Lab Design Kickoff Summer 2026
The Lab Design Kickoff is a 3-day, in-person workshop where approximately 20 lab instructors (faculty and staff) collaborate with peers and lab education leaders to redesign introductory physics labs into powerful, experimentation-focused learning experiences suited to their institutional contexts.
Application deadline: March 1, 2026. Accommodations will be covered by the program.
What You'll Do
- Experience various experimentation-focused labs across different instructional settings
- Define learning goals aligned with lab instruction best practices
- Study design principles distinguishing experimentation-focused approaches
- Network with colleagues implementing similar labs at diverse institutions
Workshop Schedule
Day 1 — Tuesday, June 30
- Learning goals brainstorming
- Lab design principles
- Demonstrations of experimentation-focused labs
Day 2 — Wednesday, July 1
- Local context workshops
- Parallel skill-building sessions: departmental dynamics, TA training, assessment
Day 3 — Thursday, July 2 (8:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET)
- Lab action planning
- Wrap-up and evaluation
After the Kickoff
This workshop is the beginning of a larger engagement, not standalone professional development. After the Kickoff, participants join a Lab Action Team — a 12-week remote peer-support program with weekly meetings to implement their lab redesign plans. Participants also gain access to an online resource platform for sharing materials developed by Physics Lab Exchange leaders.