Board 145: Development of Air Quality Assessment Activities Using a Coding-Based Microcontroller for an After-School STEM Program (Work in Progress)

Jin Ho Jo; Matt Aldeman; Jeritt Williams; Allison Antink-Meyer

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE) Poster Session
Tagged Division: Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE)
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/46704

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Paper Authors

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Jin Ho Jo

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Dr. Jin Ho Jo is a Professor of Technology at Illinois State University, teaching in the Sustainable and Renewable Energy program. Dr. Jo also leads the Sustainable Energy Consortium at the university. Dr. Jo is an honors graduate of Purdue University, where he earned a B.S. in Building Construction Management. He earned his M.S. in Urban Planning from Columbia University, where he investigated critical environmental justice issues in New York City. His 2010 Ph.D. from Arizona State University was the nation’s first in sustainability. His research, which has been widely published, focuses on renewable energy systems and sustainable building strategies to reduce the negative impacts of urbanization.

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Matt Aldeman Illinois State University

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Matthew Aldeman is an Associate Professor of Technology at Illinois State University, where he teaches in the Sustainable & Renewable Energy and Engineering Technology undergraduate programs.

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Jeritt Williams Illinois State University orcid.org/0000-0001-5117-8915

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Jeritt Williams is an assistant professor of Engineering Technology at Illinois State University, where he teaches applied industrial automation and robotics.

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Allison Antink-Meyer Illinois State University orcid.org/0000-0001-8969-1263

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Allison Antink-Meyer is a pre-college science and engineering educator at Illinois State University.

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Abstract

[Project Name] is an NSF-funded after-school STEM program through which an interdisciplinary team of faculty, staff, and students at [University Name] is collaborating with teachers from four high schools in a large school district in the U.S. and four non-profit Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) in the surrounding communities to develop innovative hands-on activities for underrepresented students. These informal educational activities are centered on robotics, automation, and renewable energy topics. In the program's inaugural year, one of the four units will focus on assessing air quality, employing the micro:bit microcontroller for programming and the Kitronik Air Quality Board for sensing and data collection. All the air quality unit activities were developed by undergraduate students under the guidance of faculty advisors. High school teachers mentoring the student learners in the after-school STEM program iteratively reviewed all activities when these activities were developed. These air quality assessment activities are outlined as follows. Activity 1: Students are introduced to the significance of indoor and outdoor air quality. They subsequently learn about air quality components, including temperature, pressure, humidity, air quality index, and CO2 equivalent. Activities 2 & 3: Students collect air quality data from different locations and visualize the collected data to comprehend variations among these locations. An extension activity is available for students interested in collecting air quality data over an extended period, allowing them to evaluate the correlation between indoor conditions and air quality changes. Activity 4: Students learn to program the micro:bit to display air quality status using LED lights on the air quality board. Activity 5: The learning unit concludes by presenting air quality conditions in their neighborhood in collaboration with their CBOs. Students can assess the air quality using the hand-held device they programmed and compare their findings to data collected by existing air quality monitoring sensors in their communities. Preliminary data collected during the testing phase indicate that the developed programs effectively display air quality. These activities were designed to help student learners comprehend coding, microcontroller technology, and data collection and visualization. In the summer of 2023, the [Project Name] team organized two one-day professional development workshops. Teachers who participated in these summer workshops completed a selection of air quality assessment activities. They provided feedback, confirming that the programs on the air quality board work seamlessly. Minor suggestions were received, and the instructions were modified accordingly. This Work in Progress paper aims to document one of the first year’s learning activities of the highly collaborative after-school STEM program, demonstrate the activity development processes, and foster an exchange of ideas and feedback among educators in related fields.

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Jo, J. H., & Aldeman, M., & Williams, J., & Antink-Meyer, A. (2024, June), Board 145: Development of Air Quality Assessment Activities Using a Coding-Based Microcontroller for an After-School STEM Program (Work in Progress) Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/46704

TY - CPAPER
AB - [Project Name] is an NSF-funded after-school STEM program through which an interdisciplinary team of faculty, staff, and students at [University Name] is collaborating with teachers from four high schools in a large school district in the U.S. and four non-profit Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) in the surrounding communities to develop innovative hands-on activities for underrepresented students. These informal educational activities are centered on robotics, automation, and renewable energy topics. In the program&#39;s inaugural year, one of the four units will focus on assessing air quality, employing the micro:bit microcontroller for programming and the Kitronik Air Quality Board for sensing and data collection. All the air quality unit activities were developed by undergraduate students under the guidance of faculty advisors. High school teachers mentoring the student learners in the after-school STEM program iteratively reviewed all activities when these activities were developed. These air quality assessment activities are outlined as follows. Activity 1: Students are introduced to the significance of indoor and outdoor air quality. They subsequently learn about air quality components, including temperature, pressure, humidity, air quality index, and CO2 equivalent. Activities 2 &amp;amp; 3: Students collect air quality data from different locations and visualize the collected data to comprehend variations among these locations. An extension activity is available for students interested in collecting air quality data over an extended period, allowing them to evaluate the correlation between indoor conditions and air quality changes. Activity 4: Students learn to program the micro:bit to display air quality status using LED lights on the air quality board. Activity 5: The learning unit concludes by presenting air quality conditions in their neighborhood in collaboration with their CBOs. Students can assess the air quality using the hand-held device they programmed and compare their findings to data collected by existing air quality monitoring sensors in their communities. Preliminary data collected during the testing phase indicate that the developed programs effectively display air quality. These activities were designed to help student learners comprehend coding, microcontroller technology, and data collection and visualization. In the summer of 2023, the [Project Name] team organized two one-day professional development workshops. Teachers who participated in these summer workshops completed a selection of air quality assessment activities. They provided feedback, confirming that the programs on the air quality board work seamlessly. Minor suggestions were received, and the instructions were modified accordingly. This Work in Progress paper aims to document one of the first year’s learning activities of the highly collaborative after-school STEM program, demonstrate the activity development processes, and foster an exchange of ideas and feedback among educators in related fields.
AU - Jin Ho Jo
AU - Matt Aldeman
AU - Jeritt Williams
AU - Allison Antink-Meyer
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Board 145: Development of Air Quality Assessment Activities Using a Coding-Based Microcontroller for an After-School STEM Program (Work in Progress)
UR - https://peer.asee.org/46704
ER -