Speaker
Description
As an active member of the 1st year Physics lab community in the department of Physics and Astronomy at York University, spanning a time from the late 1990’s to the present, I have observed a variety of changes in the laboratory experience. Over this time universities have navigated through a pandemic and rapid technological change. Keeping pace with these changes continues to be a challenge. With the advent of AI, keeping students engaged during the labs and facilitating active learning is a constantly evolving and ongoing process. One of the biggest challenges is student understanding of preparation for an upcoming lab. This generally involves the process of preparing for a lab in advance by reading the laboratory manual and completing a set of prelab exercises or a prelab quiz. Another challenge is engaging student critical thinking skills by guiding students to use the experiment at hand during a lab to answer questions instead of asking AI platforms, such as Chat GPT or a search engine. Additionally, the role of the TA or instructor leading the laboratory session can have a strong affect on the learning experience of the students. During this presentation I will share some of the changes and challenges I have experienced over the years and what has been implemented in the 1st year physics labs at the new Markham Campus of York University.
| Keyword-1 | Active Learning |
|---|---|
| Keyword-2 | Student Engagement |
| Keyword-3 | 1st year physics labs |