An economical in-class sticker microfluidic activity develops student expertise in microscale physics and device manufacturing.

Educating new students in miniaturization science remains challenging due to the non-intuitive behavior of microscale objects and specialized layer-by-layer assembly approaches. In our analysis of the existing literature, we noted that it remains difficult to have low cost activities that elicit deep learning. Furthermore, few activities have stated learning goals and measurements of effectiveness. To that end, we created a new educational activity that enables students to build and test microfluidic mixers, valves, and bubble generators in the classroom setting with inexpensive, widely-available materials. Although undergraduate and graduate engineering students are able to successfully construct the devices, our activity is unique in that the focus is not on successfully building and operating each device. Instead, it is to gain understanding about miniaturization science, device design, and construction so as to be able to do so independently. Our data show that the activity is appropriate for developing the conceptual understanding of graduate and advanced undergraduate students (n = 57), as well as makes a lasting impression on the students. We also report on observations related to student patterns of misunderstanding and how miniaturization science provides a unique opportunity for educational researchers to elicit and study misconceptions. More broadly, since this activity teaches participants a viable approach to creating microsystems and can be implemented in nearly any global setting, our work democratizes the education of miniaturization science. Noting the broad potential of point-of-care technologies in the global setting, such an activity could empower local experts to address their needs.

Near-Real-Time Learner Analysis and Faculty Support During a Transition to Online Education.

The teaching tip described here relates to a department level initiative to gather and act on student experiences in real-time during the COVID-19 outbreak in the Spring 2020 semester. The survey was developed to be an ongoing, department level, data collection source that could capture, triage, and react to student's unique situations as they arose. This enabled us to coordinate across courses, follow-up and provide students and instructors assistance in real time, and also gather information that informed decision making for our summer online courses as well as our planning for the fall. In this teaching tips article we describe the opportunities and processes for using such a survey to identify and capture aspects of the students' lived experience that influences the effectiveness of curricular change. Doing so fills a need, especially when unexpected changes in learning environments are required, to employ concepts of learner analysis to understand and plan educational experiences for students, even when such experiences are in flux or the concepts are used informally. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43683-021-00047-y.