Project-based physics labs using low-cost open-source hardware
📝 Abstract
We describe a project-based physics lab, which we proposed to third-year university students. Theses labs are based on new open-source low-cost equipment (Arduino microcontrollers and compatible sensors). Students are given complete autonomy: they develop their own experimental setup and study the physics topic of their choice. The goal of these projects is to let students discover the reality of experimental physics. Technical specifications of the acquisition material and case studies are presented for practical implementation in other universities.
💡 Analysis
We describe a project-based physics lab, which we proposed to third-year university students. Theses labs are based on new open-source low-cost equipment (Arduino microcontrollers and compatible sensors). Students are given complete autonomy: they develop their own experimental setup and study the physics topic of their choice. The goal of these projects is to let students discover the reality of experimental physics. Technical specifications of the acquisition material and case studies are presented for practical implementation in other universities.
📄 Content
1 Project-based physics labs using low-cost open-source hardware F. Bouquet* and J. Bobroff Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France M. Fuchs-Gallezot and L. Maurines Laboratoire DidaScO, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405 Orsay cedex, France
We describe a project-based physics lab, which we proposed to third-year university students. Theses labs are based on new open-source low-cost equipment (Arduino microcontrollers and compatible sensors). Students are given complete autonomy: they develop their own experimental setup and study the physics topic of their choice. The goal of these projects is to let students discover the reality of experimental physics. Technical specifications of the acquisi- tion material and case studies are presented for practical implementation in other universities.
I. INTRODUCTION
Traditionally, student labs are used in physics curricula to
let the students discover and measure phenomena they are
otherwise studying. Experimental setups can range from very
low tech (a stopwatch to measure the fall of a rock) to elabo-
rate high tech (research-lab setup), but a key parameter for a
successful learning is student engagement.
Recently, the use of microcontrollers has been much simpli-
fied by the development of the famous Arduino microcontrol-
ler. This open-source low-cost microcontroller is widely used
by the maker community.1 From a technical point of view,
these boards can be used as a low-cost data acquisition card.
At the university level Arduino is gaining popularity: for ex-
ample workshops targeting teachers and promoting these
boards in advanced labs have been organized.2 Many student
labs have been rethought using this technology. Using Ar-
duino boards allows students to build low-cost setups,3-6 such
as a computerized mirror system for optical setups,3 or a giant
stopwatch and datalogger.5
The low cost and flexibility of Arduino are not its only ad-
vantages: its open-source fablab nature can encourage shar-
ing of ideas, tinkering and creativity among students. In terms
of pedagogy, such an engaging environment is ideally suited
to a project-based learning (PBL) framework.7-12 Many PBL
examples reported in the literature were implemented in
high-school.11,13 In comparison, fewer cases of project-based
student labs have been reported at the university level.7,8,14-18
Some rare universities have fully integrated PBL as the core of
their pedagogy.19,20 Several parameters reduce the appeal of a
project-based approach in physics curricula at university
level: it generally requires a large set of versatile and often
expensive equipment; it requires more time than traditional
teachings, and for the instructors PBL can be destabilizing.9,13
Several strategies can be used to downsize the cost of the
equipment, such as the use of cheap electronic components,16
or building up a stock of used lab equipment over the years.18
The apparition of the Arduino microcontroller opens new
possibilities. A low-cost microcontroller with various in-
puts/outputs and sensors is indeed the perfect low-cost
Swiss-army knife for physics projects:21 it gives students an
easy way to acquire data with a large flexibility in terms of
set-up design. However, the technical specifications of the
Arduino boards present strong limitations compared to more
specialized data acquisition cards, in term of digitalization and
sampling rate.1
In this article, we describe a project-based student lab using
Arduino boards to acquire data, where students build their
own experimental set-up from scratch. These labs are part of
a broader endeavor to renew physics teaching in our universi-
ty, for instance students PBL and physics outreach.22 The aim
of this article is to present a detailed description of this course
so that it can inspire other teachers, especially those interest-
ed in the PBL approach but unsure of its technical feasibility.
Indeed, the questions we were facing prior to this course were
whether the Arduino board was the right tool for a PBL-based
student lab at university level, and whether these projects
could provide students with a realistic introduction to exper-
imental physics. To answer these questions we first describe
this teaching unit, its organization and goals. We include a
technical description of the acquisition material for physics
experiments, its sensitivity and its cost. Students’ projects are
then described, with an emphasis on some examples and
students’ results. Finally, we report on the students’ and
teachers’ perceptions of these projects through a survey.
II.
DESCRIPTION OF THE “OPEN-PROJECT”
STUDENT-LAB TEACHING UNIT
The present Arduino open projects have been introduced in
an otherwise classical academic environment. The students
are in their third year of the French university Paris-Sud in a
fundamental physics sectio
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