This project will modernize equipment used in the instruction of physics and support a newly created physics minor program. It will provide not only instrumentation required to provide students with laboratory experiences in Modern Physics, but also to change the way physics is taught by incorporating collaborative and inquiry-based pedagogical methods into the introductory courses. To achieve the interrelated goals of creating and sustaining student interest in physics and improving student understanding of concepts in physics, we will implement a series of new laboratory exercises designed to actively engage students by providing them with immediate feedback through direct computer data acquisition and data analysis. This approach, which will be included in the introductory physics courses required of all science and mathematics majors as well as a new general education course in Cosmology, will significantly impact students' understanding and appreciation of the physical sciences. This project directly supports and extends new, inquiry-based curricula implemented in other disciplines within the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics beginning in 1994, which emphasizes hands-on and collaborative problem solving as a way of learning. Modernization in the instruction of physics will complement and balance recent advances in the experimentally-based study of biology and chemistry attained by the recent addition of modern equipment and laboratory experiences in these areas.
