Teach Online:
Adapting Lab/Studio Courses
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Labs and studio courses may require the use of specialized equipment, technology, or materials. Some may be adaptable with common items found in the home, or require some additional materials easily found by individual students at local stores, or purchased as kits for specific lab-related purposes. Others may be much more difficult to reproduce outside of the school lab/studio environment.
Note: Labs and studios are highly variable and often require individualized problem solving. Setting up remote labs and studios in emergency situations differ from planning and designing approaches to meet the online course learning objectives of courses with online or virtual lab and studio activities.
Adapting Steps
Step 1: Determine the purpose of your lab/studio experience - the why
Labs/Studio courses have varied objectives, such as: experiencing and practicing a skill, observing a process, executing data analysis, and collaborating with peers. Determining goal of the lab/studio experience will guide you in deciding how best to design (or pivot) the lab/studio online.
Step 2: Determine the best way for students to demonstrate the skill(s), or concept(s) - the how
Consider how the lab/studio could be adapted for synchronous or asynchronous learning environments given the options and limitations to demonstrate that they have mastered a particular skill/concept. For example, if the goal was data analysis, you could provide sets of data for analysis. If the goal was data collection, you could provide test conditions and results, and then require students to identify, collect and organize pertinent data. You may need to entirely reconceptualize the activity from what you can do in the campus lab/studio environment to achieve the critical learning objectives and provide an effective online learning experience for your students.
Step 3: Inventory the resources you have on hand and determine what new resources you need - the what
Leverage existing textbooks, and supported software tools, and platforms.
- Consult with your campus instructional designers or technology specialists for available software that students can access remotely.
- Consider departmental office resources for assistance mailing physical resources to students.
- Investigate whether lab kits or online shopping lists for students might be an option. Safety should be a consideration for at home experiments.
Pro tip: Consider using resources that are pre-made, such as publisher supplemental resources (of a textbook that you are already using), YouTube videos, and online simulation websites.
In making decisions, factor in the learning curve for you and for students with new tools, and adjustments needed for presentation, evaluation and feedback. Consider whether you or your students will have any technical support for any tools or technologies you implement in your lab/studio activities.
Step 4: Determine how you will teach the lab - the how
There are a number of options for teaching lab and studio concepts, or demonstrating a lab or studio technique: text, third party resources (e.g., YouTube), prerecorded videos, live online synchronous sessions, etc., including a combination of approaches. A consistent approach is recommended.
Pro tip: Walk your students through the process.
Whether you are analyzing data, or demonstrating a virtual lab or skill, it is essential that you explicitly describe what you are doing to the students. “Think out loud” so that the students can hear what an expert is thinking and doing as they work through the problem/explanation/demonstration.
- Visualized experiments and protocols on the Journal of Visualized Experiments. Note how every minor detail is explicitly discussed.
Pro tip: Use Breakout Rooms.
If you are doing live synchronous lab/studio sessions, consider stopping the experiment/session at key points—perhaps every 15 minutes as appropriate for:
- A synchronous online session breakout room in small groups, or with a TA if available for Q&A, status/progress check, etc.
- A online asynchronous discussion board.
- An collaborative web page like a google doc, or wiki.
- An online Poll or Quiz.
Quiz questions, general discussion questions, prompts, etc., should be planned and preprepared.
Step 5: Communicate the approach to students
Students should know what to expect from a remote or online lab or studio experience.
- Explain the approach to labs and studio sessions in your course; consider providing a guided tour in a live or recorded session to describe how it will work and what they will need to be successful.
- Help students understand what their role and responsibilities will be and how they can get help.
- Communicate your schedule, when lab/studio activities can begin or are due, and any changes to deadlines, etc.
- Consider a low stakes activity, to make sure everyone knows how to use the approach, tools or technology.
- Anticipate student questions and provide them in the explanatory information.
- Provide ways for students to ask questions, get clarifications, and additional help.
- Encourage students to ask questions early and often.
Step 6: Contact your Instructional Designer
Your campus instructional designer can assist you to effectively and efficiently reconceptualize your online lab/studio experiences for the online synchronous or asynchronous teaching and learning environment.
Adapted from: https://keeplearning.umsystem.edu/instructors/adapting-lab-courses
