HELP Acceleration of a Block Going Down A Ramp Experiment Physics

For my physics coursework I am seeing if friction effects the acceleration of a skier going downhill. I am using a wooden block to act as the skier.
I will need to use different materials so I can measure the coefficient of friction and get different acceleration. But should I rap the wooden block in the different materials or should I lay the material down and let the wooden block pass over it.
Also should I use light gates to measure the acceleration and if so wont the wooden block need to pass down a track so it is moving straight, at the moment the block is to big to fit on a track.
If I timed how long the block took to pass over a certain distance on the ramp could I use speed=distance/time and work out the speed. Would the speed be the same as the acceleration or not.

I'd suggest you lay the material down and let the wooden block pass over it, this method is more realistic and wouldn't alter the mass of the object that is moving.

I'd use light gates and find a smaller block! light gates will give you the most reliable results.

speed is not the same as acceleration, but if you knew the distance travelled in the time you measured, as well as making sure it starts from rest, you could use the formula:
s:1/2at^2

s=distance, a=acceleration, t=time