Probing Science
Description This project exposed students to the use of technology in gathering and analyzing data to increase their awareness of and comfort with the technology. They also developed their ability to think, reason, solve problems and work together. Existing laboratory exercises that had been developed over many years with known outcomes were expanded to include digital data collection with various probes. Student drawn graphs were augmented with computer generated graphs that included graphical analysis overlays to illustrate the underlying concepts with more precision. In some cases, labs were changed to better conform to the capabilities of the technology; additional labs were also developed based on newfound capabilities to demonstrate a principle that could not have been previously illustrated. All this was done in parallel with the existing analog labs so students could see the differences (and similarities) between different data collection techniques. Student Learning Outcomes We anticipated that the use of a parallel model of technology and traditional methods would provide a clear distinction with the older approach while both illustrating and teaching basic skills in data collection and analysis. The digital data collection and analysis tools provided with the software give a stronger correlation to the concepts being taught in part because the graphs are shown in real time, are clear, and allow teachers to point out characteristics and trends of the chemical or physical operation that are not possible with the old methods.
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