Advanced Lab Course Research Articles

Remote advanced lab course: A case study analysis of open-ended projects

An example implementation of open-ended projects via remote instruction in an advanced physics lab course.

Subtleties with Young's double-slit experiment: Investigation of spatial coherence and fringe visibility

We discuss Young's double-slit experiment using a partially coherent light source consisting of a helium-neon laser incident on a rotating piece of white paper. Such an experiment is appropriate for undergraduate students as an independent project or as part of an advanced lab course. As is well known, the resulting interference pattern is observed to disappear and return, depending on the angular size of the source. Interestingly, while the standard theoretical prediction for the light intensity agrees quite well with experimental data when the fringe visibility is high, the prediction is noticeably off when the visibility is low. A first-principles calculation of the light intensity is performed and shown to agree extremely well with the experimental results for all visibilities.

Competence-Based, Research-Related Lab Courses for Materials Modeling: The Case of Organic Photovoltaics

We are hereby presenting a didactic concept for an advanced lab course that focuses on the design of donor materials for organic solar cells. Its research-related and competence-based approach qualifies the students to independently and creatively apply computational methods and to profoundly and critically discuss the results obtained. The high degree of multidisciplinarity and the diversity of both the field of materials modeling and the students are considered within a modularized structure that allows the students to advance according to their individual abilities and interests. On the basis of our experience, through a hands-on format, it is possible to effectively capture the students’ intrinsic interest in this research field and prepare them for their future work in academia and industry.

The process of transforming an advanced lab course: Goals, curriculum, and assessments

A thoughtful approach to designing and improving labs, particularly at the advanced level, is critical for the effective preparation of physics majors for professional work in industry or graduate school. With that in mind, physics education researchers in partnership with the physics faculty at the University of Colorado Boulder have overhauled the senior-level Advanced Physics Lab course. The transformation followed a three part process of establishing learning goals, designing curricula that align with the goals, and assessment. Similar efforts have been carried out in physics lecture courses at the University of Colorado Boulder, but this is the first systematic research-based revision of one of our laboratory courses. The outcomes of this effort include a set of learning goals, a suite of new lab-skill activities and transformed optics labs, and a set of assessments specifically tailored for a laboratory environment. While the particular selection of advanced lab experiments varies widely between institutions, the overall transformation process, the learning goals, and the assessments are broadly applicable to the instructional lab community.

Molecular modeling as an integral part of an advanced lab course

126. Bits and pieces, 46. The time is right for computational chemistry to come into the undergraduate curriculum.