Lanzhou University Uses MATLAB Mobile to Enhance Interactivity and Hands-On Skills
Approach Improves on Traditional Teaching Methods
“Students can use the MATLAB Mobile platform to learn and practice anytime, anywhere on their mobile phones or tablets, without relying on specific laboratory equipment or computers.”
Key Outcomes
- Using MATLAB Mobile eliminates the limitations of traditional teaching, enhancing classroom interactivity and teaching effectiveness
- With the introduction of MATLAB live scripts, students can observe and understand geophysical phenomena after data visualization and analysis, improving learning outcomes and hands-on skills
- Students develop their programming skills, winning awards in campus innovation competitions and laying a foundation for future studies and employment
Students use MATLAB Mobile for data visualization and analysis in the geophysics class.
Geophysics is a discipline that studies the Earth’s internal structure and physical properties, covering various fields such as gravity, magnetics, electrical, and seismic exploration. This discipline involves complex mathematical calculations, data processing, numerical simulations, and image visualization, requiring students to possess certain computer programming and mathematical modeling skills. However, traditional courses often lack relevant training because they rely on theoretical lecturing and experimental demonstrations, where students learn basic concepts through lectures, experiments, and homework.
Associate Professor Wenna Zhou at Lanzhou University’s School of Environmental and Earth Sciences introduced MATLAB Mobile™ and live scripts to enhance geophysics teaching and learning. The approach stimulates student interest and improves their hands-on skills, while also overcoming limitations posed by limited class hours and computer equipment. Students can directly import the live scripts to process geophysical data on this platform, benefitting from data visualization and analysis to intuitively observe and understand geophysical phenomena. Additionally, the platform’s mobility and flexibility allow students to learn and practice anytime, anywhere on their phones or tablets, without relying on specific laboratory equipment or computers.
MATLAB® has a mature library of functions, with simple and easy-to-learn syntax. After the course, many students not only gained new insights into geophysics but also mastered programming basics, enabling them to conduct basic programming and numerical calculations, as well as lay a foundation for future related work and study.
