Mount Holyoke is upgrading its introductory physics labs by using new technology in carefully chosen applications to enhance the educational value of the lab. They are using 12 microcomputers, a frame grabber, A/D electronics, and software to use in new introductory lab applications. These do not replace stopwatches and meter sticks with high-tech equivalents: students need to know and have confidence in rough and ready methods of measurement. The role for the new technology is to have students go where they could not go before: (1) acquire previously unattainable kinds of data, and (2) have access to conceptual tools for visualization and thought experiments. An essential part of the plan is the development of software which builds on the social ambiance of the introductory lab: real data from real experiments, and discussions with lab partners and instructors. The computer will (1) talk to the outside world through instrument interfaces, (2) talk to clusters of users through graphics, and (3) enable the kinds of manipulations students need to perform: arithmetic on data, graphing, fitting, varying of parameters, and visualizing. All of this is being smoothly integrated, so that the graphics screen becomes a focus for discussion, and new analyses or ideas can be tried out with just a few keystrokes or mouse clicks. The grantee provides funds for this project that are an equal match for the NSF award. The University will contribute an amount equal to the award.
