Challenge-Based Instruction to Blend Physical and Virtual Labs Experiences*

Newly designed lab experience can increase students' skills for experimentation and increase their potential for engineering problem solving. Many traditional labs replicate classic experiments which provide a historical foundation for how theories were developed, and model experimental methods students need to replicate in future labs. Now, browser-based technologies and modeling tools are ubiquitous and fast enough to provide students with a richer learning experience which demand higher cognitive skills associated with model-based reasoning. Problem-based learning offers an efficient method for organizing a series of learning experiences that use blend physical and virtual labs to support students' inquiry. This presentation discusses the design and rationale our project is using to organize students' lab-based learning activities around challenges anchored in authentic engineering problem solving tasks. The presentation will focus specifically on how a new virtual window tunnel is used to prepare students for their physical lab experiences and support their inquiry post-lab.