Take a peek inside a newly renovated physics classroom where students are learning concepts through hands-on activities integrated into lectures.
Undergraduate Wenchao Mi in an introductory course for physics majors in the recently renovated physics classroom. (Garrett Spahn '18 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)
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Undergraduate Wenchao Mi in an introductory course for physics majors in the recently renovated physics classroom. (Garrett Spahn '18 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)
Ph.D. student Matthew Phelps, standing, speaks with undergraduate Erik Sanders in an introductory physics class. (Garrett Spahn '18 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)
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Ph.D. student Matthew Phelps, standing, speaks with undergraduate Erik Sanders in an introductory physics class. (Garrett Spahn '18 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)
An introductory physics class for physics majors in the recently renovated physics classroom in the Edward V. Gant Science Complex. (Garrett Spahn '18 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)
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An introductory physics class for physics majors in the recently renovated physics classroom in the Edward V. Gant Science Complex. (Garrett Spahn '18 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)
Students take part in a lab that observes how an external mass can affect oscillation by producing torque, part of an introductory physics class for physics majors. (Garrett Spahn '18 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)
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Students take part in a lab that observes how an external mass can affect oscillation by producing torque, part of an introductory physics class for physics majors. (Garrett Spahn '18 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)
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Graduate student and teaching assistant Jack Lichtman, standing, with undergraduate Ian Segal-Gould. (Garrett Spahn '18 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)
Graduate student and teaching assistant Jack Lichtman. (Garrett Spahn '18 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)
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Graduate student and teaching assistant Jack Lichtman. (Garrett Spahn '18 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)
Undergraduate Anna Regan in an introductory course for physics majors. (Garrett Spahn '18 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)
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Undergraduate Anna Regan in an introductory course for physics majors. (Garrett Spahn '18 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)
A device called an ioLab, used to record data that will then be analysed in a program called Mathematica. (Garrett Spahn '18 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)
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A device called an ioLab, used to record data that will then be analysed in a program called Mathematica. (Garrett Spahn '18 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)
A recently renovated physics classroom in the Edward V. Gant Science Complex was built to pilot a new approach to physics education, integrating lecture with lab rather than the classical approach of separating these components.
Students and instructors apply concepts with hands-on activities throughout the lecture, practice new tools, and problem solve as a group. The space is equipped with whiteboards on every wall, and computers and projectors for each station. Though built for entry-level courses such as Physics 1601 and 1602, the end goal is to convert larger classes into this format as well, including entry-level engineering and biology classes, for a more interactive learning experience.