Author(s): Levi Smith

Presentation: poster

Cross-disciplinary lab protocols may benefit general physics students more than some traditional ones, especially since many students going to medical school are encouraged to take a full year of physics. In this study, a lab protocol addressing electric potential was adapted to use electrocardiography to re-enforce the concepts. Students in the general physics class participated in the same reading assignments, homework, and lecture. The non-biology-oriented lab protocol was completed by 13 students, and the biology-oriented lab protocol was completed by 6 students. Pre-lab and post-lab surveys were given to each section and attempted to measure the students’ attitudes about each lab and their mastery of the subject material. Analysis of the data found that the biology-oriented lab protocol did not significantly degrade the students’ understanding of the subject material, and that they enjoyed their experience significantly more than their peers who completed the normal lab protocol. The author has suggestions for improving both the biology-oriented protocol and further assessments of cross-disciplinary protocols.

The College of Idaho     2112 Cleveland Blvd Caldwell, ID  8360     USA 208-459-5011    800-2C-IDAHO