College policy permits no discretionary absence from laboratory sessions. The physics department follows college policy. See the course schedule for dates with announced laboratory sessions. Introductory physics has been taught using similar methods for several decades. A professor lectures a few times a week.
Students read the textbook to gain further insights into the same material.
Students then attempt to solve numerical problems. A laboratory session reinforces the concepts being taught in the lecture and the text. Over the years, while some students have done quite well, many students have found physics to be incredibly difficult and not the least bit fun. Faculty members have shared in the frustration because the concepts they find so important are not being learned very well. Recently, new pedagogies have been emerging at a number of colleges and universities.