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Successfully implementing inquiry-based labs: a case study for a college waves and modern physics course

Inquiry-based instruction is a form of active learning that scaffolds investigation of authentic problems. It relies on collaborative activities that engage students in discipline-specific practices that promote the use of high-level cognitive skills – analysis, decision-making, and evaluation. Inquiry-Based Laboratories extends this approach to lab experimentation. Compared to traditional labs, inquiry-based labs require students to make decisions that are critical to the process – what methods to use, what data to collect, etc. We report on a case study conducted in Fall 2021, featuring a design focus IBL implementation in a college Waves and Modern Physics course. The case study spanned the 15-week semester with students’ scientific reasoning assessed at three points: pre-test, immediate post-test, and delayed post-test. Students showed improvements in their scientific reasoning with positive changes to their epistemic beliefs – i.e., thinking more like scientists.