In the classic laboratory format, students follow detailed instructions to perform a lab and then turn in a formal report the following week. Typically, the students blindly collect data with the goal of finishing as quickly as possible. The night before the lab is due, they attempt to do the analysis, answer the questions, and write up the report. Due to lack of understanding, many tend to complete calculations incorrectly, resulting in inappropriate conclusions. Since they waited until the

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... ht before it is due, they don't have time to ask for help. During this process, many students either learn very little, or worse, they reinforce bad assumptions. To give students feedback, the instructor grades reports, spending excessive time finding errors. If the students are not required to revise the report, this feedback can go unheeded. Over the past few years, a Thermodynamics / Fluid Mechanics laboratory was gradually restructured to improve understanding. Much of the analysis was moved from post-lab to pre-lab, culminating in the Fall 2014 format which required the students to do almost all of the laboratory work with fake data and keep revising the work until it was completely correct. They had to get the lab 100% correct before performing the experiment. Because students were not allowed to submit incorrect work, they got help from the instructor and most of the grading time was replaced with student-instructor interaction. This course structure drastically improved the quality of the students work and minimized grading time, but one-on-one student instruction time became overwhelming. It also did little to improve the in-lab data collection process or reinforce the methods for real-life experimentation. For Fall 2015, the structure was reworked, in part to incorporate experimentation for the purpose of discovery. The pre-lab assignments that needed to be revised until correct were reduced in length and complexity, and each experiment was extended to two weeks. Instead of giving fake data, the first week involved the whole class completing a worksheet while the instructor guided a demonstration of the equipment, went over concepts, and collected some data, as in an inquiry-based lecture/lab format. The students then completed analysis using the collected data. Before the second week, the students were given a task targeted to a specific audience, for example, a CEO needs X, or you are to explain Y to a 5year-old. The task required them to develop the experiment themselves. There were no step-bystep procedures. The lab reports were then used to fulfill the task as targeted to the audience rather than to report just methods, results, etc. The paper presents details on the both the 2014 and 2015 class structures with example assignments and reports. It also compares report grades from previous semesters to the grades from the 2014 and 2015 formats. Results of a student survey and a concept quiz, as well as various observations about student performance, pitfalls, and planned modifications are also included. POST-LAB REPORTS: The post-lab reports will be created in groups and the format will be based on Toyota's A-3 format. This means that the reports will be formatted to fit on one 11 x 17 piece of paper. Additionally, you will need to consider the report's audience, which will be provided by the instructor for each experiment. The reports will be peer-reviewed and graded by the instructor. You will be given more information about this format in class. Part of the grade will be based on your contribution to the team effort and the quality of your peer-review of another team's report. FINAL PROJECT: You will work on the final project throughout the course. It will be graded mainly on technical content and analysis. It is expected that you will learn some new concepts as part of this project. The final project report will be in the form of a website that you create. You will receive more information about the project in class. GRADING: Pre-laboratory worksheets 20% Demo / Q&A session questions 5% Individual Spreadsheets / MATLAB files 20% Post-laboratory reports / Peer Reviews / Teamwork 25% Abstract on Final Project 10% Final Project 15% Project Website 5%