Project LITE is a two-year proof-of-concept project involving materials development, course instruction, and student learning assessment at Boston University. The project's goal is to develop a prototype set of integrated educational materials--unique take-home laboratory experiments, written guides, Web-based software, and lecture demonstrations--which aim to clarify the nature of light, optics, color, and perception. The project's major innovation is the development (and introduction into a range of university courses) of a set of "homelabs"--experiments employing inexpensive original devices and existing commercial and industrial optical materials. These inquiry-based, quantitative laboratory experiences are being designed for use by students in their homes or dormitory rooms. The project is also developing easily implementable and inexpensive demonstrations about light for both individual and classroom use. Written materials, as well as Web-based software, are being developed in conjunction with the homelabs and demonstrations. Materials are being pilot-tested in two introductory physics and astronomy courses for non-majors at Boston University. The basic educational goal of both the homelabs and the demonstrations is to encourage individualized hands-on (and eyes-on) learning. The use of "homelabs" also seeks to alleviate a major resource problem faced by many large, introductory, non-major university science courses owing to the limited availability of laboratory space, equipment, and teaching assistants. Future national impact of individual homelabs could be extended by integration into junior college, university, and standards-based high school science courses in astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, and psychology, as well as into science courses for pre-service teachers. The two-year pilot project should ultimately lead to the full-scale development of a complete suite of homelabs, lecture demonstrations, and Web-based software concerning light and optics. The investigators are laying the groundwork for expanded development of materials and for the large-scale dissemination of resulting materials. They are also identifying prospective partners and test sites at other colleges and universities, as well as appropriate publishers and equipment manufacturers. Project LITE is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, Division of Undergraduate Education, Grant Award Number 9950551. Kenneth Brecher, Principal Investigator (brecher@bu.edu, 617-353-3423) Peter Garik, Co-Principal Investigator (garik@bu.edu, 617-353-4735) Boston University Science and Mathematics Education Center 605 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02215 The Project LITE website was developed as a collaboration between Kenneth Brecher (site content, design and interactives) and Yann-Bor Lin (site design, layout and Java programming). The Spectrum Explorer was developed jointly by projects LITE and QSAD.

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