Physics (13). This project changes the algebra and calculus based introductory physics sequences from a traditional lecture/laboratory format to a new active-learning environment based on a new program that incorporates the concepts of Forced Response and CELLs. Forced Response requires students to respond to a series of questions and assessments designed to identify areas of weakness at the beginning, throughout, and at the end of particular units of study. The CELL (Collaborative Educational Learning Laboratory) is employed as a true laboratory for learning by both student and faculty. For faculty the CELL provides an opportunity for research into new areas of student learning. The intellectual merit of the work addresses what science is and how science should be taught. Courses are taught completely in a CELL and students do not go to separate rooms for laboratory exercises. A series of inquiry-based, hands-on activities combine the lecture/laboratory portions of the new course. The broader impact of the proposal is seen in the doctors, pharmacists, and all secondary science teachers graduating from Eastern Kentucky University who take one of these two physics sequences and have a strengthened fundamental understanding of science.
