Student engagement with statistical noise features in PhET's Projectile Data Lab simulation

Many introductory physics lab courses intend to have students learn about concepts and practices of measurement uncertainty.However, studies have shown that learning goals around this topic are often not met.To improve students' proficiency with concepts and practices of measurement uncertainty, we developed a new, noise-enhanced PhET simulation, Projectile Data Lab, featuring statistical noise and measurement tools in the context of projectile motion.To validate the simulation design and provide insight into its effectiveness, we conducted 12 think-aloud interviews where students worked through an associated lab activity with the simulation.Through emergent coding of the interview transcript and screen recording, we found that students are successfully engaging with the ideas around measurement uncertainty associated with the simulation features.These findings suggest that the simulation and accompanying lab activity have the potential to enhance students' conceptual understanding of measurement uncertainty in an introductory physics lab setting.