Data Acquisition In The Dorm Room: Teaching Experimentation Techniques Using Lego Materials

Data acquisition and analysis concepts taught in introductory courses in experimentation are most effectively learned by engaging students in hands-on activities. Traditional laboratories are usually available on a limited basis to students due to supervision and hardware restrictions. We selected a set of LEGO materials to enable students in our experimental methods course to perform hands-on activities whenever and wherever they want. The fundamental components of this set of materials are the LEGO RCX, a programmable LEGO brick, with the ability to store 2000 points at up to 180 Hz and LabVIEW Student Edition. These materials, along with a set of sensors, motors, and building components, are given to students at the beginning of the semester. The hardware, the RCX and LEGO elements, is small, portable, and relatively inexpensive allowing students to use and program it in their dorm room using LabVIEW on their own computer. Projects have ranged from characterizing a spring to building and configuring a scanner. Labs addressed topics ranging from repeatability and uncertainty to Hooke’s law and Fourier transforms. Eliminating the traditional lab has allowed students more freedom in completing their assignments and allowed more hands-on challenges to be assigned. As a result, class time spent addressing data analysis. The course also addresses effective writing and presentation issues through in class and peer reviews of work.