Large Scale Assessment of the Introductory Courses*

We discuss a large scale assessment of the introductory courses. We report our work on the assessment of four interventions: 1) the introduction of new research-based laboratories and teaching pedagogies into the laboratory/recitation sections, 2) training the teaching assistants in the new pedagogies and the development and use of grading rubrics, 3) the integration of the lecture and the lab with the new research-based laboratories and pedagogies in place and 4) a completely laboratory-based, interactive engagement course as a small, independent section of the course.