The Broken Lab

What does this filter include?

Here the students play the part of the ultimate, problem-solving engineer. A part or parts of the lab will be deliberately broken/disabled/uncalibrated/incorrect and the student must figure out where the issue is and how to fix it. This could be anything from a faulty piece of equipment to an incorrect and misleading lab sheet. The act of fixing the issue inadvertently teaches the students the theory of the lesson. This can include comparing data to expected theory or deciphering which piece of equipment is not calibrated properly and why.

Here are some examples of the filter being applied:

Notes and limitations of applying this filter

It may be best (pedagogically speaking) not to tell the students in advance, so they have to discover the issues for themselves!