Heather Lewandowski

The term troubleshooting often refers to the process of repairing a malfunctioning apparatus. In this sense, troubleshooting can be thought of as a type of modeling: the physical apparatus is refined in order to bring its performance into better alignment with expectations that are informed by a model for how the apparatus should perform. Troubleshooting is also a type of problem-solving where the solution state is known but the solution path is unknown: "What’s wrong and how do I fix it?"

The Modeling Assessment for Physics Laboratory Experiments (MAPLE) is an assessment that has been developed to measure students' processes of modeling in advanced-level lab classes focusing on either electronics or optics. The assessment consists of two surveys: a pre-test on mechanics (measuring the acceleration due to gravity using a pendulum) and a post-test on either an inverting amplifier circuit or a polarizer setup.

The Experimental Modeling Framework (EMF) is one way to describe the nonlinear, recursive process through which experimental physicists develop, use, and refine models and apparatus. In the context of upper-division physics lab courses, we developed the EMF to characterize students' model-based reasoning and to inform the development of instructional lab environments that engage students in the practice of modeling.  A diagram of the EMF is shown at left, and a pdf is available for download below. 

We are working on several quantum education projects looking at various ways to teach students the knowledge and skills needed to work with quantum experiments. This includes investigating an industry-project-based senior capstone course at CU Boulder, a set of quantum optics experiments commonly used in undergraduate quantum and beyond-first-year lab courses, and a new cloud-based BEC experiment that has the potential to bring quantum experiments to students at all institutions.

Technologies such as quantum computing, networking, and sensing are moving out of the laboratory to applications in the wider world. These technologies are being developed and disseminated by a broad range of companies that make up the Quantum Industry (see, for example, the Quantum Economic Development Consortium). We are interested in learning how best higher-education institutions can adapt their existing curricula and degree programs  to meet the needs of this new industry. 

During the Fall 2020 term, when faced with the challenge of instructing a large (400+ student), introductory physics lab virtually, we redesigned the entire course to create a unique experience for the students in this very unique situation--a CURE. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) involve students in authentic research by engaging students in inquiries where neither the students nor the instructor know the answer.

In the spring of 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, colleges and universities across the world rapidly transitioned classes and activities to be conducted remotely. This transition presented particular challenges for laboratory courses. We are currently conducting research to document the variety of creative approaches employed by physics lab instructors, measure the impact of the transition to remote teaching on student learning and students' beliefs about experimental physics, and to assess the effectiveness of remote lab teaching strategies.