to include the algebra-based introductory sequence, and will soon also include the second semester of the calculus-based introductory sequence. A lab practical exam was used during the pilot stage to determine the effects of the new lab format on students, as compared to students from the concept-focused lab. Two studies examined the link between students' skills and the decisions …
abstract: Introductory physics labs are promising spaces for students to develop their abilities to creatively and independently solve research problems. However, many introductory labs focus their efforts on using experiments to demonstrate concepts from lecture, sacrificing student agency to ensure that lab activities can be carried out quickly and have reliable outcomes. If we want students to become adaptive experts in the lab, the objective of introductory lab instruction must shift its focus from teaching concepts to creating a space that cultivates students' decision-making abilities while supporting their skill development. This dissertation describes a new introductory physics lab format that supports students' adaptive expertise. The new curriculum was developed for a large-enrollment introductory calculus-based mechanics course (Physics 211) at a large Midwestern university. The instructional model prioritizes student agency and decision-making, while developing relevant experimental skills that support expert-like decisions. Simultaneously, the reformed lab leverages the affordances of the Interactive Online Laboratory (IOLab) data acquisition system to encourage ownership and ingenuity. These reforms were piloted with a fraction of the course in the Spring 2016 through Spring 2017 semesters. Course design principles were refined throughout the pilot stage based on classroom observations, and administrative needs were identified and addressed. As of Fall 2019, the new lab format is being used at full scale in the introductory calculus-based mechanics course. This lab reform has expanded to include the algebra-based introductory sequence, and will soon also include the second semester of the calculus-based introductory sequence. A lab practical exam was used during the pilot stage to determine the effects of the new lab format on students, as compared to students from the concept-focused lab. Two studies examined the link between students' skills and the decisions …
author: Ansell, Katherine
language: en
keywords: Physics Education Research, Introductory Physics Laboratories, Course Reform, IOLab, Calculus-based Mechanics, Hybrid online lab, Laboratory skills, Teaching independence, Mixed methods education research
date published: 2020-04-13
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:47Z
provider: University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/2142/107872