Developing Affordable and Research-Grade Measurement Devices with Arduino for School Science: A Guide for Non-Coders

This report introduces an innovative, low-cost approach to using Arduino as a measurement tool for scientific investigations in education. When using Arduino for science investigations, teachers and students are often overwhelmed by the difficulty of coding text, which distracts them from the essential activity. Recognizing the challenges teachers and students face with text-based coding, we present Gaduino, a package that integrates Arduino with the mBlock block coding platform. By simplifying the coding process, Gaduino makes incorporating physical computing into science curricula easier. This guide highlights the use of Arduino and Gaduino, providing practical examples such as constructing a CO₂ meter that displays readings on an LCD and another that transmits data to an Internet of Things (IoT) platform. By providing preliminary examples of how Gaduino can be used, we demonstrate that incorporating various sensors into school science investigations significantly broadens the scope of student inquiry. We aim to support chemistry education educators, including novices with no prior experience, in seamlessly integrating Arduino into their classrooms, enhancing the learning experience without the complexity of traditional coding.