Moving Labs Online
Given the current situation, many instructors are now faced with the task of moving traditionally face-to-face labs to an online environment. Here are some strategies to help you move your labs online!
Consider Your Learning Outcomes. Labs serve to fulfill specific course and program learning outcomes, so when deciding how to best move your labs online, start by reflecting on what knowledge, skills and values your students need to be successful in your course, future courses and careers. Once you have identified the most essential outcomes for student success, you can begin to assess how these skills can best be developed and fostered without the use of an on-campus lab space.
Strategies for Remote Labs
Virtual Labs. For a fully online lab component, you might want to consider the use of virtual labs. There are several virtual labs available, depending on your discipline. With the current situation of transitioning to fully online teaching, it may be in the best interest of time to use an existing resource rather than creating your own. There are some free virtual labs and there are others that come with a fee – which presents its own barriers. The benefits of virtual labs are that the only required equipment is the program or website, a computer to access it, and the internet. Virtual labs have the benefit of a wide range of experiments that your students can engage in that mimic the real physical experience. In fact, virtual labs can allow students to try versions of equipment that Dalhousie might not have access to in the physical labs, providing different or alternative opportunities than being on campus.
There are downsides to be aware of before moving to a virtual world. While some labs allow students to be a part of every step of the experiment, clicking a screen will not replace hands-on skills like pipetting or the use of a real microscope. Another downside is the cost and accessibility. While some virtual labs are available for free, most of the more advanced and intricate labs will come at a price and require students to have access to the internet or a computer that has an operating system that can run the software. If you’re considering virtual labs, some popular examples include Merlot, PHeT Simulations, and Labster.
At Home Labs. Depending on your course content, there may be the opportunity for you and your students to get creative and crafty. When designing an at-home lab, it’s important to consider how accessible the supplies will be, especially during our current situation. It’s also important to consider safety and the experience of your students conducting experiments without supervision. While these requirements may limit the types of experiments that students can participate in, the at-home experiments provide students with a more hands-on approach than the virtual labs. It also provides students a clear example of real-world applicability. Moosvi, Reinsberg, and Rieger (2019) implemented a hands-on distance lab in an introductory Physics lab. They followed a “Kitchen Chemistry” approach but adapted it to Physics, and even though they found that students didn’t perceive it as authentic as an on-campus lab, it provided students with enough experience and skills development to be an effective substitute.
Helping Students Adjust to Remote Labs. Many students won’t have experienced remote labs before, and because of this, it’s important to help students adjust to this new form of learning. Remote labs can benefit from the same considerations as other forms of online teaching. Clear, simple instructions are important since it’s more difficult for students to ask for clarification, especially if you are using asynchronous teaching. If you’re employing a virtual lab, many come with instructions and help documents, but be sure to check the information for accuracy and clearly outline how students can get in-the-moment support. If you’re trying an at-home lab, troubleshoot common problems that students might run into so that you can provide some solutions in advance. As this is a new situation for students, there are most likely going to be many questions. Be available for these questions by letting students know the various opportunities they have to contact you, whether it’s to ask questions over email or in virtual office hours. It may also be beneficial to set up a discussion board in Brightspace where students can discuss their questions with each other, and reduce your time spent answering the same questions. Finally, be patient with your students and with yourself during this adjustment. It might not go perfectly the first time, but this is an opportunity to experiment and figure out what remote lab techniques work best for you and your course.
Other Strategies for Achieving Learning Outcomes
Research Proposal Writing. While writing a research proposal will not replace the hands-on skills developed in labs, it can help students to develop other relevant skills they will need in your course and beyond. Writing a research proposal encourages students to consider how they would attempt to answer a problem or research question, and express their creativity and problem solving by coming up with potential solutions. Additionally, writing a research proposal is a skill they will need if they continue in research.
Interpreting and Analyzing Data. Another important skill related to lab work is the interpretation and analysis of experimental data. By providing students with raw data, either in the form of images, written description or presentation of quantitative data, students can develop their skill with interpreting, visualizing, and synthesizing data. This will help to develop additional research and employment skills. While they unfortunately will not be involved in collecting the data, they will still be involved in a crucial stage of research.
When selecting remote lab strategies that work best for your course, you need to consider your learning outcomes, your discipline requirements, and the accessibility of the strategy. It may also be that each learning outcome requires a different approach. It’s also very likely that this will be a situation of trial and error. Now is the time for experimentation and creativity! Remember that this is new to you and to your students so have compassion and leave room for hiccups. If you have an online lab strategy that works for you, share it with others!
References:
Moosvi, F., Reinsberg, S., & Rieger, G. (2019). Can a hands-on physics project lab be delivered effectively as a distance lab? International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 20(1), 21-42. DOI:10.19173/irrodl.v20i1.3782