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Practical work
Practical work has been an integral part of the undergraduate teaching since the earliest days - see the reminiscences by Geoff Jones. It takes two forms: timetabled laboratory classes, mainly in the first and second years, and project work, mainly in the final year. The introduction of the MPhys degree in the early 1990s [date needs checked] led to a hybrid course, the MPhys Advanced Laboratory, for third year MPhys students, in which students had access to the lab, but there were timetabled sessions with a demonstrator present. When the Foundation Year programme was introduced in the late 1970s [date needs checked], that also included a laboratory class.
Physics teaching laboratories
Foundation Year
First and Second Year
MPhys Laboratory
Astronomy teaching laboratory
For many years, practical work in astronomy was carried out only during projects in the final year. However, with the introduction of the undergraduate Astrophysics programme in the early 1990s [date needs checked], it was decided to start a first-year practical class, often referred to as the 'astrolab'. At first, it was sited in a cold and draughty pair of rooms constructed where the original entrance to the Physics 1 building had been (the draughts were because the old glass doors formed one wall and were not properly sealed). Later, it moved to a better site, replacing the Physics Stores when they closed. The experiments were of three sorts. A few used Sky Survey films, obtained as part of the Edinburgh Astronomy Teaching Package.