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July 26–30, 2014
Tuesday morning
keeping an online, electronic, notebook. This transition was done primarily
to reduce waste and costs for students (having to buy lab notebook, half
of which would go unused) and to reduce my burden (no more toting 24
notebooks to and from class and to and from home; scoring 1/3 as many
notebooks). The secondary benefit was to introduce students to electronic
means of keeping notes, including the use of modern online editor func-
tions (equations, super- and subscripts, etc.). I will present here a summary
of my experiences in having students use an online lab notebook platform;
specifically, the use of BlackBoard 9.1 Wikis.
DH03:
8:40-8:50 a.m. Using LabArchives in Introductory and
Advanced Physics Lab Courses
Contributed – John M. Caraher, DePauw University, Department of Physics &
Astronomy, Greencastle, IN 46135-0037;
Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELNs) promise multiple practical and peda-
gogical advantages over traditional paper lab notebooks, but their adoption
poses some unique challenges. I describe my own experience using one
commercially available solution, LabArchives, as an ELN in two courses --
the lab for a calculus-based introductory mechanics course and the lab for
an upper-level atomic and molecular physics course, both taught at a selec-
tive liberal arts college. Topics will include: ELN organization, ease of use
for both students and instructor, archiving and sharing notebooks, student
feedback on LabArchives ELN use, and methods for including equations,
graphs, diagrams and other non-text elements in student ELNs.
DH04:
8:50-9 a.m. Using Student Screencasts for Assessment
Contributed – Andy Rundquist, Hamline University, St. Paul, MN 55104-1284;
In an effort to capture some of the authenticity of oral exams in my normal
assessments, I have used student screencasts to assess student understand-
ing and application of concepts. I have also extended that to laboratory
reports. I will present the strengths and weaknesses of the approach, focus-
ing on how it helps me provide both tailored feedback and authentic evalu-
ations. One feature for labs is the ability to assess individuals in a group, as
their voice added to a common document helps to identify points that are
well understood by each member.
Session DI: Arduinos Micro-Control-
lers and Underwater ROVs
Location: Tate Lab 133
Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Two-Year Colleges
Date: Tuesday, July 29
Time: 9:20–10 a.m.
Presider: Tom Carter
DI01:
9:20-9:30 a.m. Arduino Uno Microcontrollers Measuring
Thermal Effects During Stratospheric Balloon Flights
Contributed – Erick Agrimson, St. Catherine University, St. Paul, MN 55105;
Rachel DuBose, Kaye Smith, St. Catherine University
James Flaten, Spencer McDonald, University of Minnesota
We present results from a study of the thermal wake that trails below
ascending high-altitude balloons (weather balloons) on flights into the
stratosphere, sometimes called “near space.” Data is collected using hori-
zontal 1-D and 2-D arrays of temperature sensors hanging below the bal-
loon in the thermal wake and logged using Arduino Uno microcontrollers.
We characterize the physical width and thermal profile of the wake, which
is warmer than the surrounding air during day-time flights, due to solar
heating of the balloon, and colder than ambient air during night-time as-
cents. Temperatures drop to well below -50 degrees Celsius during a typical
high-altitude flight as the apparatus ascends through the tropopause. We
also evaluate the performance of digital DS18B20 temperature sensors and
Arduino Uno microcontrollers in the near-space environment.
DI02:
9:30-9:40 a.m. Arduino in an Undergraduate Lab
Curriculum and Applications
Contributed – Tia V. Troy,* Winona State University, Minneapolis, MN 5541;7
Nathan Moore, Megan Reiner, Andrew Haugen. Winona State University
Throughout the spring semester 2013 at Winona State University, a new
curriculum was implemented in the Physics 221 Labs. The new curriculum
was motivated by previous attempts to introduce the Arduino Micro-
controller into the curriculum. Most of the evidence about this project’s
success is anecdotal and is based on integration of technology and on the
development of the students’ ability to use technology in the classroom.
During integration, one lab was selected for further research. The lab
selected was a setup that could be modeled as an oscillating spring system
and the frequency of small oscillations can be found using energy conser-
vation. From data collected with various sensors, including the Arduino
distance sensor, a paper is being developed.
Sponsored by Dr. Nathan Moore
DI03:
9:40-9:50 a.m. Research on Productive Tinkering in an
Arduino Environment
Contributed – Gina M. Quan, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
20742;
Ayush Gupta, University of Maryland
In the engineering design process as taught in middle/high school class-
rooms, systematic planning is often valued over tinkering, a process that
shortcuts that kind of analytical thinking. We argue that tinkering could be
productive for students’ learning. We piloted a project-based instructional
module using Arduino Rovers (Arduino integrated programmable robot-
tanks) in Summer Girls, a summer camp for high school students hosted
by University of Maryland Physics Department. Throughout the two-week
program, participants worked in pairs through several open-ended tasks
before designing and completing a final project. Using classroom video
data of student-pairs working on the design tasks, we contrast ad-hoc
tinkering with planned, deliberate sense-making. We argue that tinkering
is a productive practice for project-based learning, contributing to practical
success on task and supporting students in learning content. We suggest
that instructors of design tasks should consider ways to recognize students’
tinkering practices and support them in tinkering productively.
DI04:
9:50-10 a.m. Adapting Modeling Instruction to DIY
Arduino (Microcontroller) Lab Equipment Development
Contributed – Nathan T. Moore, Winona State University, Winona, MN 55987-
0838;
Andrew Haugen Winona State University
The Arduino Microcontroller is an inexpensive, easy to program board that
introductory students can use to create simple data acquisition equipment.
However, standard training in microcontroller programming takes the
form of either endless streams of dubious quality Youtube videos, or dense
EE books on assembly language programming. Obviously, neither of these
options is appropriate for the introductory University Physics Lab. In the
work, I will describe how Modeling Instruction can be adapted to provide
a conceptual and curricular framework for introducing microcontroller
DAQ programming into the intro lab. Briefly, the process can be thought
of as Model development (calibration, signal conditioning, algorithms),
and Model deployment (physical analogs to context-rich group problems).
Results from two implementations of this approach to the introductory lab,
using both Arduino/C and Labview programming environments, will be
discussed.
