There has been an increased focus on the integration of practices into physics curricula, with a
particular emphasis on integrating computation into the undergraduate curriculum of scientists and
engineers. In this paper, we present a university-level, introductory physics course for science and
engineering majors at Michigan State University called P 3 (projects and practices in physics) that
is centred around providing introductory physics students with the opportunity to appropriate
various science and engineering practices. The P 3 design integrates computation with analytical
problem solving and is built upon a curriculum foundation of problem-based learning, the principles
of constructive alignment and the theoretical framework of community of practice. The design
includes an innovative approach to computational physics instruction, instructional scaffolds, and a
unique approach to assessment that enables instructors to guide students in the development…