The current impetus for changes in laboratory instruction stems from new research on student learning and technology, as well as changes in the overall goals of physics instructors. The purpose of this document is to develop a set of common goals for laboratory instruction that can serve as a guide to those responsible for designing and evaluating introductory physics laboratory programs. Students completing the introductory laboratory should understand that physics is an experimental science and that observation and experimentation are as important as concepts and theories. Laboratory investigations should encourage students to add some of their own ideas to experiments and their interpretation. Laboratory investigations should engage students in the process of formulating and asking an interesting question of nature.
Students then select the methods and apparatus needed to make progress toward finding an answer.
A portion of each laboratory course can be reserved for student-designed projects. With guidance and monitoring by faculty and teaching assistants, these projects can provide a creative climax to a laboratory course. Careful planning can make this a viable option even in large laboratory sections and programs. While it is imperative that students have a broad experience with techniques using laboratory equipment, it is impossible to prescribe precisely which equipment should be used in all introductory laboratory courses. The learning objectives of each laboratory experiment should determine the equipment to be used.