Conceptual labs as an arena for learning: Experiences from a decennium of design and implementation

A series of projects focusing on the design and implementation of “conceptual labs”, aimed at developing insightful learning, are described. The work commenced in 1994/95 and has been followed by a series of projects. The main focus has been on courses in mechanics and electric circuit theory. The approach taken in designing these innovative curricula coincides very well with the emergent paradigm described as “design-based research”. In line with this emergent tradition, I describe how our designs have functioned in authentic settings and focus on interactions that have refined our understanding of the learning issues involved. A common feature in these learning environments is the use of technology as a tool for students ’ inquiry. Systematic variation, based on the theory of variation, has been introduced into task design. According to results using conceptual inventories, the conceptual labs have been very successful. However, it has also been shown that learning is not determined by the technology but by the design of the tasks. In the later projects we studied students ’ courses of action in labs using video recordings. I describe how these studies have provided insights into critical conditions for learning and have helped us to improve learning environments further