Team-based projects for assessment in first-year physics courses supporting engineering

Two team oriented, project based exercises developed and used for student assessment in an integrated freshman program are described. These projects allow assessment of student progress toward meeting desirable student outcomes such as ability to work in teams, ability to communicate, and able to apply science and engineering to the solution of problems. One project involves measurement of the velocity of a projectile; the other one involves the measurement of the ambient magnetic field strength. Lists of parts supplied to each student team are included, as are photos and sketches of the more complex pieces of equipment. Student comments and faculty roles are also discussed.