9451774 Brown Current learning theory indicates that effective student learning in the physical sciences can be greatly enhanced through the creation of a learning environment that enables students to focus on physical phenomena that are directly linked to useful abstractions, to make predictions based on their conceptual models which receive immediate interactive feedback, and to collaborate with other students in making such predictions and discussing unexpected results. The aim of the proposed project is to create such a learning environment for physics laboratory instruction through the use of a number of technological tools. Specifically, the project will combine image processing and video capture technologies to create motion and optics lab experiments which enable students to link visual and graphical representations of conceptual models with real-world phenomena. Students will view and interact with live video images which are processed in real time to enhance or measure important features. Students will also overlay captured video images and clips with student-drawn interpretations and predictions, image measurement tools, and graphics generated by model simulations. This innovative project has numerous benefits for students and the results will be widely disseminated to community college and university physics and science instructors.
