Maker Lab: full course materials

This is an open inquiry natural science lab course utilizing Maker tools (e.g. inexpensive electronic sensors/sensorboards controlled by Arduinos). Students are tasked with conceiving, designing, and carrying out scientific experiments with significant process guidance but little experimental oversight, instead leveraging the Maker movement's online resources and open source hardware and software tools.

Target audience:
The course is given at Amsterdam University College to a multidisciplinary mix of natural science bachelor's students, usually in their second or third year of a three year bachelor's.

Duration / Study load:
6 ECTS course, equivalent to ~168 total hours of student work, evenly spread across a 16 week term

Over-arching learning goals: (see also the Learning Objectives subpage for specific, assessable list)

• students navigate the iterative empirical research process, including conception, experimental design, testing, data & uncertainty analyses, and drawing conclusions
• students build self-efficacy in conducting quantitative empirical research and creating scientific knowledge
• students improve science communication skills in an authentic (team) setting

Directory:
Course materials are published in the following locations (see links to them below)

• course description (pre-requisites, learning activities, teaching roles, grouping of students, learning environment)
• learning objectives
• course schedule
• readings and lecture slides for students
• assignments (and rubrics)
• resource list: facilities, equipment, software
• JupyterPython-materials zip file

This page's linked websites give official course descriptions.

Any questions about this Maker Lab course can be addressed to Forrest via: forrestbradbury@gmail.com