Converting an Environmental Sampling Methods Lecture/Laboratory Course into an Inquiry-Based Laboratory Experience during the Transition to Distance Learning

Abstract

In mid-March 2020, due to the novel coronavirus, my 300-level Environmental Sampling Methods lecture/laboratory course transitioned to distance learning. After this move, the primary focus of the course became the laboratory. To do this, I revised my three remaining laboratory exercises (i.e., water quality, soil quality, environmental microbes) and created two new ones (i.e., toxicology, ultraviolet radiation). For the students to complete the experiments, I shipped low-cost equipment and supplies to them; this shipment included Petri plates and sampling swabs, sterile water, a pH meter and associated calibration powders, a total dissolved solids meter, clay and sand samples, conical tubes, sampling baggies, cyanotype printing paper, and lettuce seeds. I justified this shift toward being primarily laboratory-focused by requiring all the experiments to become inquiry-based, increasing the rigor of the experiments but also keeping the students engaged by allowing them to design their own projects. To keep a sense of community within the class, discussion boards were utilized. To ensure a safe environment at home, each project required preapproval. The discussion below focuses on the details of how the course was modified, how the course was managed, some of the pitfalls I encountered, and how the students exceeded my expectations with the projects they created.

Designing a Remote, Synchronous, Hands-On General Chemistry Lab Course

“…This paper describes our effort to fit together a number of different “puzzle pieces” as we developed a lab kit in the summer of 2020 and adapted the general chemistry lab course for remote delivery in the fall semester of 2020. Many of the factors we had to consider, such as safety, equity in access to materials and supplies, engaging students, and motivating them to be accountable for their learning in a remote environment, were faced by other chemistry programs, as is well-described in the recent special issue of this Journal . − Our motivation for describing our approach and discussing the outcomes is to provide information that may be beneficial for anyone seeking to do something similar, if not now, then sometime in the future.…”

Virtual Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Bibliometric Review and Future Research Agenda

“…In laboratory-intensive courses, inquiry-based teaching has also gained traction among academics to alleviate the pitfalls of online education amid the pandemic. Mirowsky 78 shared his personal experience on how the instructor successfully transitioned the laboratory course to an inquiry-based distance learning course at home. All the experiments were inquirybased, and students were asked to design their projects.…”

Análisis de resultados tras la adaptación a modalidad online de una práctica de una asignatura de 1º del Máster Universitario en Ingeniería Industrial

“…Se ha encontrado alguna iniciativa en la que se adaptaron los experimentos para que los alumnos los realizaran individualmente en sus propias casas (Mirowsky, 2020); pero se trata de una estrategia excepcional en un caso de pocos estudiantes, que ya contaban con experiencia en el laboratorio, y de un tipo de experimentos que requerían un material de fácil adquisición y manejo.…”