Workshop Physics: An Activity-Based Curriculum Enhanced by Computer Tools

Workshop Physics, initiated by P. W. Laws and her colleagues at Dickinson College, is an activity-based collaborative-learning curriculum enhanced by using computer tools for data acquisition, display and analysis, during which students experience various learning activities including predictions, qualitative observations, quantitative experiments, mathematical modeling and problem solving, etc. The curriculum was formally established when the Workshop Physics team was awarded a two-year grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Science Education. As a more flexible and comprehensive set of activity-based curricular materials were needed, the Activity-Based Physics Suite, which included Workshop Physics, Interactive Lecture Demonstrations, Real-Time Physics, was integrated to reduce implementation barriers for instructors. With the philosophy of reducing content, abandoning formal lectures, emphasizing the process of scientific inquiry and using computer tools flexibly, Workshop Physics centers around Workshop Physics Activity Guide, a series of workbooks covering selected content about Mechanics, Thermodynamics and Electromagnetics, along with diverse computer tools, customized apparatus and other supplemental learning materials such as the Interactive Video Vignettes. Over years of development, although in need of a few more adjustments and modifications, Workshop Physics has won prestigious reputation among students and instructors for its cooperative learning environment, diverse activities, efficient tools and remarkable teaching effectiveness.