Penn State acoustic wave kits (PAWKits)

The increasing prevalence of blended resident and distance education courses makes it difficult to implement in-class demonstrations or hands-on activities to enhance learning. Our objective here is to develop and evaluate the use of at-home activity kits in fundamental acoustics and vibration courses for graduate students. First-generation PAWkits includedfive1-ft PVC pipes, four PVC couplers, a PVC end cap, a PVC T-branch, two dental dams, a tuning fork, a bluetooth speaker with passive radiator, a lapel microphone, a thick string, a thin string, ten magnets, four magnetic hooks, four springs (two spring constants), and an alligator clip. The total cost of the kit per student was estimated at $66 plus shipping. The first-generation PAWkit was designed for five main activities includingmeasuring directivity of the speaker and tuning fork, waves in pipes including T-branch and low-pass filters, waves in membranes, waves in strings, and mass-spring vibration systems. Activities were tested across two required Penn State first-year required courses for graduate students. PAWkits are currently being evaluated through student surveys and, in the future, by tracking the performance of Ph.D. students on the qualifying exam. [Work supported by Penn State Leonhard Center Seed Grant.]