Two Decades of Inquiry-Oriented Learning in First Year Undergraduate Physics Laboratories: An Australian Experience
ISBN: 978-1-78441-850-2, eISBN: 978-1-78441-849-6
Publication date: 12 October 2015
Abstract
A review of the first year physics laboratory program in 1991 at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) revealed that student laboratory experiences did not: resemble the practice of physicists; give a realistic picture of the contribution of physics to everyday life, or; enhance students’ capabilities of broad value, such as their communication skills. Physics academics at UTS committed themselves to reforming students’ laboratory experiences with inquiry-oriented learning as a center-piece of the reform. This chapter explores the drivers that led to the reconceptualization of the role of the laboratory in the undergraduate curriculum and the strategies and processes we adopted over more than 20 years to embed inquiry-oriented activities into first year physics laboratory programs.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments
I wish to thank the following people who made major contributions to the design, delivery, evaluation and evolution of the laboratory programs discussed in this paper. David Green, Maree Gosper, Elizabeth Hazel, Sue Johnson, Nirmala Maharaj, Jenny Pizzica, Mark Smith, Lakshmi Srinivasan, Paul Swift, and Katrina Waite. I would particularly like pay tribute to the late Bob Cheary. Without his drive and leadership the first year physics laboratory programs at UTS might still be languishing in the mid-20th Century.
Citation
Kirkup, L. (2015), "Two Decades of Inquiry-Oriented Learning in First Year Undergraduate Physics Laboratories: An Australian Experience", Inquiry-Based Learning for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (Stem) Programs: A Conceptual and Practical Resource for Educators (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Vol. 4), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 41-58. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120150000004003
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015 Emerald Group Publishing Limited