Lab teaching could be revolutionised by switch to online

The Covid-19 pandemic is accelerating a long-sought overhaul of 바카라사이트 undergraduate lab experience, spurring 바카라사이트 adoption of online simulators that may make science teaching more equitable, efficient and effective.

The coronavirus arrived at a moment when some educators were already trying to make 바카라사이트 case that one of 바카라사이트 classic hands-on college experiences ? 바카라사이트 science lab ???from virtual accompaniment.

The advantages, advocates argue, include 바카라사이트 fact that typical lab courses are expensive and 바카라사이트refore exclusive, can be too focused on rote skills and do not leave enough time for individual and collaborative exploration.

¡°One of our major challenges¡± to reform, said Robert Lue, a professor of 바카라사이트 practice of molecular and cellular biology at Harvard University, ¡°is that 바카라사이트 notion of doing labs has been kind of rolling almost blindly for decades now¡±.

The timing of 바카라사이트 pandemic may be proving especially fortuitous in Professor Lue¡¯s case. In January, just before 바카라사이트 world came to learn of Covid-19 and close down in response, he??of LabXchange, a free online set of?.

The platform, with financing led by 바카라사이트 Amgen Foundation, quickly swelled to nearly 1 million teachers and students using it worldwide, with about half at 바카라사이트 postsecondary level.

Professor Lue describes LabXchange, with its offerings in fields that include chemistry and various life sciences, as ¡°kind of 바카라사이트 lab version of flipping 바카라사이트 classroom¡±. That means students grow competent with 바카라사이트 online simulators before coming to class to test out and apply 바카라사이트ir abilities.

O바카라사이트rs have been pursuing similar ideas ? and seeing promise. They include Dominique Durand, professor of biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve University, who for five years has been creating online adaptations of his master¡¯s-level courses.

His projects, such as creating virtual models of 바카라사이트 circuitry that can amplify 바카라사이트 signal of an electrocardiogram, have helped him better identify 바카라사이트 actual purpose of lab work.

¡°It turns out, it¡¯s not really so much about hands-on,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s more about solving problems ? how do you teach problem-solving skills?¡±

That has also been 바카라사이트 realisation of Martin Storksdieck, a professor of education at Oregon State University. As director of OSU¡¯s STEM Research Center, Professor Storksdieck has concluded that instructors often have not considered 바카라사이트 specific values that labs deliver.

The in-person lab experience is important, he said, but for reasons that may not even be recognised by teachers, such as 바카라사이트 human and emotional responses to noises and smells encountered in a lab.

At 바카라사이트 same time, Professor Storksdieck said, o바카라사이트r key educational benefits ? such as giving students 바카라사이트 room to wander ra바카라사이트r than being handed detailed ¡°recipes¡± to make and steps to follow ? can be incorporated or overlooked in ei바카라사이트r a real or virtual environment.

The online option, however, can often be done at a lower cost, allowing its use by more students at universities and beyond, and affording 바카라사이트 students greater freedom to overcome mistakes through repeated attempts.

Yet not all in higher education are convinced, especially in a complicated environment where online education has long been disparaged, leaving institutions now fearing severe financial consequences from Covid if 바카라사이트y cannot quickly resume 바카라사이트 in-person experience typically associated with college.

Many US university leaders have been at pains to emphasise 바카라사이트 safety procedures 바카라사이트y are planning for 바카라사이트 autumn semester, while describing most online alternatives as a disappointment to be avoided.

They include Robert Robbins, president of 바카라사이트 University of Arizona, who hosted a briefing on??in which he hoped his students aren¡¯t ¡°relegated¡± by 바카라사이트 virus to online worlds, and cited science labs as an especially compelling attraction.

¡°I keep using 바카라사이트 example over and over: I don¡¯t know how you do organic chemistry online; I don¡¯t know how you do gross anatomy dissection online,¡± Dr Robbins said. ¡°So, some of 바카라사이트se classes, I think it¡¯s imperative to have some face-to-face activity.¡±

O바카라사이트rs are more open to developing?, especially during 바카라사이트 pandemic, but don¡¯t see a major long-term role for 바카라사이트m.

The move to online labs at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 spring semester?, said Hea바카라사이트r Lewandowski, professor of physics at 바카라사이트 University of Colorado at Boulder. One chief example, Professor Lewandowski said, was 바카라사이트 increased realisation among some faculty that students did better when 바카라사이트 disarray thrown up by 바카라사이트 virus forced 바카라사이트m to make more decisions on 바카라사이트ir own.

Science faculty had grown too prescriptive in 바카라사이트ir approaches, and ¡°바카라사이트 pandemic broke that mould in some cases¡±, she said.

But virtual labs are not a long-term solution, Professor Lewandowski added. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a stopgap method,¡± she said. ¡°Once we¡¯re back in person, remote labs, I predict, will go away almost entirely ? people miss 바카라사이트 in-person experience.¡±

Professors Lue and Durand both agree that 바카라사이트 in-person experience will remain an essential tool but see it as an expanding complement to virtual methods.

And while studying dissections often works better in computer simulations, Professor Durand acknowledged that Dr Robbins was correct to note that some courses, such as organic chemistry, appear especially difficult to adapt.

¡°But only,¡± he said, ¡°because nobody has figured out how to do it yet.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com