Many students experience their first practical application of statistics and error analysis conducting activities in their introductory, science laboratory courses (labs). During this time, they learn definitions, concepts, and skills they will use for the rest of their academic and postgraduate career. This study analyzed the use of statistical methods in introductory physics labs by comparing a collection of student lab manuals from two-year community colleges and four-year universities. Approaches to introducing statistical concepts and procedures are examined for breadth of coverage and consistency with reference to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Our analysis reveals substantial inconsistencies in the treatment of statistics and error among the sampled manuals for labs aimed at science and engineering students. Most notably, wide disparities surfaced in terminology and relationships, along with an absence of some topics that should warrant a concerted treatment.

In contemporary higher education, online or hybrid laboratory instruction is desirable for many students.  As instructors, we know face-to-face lab instruction presents pedagogical affordances the other modalities do not, however online laboratory instruction presents access affordances that may allow some students opportunities to study physics that they might not have with only traditional face-to-face instruction.  COVID-19 demonstrated that the ability to transition quickly and efficiently between face-to-face and online instruction has tremendous value.  We have developed a kit-based approach to introductory physics labs that is inexpensive and can be used in either modality.  In this poster we show how video analysis, a technique commonly associated with mechanics, can be combined with simple, low-cost electronics, including analog meters, to investigate the time-dependence of RC-circuits.  We demonstrate principles of flexible lab design for deliberately building experiments to give good outcomes, both experimentally and pedagogically across face-to-face, online or hybrid instruction.

The only thing more difficult than finding prospective physics students in rural Nebraska is providing an educational experience for them that is rooted in hands-on exploration and experimentation. Mid-Plains Community College is the only college in an area covering 18 counties and spanning over 10,000 square miles. This region is home to less than 100,000 people and over 1,000,000 cattle. On average, 8-15 students register for physics classes each semester, with roughly half of them participating remotely. Rural students often struggle in college for many reasons. Sometimes, the schools they attend are so small that they lack teachers and/or resources for higher-level math and science courses. They also have higher-than-average financial challenges coming into college.  

College instructors can fill in these gaps by teaching dual-credit at rural high schools remotely. The emergence of affordable all-in-one lab devices in recent years facilitate the development of a laboratory curriculum to help remote students engage in the exploratory learning process despite their location. The building and distribution of lab kits along with the use of various open-source educational materials and tools can aslo mitigate the cost barrier for these rural students.

Addressing the need for affordable and repairable laboratory apparatuses in educational settings, we present a low-cost physical computing platform encompassing data sampling, decoding, real-time monitoring and processing, based on modular and platform-agnostic technologies, mainly intended for introductory laboratory Physics courses in undegraduate education. While providing ready-made examples encompassing these roles, the system is designed so that users may leverage off-the-shelf hardware modules, popular software libraries and programming languages to modify, extend and replace its components.

Advancement in video technology is currently available in the pocket of almost every student, as a component of the smartphone. When combined with free or low-cost video-analysis programs, the regular student is already equipped with the hardware and software needed to carry quality physics lab experiments at the place of their choice. At Athabasca University, we developed full home-lab component for the introductory PHYS 200 and PHYS 204 physics courses without the need for conventional lab space or traditional lab equipment. After several years of implementation and assessment of students’ experience, we believe the home-lab component fulfills the expected learning outcomes.