Evaluating learning of motion graphs with a LiDAR-based smartphone application

Data modeling and graphing skill sets are foundational to science learning and careers, yet students regularly struggle to master these basic competencies. Further, although educational researchers have uncovered numerous approaches to support sense-making with mathematical models of motion, teachers sometimes struggle to enact them due to a variety of reasons, including limited time and materials for lab-based teaching opportunities and a lack of awareness of student learning difficulties. In this paper, we introduce a free smartphone application that uses LiDAR data to support motion-based physics learning with an emphasis on graphing and mathematical modeling. We tested the embodied technology, called LiDAR Motion, with 106 students in a non-major, undergraduate physics classroom at a mid-sized, private university on the U.S. East Coast. In identical learning assessments issued both before and after the study, the mean score of students working with LiDAR Motion improved by more than that of those using standard-issue sonic rangers. Further, per a voluntary survey, students who used both technologies expressed a preference for LiDAR Motion. This mobile application holds potential for improving student learning in the classroom, at home, and in alternative learning environments.