Experiences and Challenges of A Hybrid In Service Teacher Training on Web-Arduino Based Science Project Lia Laela Sarah (a*), Greg Shaw (b), Ida Kaniawati (a)
a) Postgraduate of Science Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Science Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Indonesia
b) Charles Darwin Australia, Australia
Abstract
In science education, educators frequently encounter the challenge of inadequate resources, equipment, and pedagogical strategies when planning and executing science projects within classrooms. To address this pervasive issue, forty-one Indonesian science teachers participated in a training workshop (belajarstem.id) to acquire expertise using Arduino microcontrollers and sensors as instrumental tools for education scientific projects. Of the participants, 18 engaged in face-to-face instruction, while others embraced online learning through synchronous platforms such as Zoom and asynchronous media like Google Classroom. Our findings illuminate a disparity in completion rates between the online and face-to-face modes of instruction, with 41% of teachers succeeding in the former and a notably higher 79% in the online form. In addition to this result, the study underscores the nuanced challenges encountered when incorporating teaching tools into science education activity, irrespective of instructional mode. These challenges that participants faced included effective translation of wiring diagrams to physical circuits (breadboards), resolution of coding errors, mitigation of connectivity issues between the Arduino equipment and computers, and the time constraints on project completions. Nevertheless, an overwhelming majority of educators, constituting 85%, express a shared perspective on the viability of Arduino tools as instruments for enriching the landscape of science education.
Keywords: hybrid training, Arduino microcontroller, web based platform, science project.
