Role of advanced laboratory teaching in a research university's undergraduate physics curriculum - Dr. Sean Robinson, department of Physics, MIT

I will describe the role played by advanced laboratory instruction as a core modality within physics education, focusing on the goals of professional development of the student as a skilled scientist and the humanistic development of the student as a scientific thinker. I will then discuss how the learning goals of an advanced laboratory physics course can be designed to align with both the overall learning goals of an undergraduate physics major and with the role that research universities play in society. I will draw from the MIT Physics program for examples of both good practices and of commonly occurring difficulties.