Hexbug Nanos used in online lab course to teach undergraduate research skills in physics. Credit: Kristopher Vargas, Pomona College
Key Points:
- The use of small robotic bug toys has proven successful for teaching particle behavior to undergraduate students.
- The experimental approach was conducted entirely online for an undergraduate physics lab course.
- The researchers found that the students learned more effectively this way.
While the switch to complete online learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic was extremely challenging, the aftermath has been anything but. Lessons learned have helped many schools boost their virtual learning options, especially colleges and universities.
In a new study, researchers from Pomona College in California developed an online undergraduate physics lab course using Hexbug Nanos—small robotic bugs “toys”—to engage students in scientific research from their homes.
Hexbug Nanos look like bright-colored beetles with 12 flexible legs that move rapidly in a semi-random manner. This makes collections of Hexbugs ideal models for exploring particle behavior that can be difficult for students to visualize. For the lab course, students used the Hexbugs that were mailed to them, along with a smartphone and common household items.
In the course, students first completed a short experiment to investigate the ideal gas law. They used a rectangular cardboard box divided by a movable wall, made from cardboard and bamboo skewers, that slid along the length of the box. Varying numbers of Hexbugs were placed on either side of the moving wall to model two gases of different pressures. Students used their smartphones to record the "gas molecules" colliding into the moving wall. Video tracking software was used to obtain the position of the wall as a function of time while it moved until the pressure in the two chambers equalized.
Students then had to propose semester-long research projects of their choice, designing experiments using Hexbugs to investigate concepts in statistical mechanics and electrical conduction. They also had to write formal, peer-reviewed scientific papers on their work, modeling the professional publication process as closely as possible.
"We found that the pandemic-inspired reliance on simple, home-built experiments, while de-emphasizing the use of sophisticated equipment, enabled students to more effectively achieve laboratory learning objectives such as designing, implementing, and troubleshooting an experimental apparatus," said study co-author Janice Hudgings.
Information provided by American Institute of Physics.