Providing interactive engagement in introductory acoustics through design-intensive laboratories

Abstract

More than three decades worth of education research has shown with overwhelming evidence that the best way for students to learn is to be actively engaged in the classroom rather than passively taking in material delivered from an instructor. Although the reform of introductory classes has been widely adopted by many instructors, the implementation of reformed introductory laboratory curricula has not been as widely adopted. In our introductory acoustics course, students complete design-intensive labs where much of the instruction has been stripped away. The emphasis on student-driven experiment design and analysis is intended to provide a more scientifically authentic experience for students. The course is taught using an integrated lecture and laboratory approach. An overview of the laboratory framework and example laboratory activities used in our introductory acoustics class will be presented.