Distance Learning RealTime Physics IOLab Mechanics active learning lab curriculum available free

(Note: You might also be interested in Home Adapted Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs). Click here for more information.)

 

Brief Description:

Beginning in 2015, a DISTANCE LEARNING ADAPTATION of RealTime Physics: Active Learning Labs, Module 1--Mechanics was developed with NSF funding (DUE – 1505086, July 1, 2015-June 30, 2018). During the current time of extraordinary need for effective, online, at-home laboratory activities for introductory physics, we want to make everyone aware of this curriculum--which can be used FREE OF CHARGE, just by agreeing to give feedback on your use to the authors and to John Wiley and Sons. (Please see more about this below.)

This will likely only be useful for physics departments and schools where sets of IOLabs are available, although instructors with just one IOLab could attempt to arrange online demonstrations of these lab activities for their students.

You can read about the IOLab device at http://www.iolab.science/

You can download a Physics Teacher paper about the IOLab/RTP project at Paper. This paper includes some details about the lab curriculum, and some research results on their effectiveness.

If you are able to make use of this curriculum in any way, all that we ask is for you to give us feedback. Please let us know that you are using it by sending an e-mail to: sokoloff@uoregon.edu. Then download the IOLab/RTP Feedback Form, and give us feedback once you are done with this experiment.

Support:

Details on installing the software and lab files follow below. We will try to provide support as we are able. If you have questions, please contact one of us.

Good luck, best regards and above all, please take all safeguards to stay healthy!

David Sokoloff, University of Oregon sokoloff@uoregon.edu

Erik Bodegom, Portland State University d4eb@pdx.edu

Erik Jensen, Chemeketa Community College erik.jensen@chemeketa.edu

Details:

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SIGNS: The IOLab is designed so that a PUSH on the force sensor is POSITIVE (in +y direction according to the label on the device). The labs are written with a PULL being POSITIVE, as in the original RTP.   To make your IOLabs compatible with the sign conventions in these RTP labs, you will need to reverse the +y direction by changing the label. See below:

Besides the IOLab, you will need a few small pieces of supplemental equipment to complete all of the labs. You can download the list here: Equipment

Follow the directions below to install the IOLab software and the Lesson Player files that contain the RTP Mechanics labs. Once you have done that, you can read through the labs in the IOLab software. When you come upon a page that requires data collection, all you need to do to advance to the next slide is collect bogus data for a very short time and then click Save & Go Next at the bottom left.

If you are not familiar with RTP Mechanics and want to get a picture of what the labs are like without loading the IOLab software, you can (1) read the Physics Teacher Paper and/or (2) download a zip file of PDFs of most of the labs here: EarlyIOLabPDFs. Note that these are not the final versions and were edited extensively as they were developed in Lesson Player.

The directions below for installing and using the IOLab software and Lesson Player RTP labs are linked to the homepage of Erik Bodegom at Portland State University. If you have difficulties using the links below, you can try to download directly from his page: http://web.pdx.edu/~d4eb/

 

For Mac:

(1) Click on IOLab software for Mac to download the software for IOLab.

(2) Click on Lessons or activities for the IOLab lab to download the activities for the IOLab.

(3) Launch the IOLab software. This will create a folder "IOLab-WorkFiles" in your Documents folder.

(4) Look for the Zip file "activities.zip" in your Downloads folder.

(5) Unzip the file and place the resulting folder "activities" in the "IOLab-WorkFiles" folder, replacing the empty activities folder that was already there.

(6) Insert the IOLab dongle in a USB port on your computer. Turn on the IOLab.

(7) In the top line of the IOLab screen, the dongle should be indicated as CONNECTED and one of the Remotes should be illuminated.

(8) Press the button that looks like a folder, select Lesson list and you should see the IOLab Lesson folders for Labs 1-10.

 

For PC:

(1) Click on For PCs: use the installer (IOLab labs) for everything, including the activities

(2) This should install both the IOLab software and the Lesson folders for Labs 1-10.

(3) Insert the IOLab dongle in a USB port on your computer. Turn on the IOLab.

(4) In the top line of the IOLab screen, the dongle should be indicated as CONNECTED and one of the Remotes should be illuminated.

(5) Press the button that looks like a folder, select Lesson list and you should see the IOLab Lesson folders for Labs 1-10.