The objectives of this proposal are to increase the conceptual understanding of students in introductory algebra and calculus- based physics courses, and to make clearer at an earlier stage the connection between the scientific method and the physics lab. This is being accomplished by introduction of Workshop Physics and microcomputer-based laboratory curricula. Five Macintosh LC's provide the heart of the new physics lab, and a host of probes interfaced with the computers allows the students to gather and reduce data for further analysis. Students learn almost all of their physics from these labs, effectively eliminating lectures.
