Teaching about acoustic measurement and analysis using smartphones

Abstract

Because smartphones are ubiquitous in modern society, they can serve as excellent mobile tools for students to explore aspects of acoustic measurements in and outside of the classroom. In this talk, I will present a set of lab activities based on smartphones which have allowed students studying speech, language and hearing sciences to use their smartphones as a sound level meter and waveform/spectrum analyzer to measure sounds in their daily lives. In group work, students can compare results from apps installed on different cell phone platforms with measures from a calibrated sound level meter, thereby giving them an opportunity to explore the strengths and limitations of cell phones as measurement devices. This presentation will also discuss how lab reports and classroom discussion can foster the development of analytical skills pertaining to sound analysis.