INVESTIGATING A TEACHING MODEL WITH COMPREHENSIVE INTEGRATION OF THEORY AND EXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL PHYSICS

General Physics and General Physics Laboratory are foundational courses for fostering expertise in the fields of science and engineering. Comprehensive reform of pedagogical methodologies is critical for enhancing students' scientific literacy and innovative capacities. Recognizing the prevalent disconnect between theoretical instruction and experimental training in many Chinese universities, Westlake University has drawn on insights from leading global institutions to develop an innovative teaching model that cohesively merges these two courses. Key innovations in this model include: (1) restructuring the curriculum to achieve credit alignment and content synchronization; (2) redesigning experimental frameworks to incorporate modular instrumentation and facilitate collaborative group work; and (3) implementing a reformed assessment system that features cross-crediting and bidirectional evaluation. This paper provides a thorough analysis of Westlake University's implementation of this model, offering a replicable framework that can inform similar reforms in General Physics education at other institutions.