#DryLabs20: A New Global Collaborative Network to Consider and Address the Challenges of Laboratory Teaching with the Challenges of COVID-19

Abstract

Since the sudden emergence of COVID-19 global pandemic, all educational institutions have looked to move resources and delivery online. Some institutions had already embraced delivering instruction in this way, however, broader adaptation to this teaching style is new to many educators.While the teaching of theoretical concepts is more easily transferred to a blended learning environment, the teaching of practical chemistry poses significant challenges, yet it is crucial to the chemist's identity.Here we describe the establishment of a new, international, network to consider how practical chemistry can be taught outside of the traditional laboratory environment and invite readers of this special edition of the journal to join. Meeting fortnightly and maintaining links through a shared networked drive between meetings, the network has been accessed by over 100 delegates in the UK, mainland Europe, North America and Australasia. The traditional siloes of chemistry have not defined the discussions, which have instead focused on logistical aspects such as social distancing and the pastoral role of the laboratory environment. Initial evaluation shows the network is valued by its members and is making progress towards its aims.

Impact of COVID-19 Curricular Shifts on Learning Gains on the Microbiology for Health Sciences Concept Inventory

“…The results of our survey of MHSCI users and student outcomes suggest that students’ success is statistically similar with the shift to online lecture and lab compared with face-to-face and hybrid modalities prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. These results are consistent with previous pre-COVID-19 studies that showed no statistically significant differences in student success in fully online courses compared with face-to-face courses ( 9 – 11 ). However, further research and monitoring of student outcomes on the MHSCI will add greater depth to the insights gained from this brief analysis.…”

“…One study indicated that there was no difference in postgraduate degree programs among students in online upper-division life sciences courses compared with students in face-to-face modalities ( 10 ). With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and, for many institutions, the necessity of moving both lecture and lab course components to an online environment due to quarantine, concerns were expressed in the science education community about the impact on postsecondary science lecture and lab courses ( 11 ). Many science educators opted to shift to an entirely online modality for laboratory exercises ( 12 , 13 ).…”

Taking practical learning in STEM education home: Examples from do‐it‐yourself experiments in plant biology

“…Knowing the benefits of student engagement and hands‐on experiments it is very unfortunate that practical activities are currently facing several challenges. All over the world, there are less practical in‐person learning activities for undergraduate students because of one or more of these challenges; budget cuts (Baker & Verran, 2004; Hearing & Lu, 2014), increased use of technology (Jones, 2018), and the largest, most acute challenge; the ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic (Campbell et al., 2020; Sahu, 2020). During the COVID‐19 pandemic many universities all over the world were, and still are, faced with closed facilities (Bao, 2020; Sahu, 2020).…”

“…During the COVID‐19 pandemic many universities all over the world were, and still are, faced with closed facilities (Bao, 2020; Sahu, 2020). Practical teaching had to be re‐designed to fit off‐campus teaching which had consequences for many important educational platforms in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines, such as laboratory training (Campbell et al., 2020; Noel et al., 2020), clinical laboratories (Cai et al., 2020; Franchi, 2020), and field courses (Barton, 2020; Creech & Shriner, 2020).…”

Reimagining laboratory‐based immunology education in the time of COVID‐19

“…As SARS-CoV-2 swept across the globe, educators were required to move teaching online at short notice, in what became known as emergency remote teaching [1]. While some elements of education were relatively straightforward to address, such as providing live online lectures or recordings to replicate face-to-face (F2F) sessions, others, particularly practical classes, have been far more problematic in the new blended learning model [2]. Over a year later, uncertainty remains over when students will be allowed back into the teaching laboratory.…”