Virtual Physics Laboratory

Polyhedron Learning Media, Inc., Wheeling, WV, will create a prototype of a Virtual Physics Laboratory - an online, virtual physics lab experience for college level and/or advanced placement high school physics classes. Each online lab will be comprehensive – containing everything students need to conduct a physics laboratory experiment, including animations, brief video clips, and simulated laboratory equipment and data collection tools that allow the students to perform all phases of the experiment (experimental setup and operation; data collection, analysis, and reporting; and teacher review and evaluation). Because the students will collect real data, typical measurement errors will be observed, allowing the students to use standard data analysis techniques to report on their own unique data, just as if the experiment had been performed using actual laboratory equipment. The lab experiments will be assignable and gradable electronically and will be designed to integrate with existing web-based grade-management systems. Testing of the prototype will be conducted with college-level physics students to ensure that the Virtual Physics Laboratory is user-friendly, engaging, and at least as effective in relaying physics concepts as a comparable hands-on lab.