Trying to move the lab component of a class online is a difficult task. Often, labs use specialized machinery,\u00a0are difficult to reproduce outside of a controlled environment,\u00a0and require additional materials that cannot be found easily or are costly to procure on an individualized basis. Emergency closures add additional stress, as many times a lab experience needs significant prior planning to execute to its full extent.<\/p>\n
<\/i>\u00a0Note:<\/strong>\u00a0Labs are highly variable and often require individualized problem solving. It is helpful to talk to department leaders, colleagues\u00a0and instructional designers to pool resources and ideas needed to make this drastic change more manageable. The guidance provided here is for the purpose of setting up remote labs in an emergency situation and should not be taken as general guidelines for planning online or virtual labs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The most foundational decision moving forward is to determine the purpose of the lab. Labs run for various different reasons, such as: experiencing and practicing a skill, observing a process, executing data analysis, and collaborating with peers. Taking a step back to determine the reason of the lab will guide you in deciding how best to pivot the lab online.<\/p>\n Consider how the lab can be modified so that students are still able to demonstrate that they have mastered a particular skill. 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\u00a0and organize pertinent data. This is the hardest step because you may have to let go of important elements of your planned lab in order to focus on critical learning objectives and provide an effective learning experience for your students.<\/p>\n Leverage existing textbooks, software tools\u00a0and \u00adplatforms (e.g., Panopto, Canvas, etc.) to save time and cost\u00a0as well as to prevent duplicate \u00adefforts.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i>Pro tip:<\/strong>\u00a0If something new is needed, consider using resources that are pre-made, such as publisher supplemental resources (of a textbook that you are already using), YouTube videos, and websites. We have curated a list of linked websites, organized by discipline, to help you begin evaluating options you could use in your labs.<\/p>\n When adopting something new, please factor in the time that students may need to learn the new tool, adjust your assignment as needed to incorporate training time, and consider this factor when grading. We highly recommend that you do not utilize a tool or platform that you do not know how to operate. You may be the only technical support for this tool available to your students.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n There are a number of options for teaching lab concepts or demonstrating a lab technique: text, third party resources (e.g., YouTube), prerecorded videos, live Zoom meetings, just to name a few. In most cases, there may be a need to use a combination of approaches. Our advice is to develop a pattern in your approach and maintain consistency\u00a0as much as possible.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i>Pro tip:<\/strong>\u00a0Walk your students through the process.<\/p>\n Whether you are analyzing data or demonstrating a virtual lab, it is essential that you explicitly describe what you are doing to the students. \u201cThink out loud\u201d so that the students can hear what an expert is thinking and doing as they work through the problem. As an example of this, review the visualized experiments and protocols on the\u00a0Journal of Visualized Experiments<\/a>. Note how every minor detail is explicitly discussed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u00a0<\/i>Pro tip:<\/strong>\u00a0Use the Breakout Room concept.<\/p>\n If you are doing live lab sessions, consider stopping the experiment at key points\u2014perhaps every 15 minutes as appropriate\u2014and send students to a \u201cBreakout Room\u201d with their TA if you have them. This could be:<\/p>\n You could have a set of prepared quiz questions, general discussion questions, prompts, etc., much like those you would expect to arise during the lab session itself. Allow students 5\u201310 minutes to discuss in the moderated discussion, and then bring them back into the live lab session.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Students and professors alike should know just what to expect from a \u00adremote lab (the good, the bad\u00a0and the ugly).<\/p>\n When you have a clear idea of the purpose for the lab components you need to execute remotely, have trimmed it down to its essential elements that have to be included, and have explored what options may be available to lean on to accomplish this, you should reach out to our team of instructional designers.<\/p>\nStep 1:\u00a0Determine the purpose of your lab (the why)<\/h3>\n
Step 2:\u00a0Determine the best way for students to demonstrate the skill(s) or concept(s)<\/h3>\n
Step 3:\u00a0Inventory the resources you have on hand and determine what new resources you need<\/h3>\n
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Step 4:\u00a0Determine how you will teach the lab<\/h3>\n
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Step 5:\u00a0Communicate your new approach to students<\/h3>\n
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Step 6:\u00a0Contact your Instructional Designer<\/h3>\n
Adapted from https:\/\/keeplearning.umsystem.edu\/instructors\/adapting-lab-courses<\/em><\/h6>\n
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