Renewal of the Advanced Physics Laboratory Course

Brian DaviesWestern Illinois University

Advanced Lab: a unique coursein the Physics major sequence

• Not directly connected to the content of any particular theory course (although we do have optics and electronics courses with labs).

• Usually taught by a single person over a significant number of years, no rotation.

• Often required, but prerequisites are minimal.• No canonical textbook, different content in every

department in the country.

Laudable goals of the advanced lab, as listed in a “President's Commentary” (September 2007)

by Harvey S. Leff, president of the AAPT

• become proficient using modern experimental equipment and techniques,• engage in experimental design,• interface equipment with computers,• use LabVIEW and Excel,• learn how to analyze data in statistically meaningful ways,• keep a comprehensive lab notebook,• prepare professional lab reports,• prepare poster presentations,• conduct literature searches,• understand the value and importance of ethics in scientific research, and• develop an appreciation of the connections between experimental and

theoretical physics.

• - and we could list several more, such as making oral presentations, writing professional papers, interacting with group members and technical staff …

Compare this diversity of goals with a typical theory course

• The theory sequence is quite established in Physics Departments in the U.S., as evidenced by the list of well-known course textbooks on many graduate school web sites, and as reinforced by standardized exams.

• Modern technology affects course delivery but does not affect course content as much as it does in the laboratory courses. (This is more evident in the lower level; upper level classes are still often text, blackboard, and homework.)

Problematic aspects of the advanced lab

• Whereas all faculty are presumed capable of teaching the core undergraduate theory courses, often just a few can do well in the advanced lab.

• No agreed-upon content, hence few texts (and no particular class would cover all the topics in the existing textbooks).

• Constrained by legacy equipment, often cast-off from retired research programs.

• Not valued by entire department. • Lack of support at various levels. • Isolation of instructors.

AAPT Advanced Lab Task Force (ALTF)

• Formed in 2005 and generated a report in 2006 - posted on website http://advlabs.aapt.org/

• Suggested the Physics Instructional Resource Association (PIRA), an AAPT affiliate, as a model organization.

• Led to the formation of the Advanced Laboratory Physics Association (ALPhA) in 2007.

• Did not address deeper concerns about the purpose, content, and relevance of advanced laboratory courses in the physics curriculum.

Advanced Laboratory Physics Association (ALPhA)

• Formed in 2007 and now has its own website - http://www.advlab.org/

• 2009 and 2012 topical conferences• 2010 Gordon Research conference• Laboratory immersions• Parallel efforts in AAPT (conference sessions

and a listserv) and COMPADRE (a repository of manuals, etc.). http://advlabs.aapt.org/

• APS April 1 2012 - a discussion of resources x

Advanced Laboratory Physics Association (ALPhA)

• 2012 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College (BfY) (link)

• An ALPhA event, independent of AAPT and APS• July 25, 2012 - July 27, 2012 at the University of

Pennsylvania and Drexel University, just prior to the national AAPT summer meeting

• Features discussions of lab topics, curriculum models, vendors, and hands-on workshops

• Will include goals of labs, taxonomy of experimental skills, and ways of assessing the impact of labs on the physics curriculum

What do you think? What do you recall?

• A balancing act among these ingredients:

• Modern physics theory

• Experimental design

• Equipment usage

• Data manipulation

• Report generation

• Presentation skills