Background Increasing student ownership of classroom laboratory experiments improves information retention and overall student classroom experiences. High school and undergraduate students often use personal cell phones to document experimental data or attempt to capture microscope images on their phones for distinct reasons. Implementing cell phone microscope adapters can be clunky, expensive, and quickly obsolete if the camera position changes from phone model 8 to new phone model X. Therefore, implementing adapters in classroom environments can be difficult. Statement of research question Here we devised and utilized a low-cost 3D-printed cell phone mount for microscopes in a predominantly first-year undergraduate general biology classroom. The mount is adjustable, quickly removable, and does not damage the microscope. Study design and methods At the start of the semester, a 10-question pre-use survey was conducted using a 4-choice Likert scale (n=230). 73% of respondents strongly agreed with wanting to use their personal cell phone to record laboratory experiment data. Next, as a part of 3 different general biology lab weeks, students used the 3D-printed cell phone microscope adapters to record microscopic images of pond water, gram stains, and live Daphnia pulex organisms to measure heart rate. Data supporting effectiveness At the end of the course, students were asked to participate in a post-use survey (n=84). In the question, “Do you believe the cell phone adapter helped you engage with your lab work?” 64% of respondents selected strongly agree, while 31% of respondents selected agree. Concluding statement The overall positive response from the cell phone adapters showed that a 3D printed phone adapter for microscopes could successfully be utilized in a classroom and helped increase student ownership and inclusivity of their course-based laboratory work.
