An optical laboratory practice using smartphones: an educational experience at the University of Cuenca

Abstract

This work describes a pedagogical experience of a new optical laboratory practice called Malus's Law, developed with easily acquired materials and two smartphones. The design, assembly and development of the practice are detailed, in order to analyze the impact that it caused on the students of the seventh cycle of the Career of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Cuenca. An observation guide was used as an information collection instrument, which allowed us to conclude that doing a laboratory practice with Smartphones arouses the interest of students, eliminating the fear that they usually present when they use sophisticated experimental materials from a physics laboratory, Finally, it can be mentioned that the development of the experiment with smartphones induced the active participation of students, demonstrating the usefulness and need to include technology in learning processes.