Research has shown that the traditional dichotomy of a (passive) lecture coupled with a separate (and often seemingly unrelated) laboratory does not provide students with the means to learn and conceptualize physics. The objective in this project is to break from tradition and unify conceptual, analytical, and hands-on experimental investigations in a single environment. The learning in this facility is student-centered and student-driven without traditional lectures. The role of the instructor is shifted from the traditional provider of lectures to facilitator of student learning. Our unified environment is a multimedia laboratory running the Comprehensive Unified Physics Learning Environment (CUPLE) software, with student stations equipped with a Universal Laboratory Interface (ULI) and various experimental probes. This allows hands-on investigation to be incorporated directly with conceptual and analytical investigations. Additionally, the use of laserdisc players and videocamera, together with video capture cards for digitizing video, allows students to "perform" experiments that are not within the means of many colleges and universities.
