Nationally less than 50% of the students who originally choose a science or engineering major complete a degree in that major. It is clear that the problems of retaining interested students are severe enough that the traditional college physics laboratory approach must be questioned in a scientific way, using existing scientific knowledge on how people respond to teaching, how people learn new concepts, and how they incorporate new information. In order to increase retention, this project is restructuring social and intellectual interactions in the introductory physics laboratory in such a way that its operation is more in line with both the way modern students learn, and the way the scientific community deals with experimental information and evaluation of data. "Conferences" and "Public Reports" are being made a formal part of the laboratory. The project actively and systematically considers special populations of students: women, minorities, and future teachers. Problems that research has identified as crucial are capsulized in the following: 1) a demand for narrative coherence; 2) a student-to-student approach to teaching problem-solving; 3) instructional strategies designed to produce a sense of community; and 4) establishment of a culture of competence and cooperation in the laboratory and classroom. The project postulates that these strategies will serve well all students. The laboratory in introductory physics is the project's main focus. The content of these introductory laboratories is staying close to observations connected to direct sensory and perceptual experiences. The emphasis in this development is not on the design of "new" experiments, but 1) on the interaction of the students, and 2) on the context and coherence of their total laboratory experience. A strong evaluation plan is an integral part of the project.
