ABSTRACT
Physics classes often disassociate scientific principles from their real-world applications. This separation ignores the motivation that applications can provide and can also hinder students' ability to use and apply those principles when they need to. We believe that one way of addressing these problems is to present material in the context of a design task which requires that students understand certain principles in order to generate a successful design. In this paper, we discuss Goin' Up?, an example of a computer-based, design-centered application which teaches concepts in Newtonian mechanics. We conclude with research questions and planned evaluation methods.
