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Re: [Phys-l] Simulated Labs for General Physics Course



While these are not computer based simulations, I have found the Tutorials in Physics by McDermott et al are a very good replacement for some labs.

joe

Joseph J. Bellina, Jr. Ph.D.
Retired Professor of Physics
Co-Director
Northern Indiana Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Collaborative
574-276-8294
inquirybellina@comcast.net




On Jan 21, 2011, at 7:11 AM, Paul Lulai wrote:


Hi.
I would suggest video analysis as the distance / online lab form as opposed to simulations. LoggerPro allows a site license purchase to be shared with the students in the class.
Students use LoggerPro software to set the origin, scale, and select data points.
Separately, simulations might be used to prep for the actual lab work. One could ask why there are differences btn the simulation and lab data, what assumptions might the simulation make for the sake of simplification.
Lastly, a couple of years ago I found a company that sells video labs online. These allowed the user to make some choices about what data to collect. It wasn't enticing enough for me to buy, but it might've a future pathway.
Have you looked at Matter and Interactions? They've had a lot of success.

Paul Lulai
Physics Teacher
St Anthony Village Senior High
3303 33rd Ave
St Anthony Village MN 55418

(w) 612-706-1146




----- Reply message -----
From: "Donald Polvani" <dgpolvani@verizon.net>
Date: Thu, Jan 20, 2011 10:17 am
Subject: [Phys-l] Simulated Labs for General Physics Course
To: "'Forum for Physics Educators'" <phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu>

I'd appreciate getting some feedback from this list on the value of using
simulated labs in a first year general physics introductory course (either
calculus or algebra based) at a community college. I recently suggested a
hybrid lab course to the physics department at the community college where I
now teach part-time (after recently retiring from industry). I suggested a
course which had, approximately, 50% traditional "hands on" in lab
experiments and 50% online simulated experiments. The suggested course met
with either no interest or active disinterest by the other part-time and
full time faculty. One full time faculty member offered the opinion that
"our students need emphasis on the basic, core skills not the more advanced
skills". Our students are "open admission", i.e. non-selectively admitted
community college students. In the calculus based introductory course, many
of the students are planning on going into engineering at a 4 year
institution after graduation. Others plan on a chemistry or biology degree
at a 4 year institution. However, almost no students plan on continuing in
physics after graduating from the community college. In the algebra based
course, most students are simply satisfying a graduation requirement for a 1
year science course with a lab and do not plan on continuing in science or
engineering after graduation.



I fail to see how doing an online lab requires more "advanced skills" than
doing a traditional hands on lab. We are already requiring our lab students
to become familiar with Word and Excel to record, process, and plot their in
lab data. IMHO a number of excellent online labs are available free of
charge (e.g. from PhET at U. of Colorado) which do not require "advanced
skills" to complete. Some have been used in high school physics courses.
Also, I do believe, from my industrial experience, that starting early on
new skills is better than starting later.



I did see the advantages of the hybrid lab course as:



1) Given President Obama's recent objective of doubling the number of
successful community college students by 2020, the "50%" hybrid course
enables the existing science building physics labs to serve twice as many
students. Students would alternate physical labs with simulated labs over
the semester to make the 50/50 ratio come out right.

2) From my recent experience in industry, new engineering and science
graduates familiar with simulation techniques will have an advantage
obtaining jobs and will have a better chance for a successful technical
career. As a corollary, community college engineering/science graduates,
with simulation experience and intending to go on to 4 year colleges, should
be more successful at 4 year universities than similar students without this
experience.



Several full time faculty discounted advantage 1 above by saying that
doubling the number of successful students doesn't necessarily mean that the
number of students admitted must double. Increasing the successful
graduation rate among already admitted students can accomplish the same
thing. (I agree if the graduation rate is at or below 50%, but I believe
our rate is actually higher than 50%).



As mentioned, advantage 2 above was criticized by one full time member with
the argument about having to emphasize basic, core skills not the more
advanced skills.



I would appreciate any comments you may have about the value and use of
simulated labs in an introductory general physics course as taught at a
community college.



Don



Dr. Donald G. Polvani

Retired Engineer

Northrop Grumman Corp.

_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l
_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l