Volume IV Lab Template

Every Volume IV lab has five sections in this order. Copy the block below to labs/lab-NN-slug.md to start a new lab.

Section Written by Purpose
1. Overview Instructor The physical question, why the lab exists, its core concepts, and where it sits in the course
2. Learning Objectives Instructor What a student can do afterward
3. Instructions Staff Setup, then one sub-section per weekly part: steps, tests, and pitfalls
4. Deliverables Instructor (staff add thresholds) The evidence each team hands in, and how it is signed off
5. Reflection Instructor Questions that connect the measurement back to the book

Labs and parts. A lab teaches one core set of concepts. It is made of parts, one per week. Each part is one supervised studio session with a goal and a checkpoint, the artifact staff see before the team moves on. The goal and checkpoint are set by the instructor; the steps are written by staff.

Status. Each lab carries one status: skeleton (sections 1, 2, 4, 5 written; instructions open), draft (instructions written, not yet run on the bench), or bench-verified (a staff member has run the whole lab on the reference station, and every threshold comes from that run).

Conventions. TBD (staff) marks a slot staff fill. Guidance for staff goes in <!-- STAFF: … --> comments, which show in the source but not on the rendered page. Bench hardware, wiring, the four action taps, and the telemetry format are defined once in the Station Reference Card; labs link there instead of repeating them.


# Lab N: Title

**Status:** `skeleton`\
**Weeks:** X–Y (Parts NA, NB)\
**Reading:** [Chapter A: Title](../../../books/vol4/AA_slug/AA_slug.qmd)\
**Competencies:** `A1`, `D1`\
**Due:** end of Week W

---

## 1. Overview

**The physical question.** One or two sentences: the systems relationship this lab measures.

**Purpose.** One paragraph: why this lab exists, and what the student understands at the end that they did not before.

**Core concepts:**
- **Concept name:** the one idea, in a phrase. Three or four per lab; every part should serve at least one.

**Comes in from Lab N−1:** artifacts this lab uses.\
**Goes out to Lab N+1:** artifacts this lab produces.\
**If Lab N−1 did not finish:** the staff-provided substitute.

---

## 2. Learning Objectives

By the end of this lab, you will be able to:
- Observable ability, verb first.

---

## 3. Instructions

> **Standard bench:** see the [Station Reference Card](station-reference.md).

**Additional setup:** TBD (staff)

### Part NA: Name (Week X)

**Goal:** one sentence. **Checkpoint:** the artifact staff check.

TBD (staff)

<!-- STAFF: steps with real commands, what to record, the expected result,
     any disturbance or failure test, and pitfalls from the Student Zero run.
     One part must fit one 3-hour studio session; long compute runs between
     sessions. -->

### Part NB: Name (Week Y)

**Goal:** one sentence. **Checkpoint:** the artifact staff check.

TBD (staff)

---

## 4. Deliverables

| # | Evidence | Threshold |
|:---:|:---|:---|
| 1 | **What the team hands in** | TBD (staff) |

<!-- STAFF: thresholds come from the Student Zero run on the reference
     station, not from a spec sheet. -->

*Staff signs off `A1` and `D1` on the team's [Competency Card](../curriculum/student-competencies.md).*

---

## 5. Reflection

1. A question that asks what the measurement means.
2. A question that connects it back to the chapter.
Back to top