Insights Gained During COVID-19: Refocusing Laboratory Assessments Online

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has focused attention to online delivery of teaching and assessment within the higher education sector. This article will reflect on the laboratory assessment of chemistry to undergraduate students on a pharmaceutical science program in the UK. With students prohibited from accessing laboratory environments, associated assessments focused on the interpretation of data and simulating the experience of viewing data produced elsewhere. Aspects to promote the assessment of process skills were included, and it was found that the use of data sets for individual interpretation helped to mitigate “oversharing”. A purposeful community of inquiry requires further consideration to maximize opportunities for peer collaborative discussions that occur within the laboratory environment.

Implementation of Online Learning to Prepare the Youth Generation in the Disruptive Era

“…The Covid-19 pandemic has caused the largest educational disruption in history, having an almost universal impact on learners and teachers worldwide, from pre-primary to secondary schools, technical and vocational education and training institutions, universities, adult learning, and development skills. By mid-April 2020, 94 per cent of students worldwide were affected by the pandemic, representing 1.58 billion children and youth, from preprimary to higher education, in 200 countries (Fergus, Botha, & Scott, 2020).…”

Going virtual with practical chemistry amidst the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown: significance, constraints and implications for future

“…The inherent limitations in assessing practical chemistry via virtual tools and the difficulty to gauge the ensuing understanding of learners via online assessment tools had been prominently identified as the limiting factor in this regard (Fergus et al , 2020; Huang, 2020; Rodríguez-Rodríguez et al , 2020; Soares et al , 2020; Tran et al , 2020). In their recent study, Tran et al have identified (1) experimental implementation; (2) assessments and post-lab activities; (3) technological inequalities; and (4) synchronization of student attendance as the major challenges which academics would face in transitioning practical chemistry into an online mode (Tran et al , 2020).…”

Service-Learning for a Multiple Learning Modality Environment

“…Educators have reported the use of recorded videos, computer simulations, and live streaming as laboratory alternatives; however, all of these approaches have their limitations. 6,9,13,20 Service-learning activities can cover a plethora of chemical topics, laboratory skills, and soft skills. 7,21,22 The term soft skills refers to a set of attributes that allow a person to effectively work and interact with others.…”

“…The sudden change to socially distanced in-person, hybrid, and remote learning has been challenging for educators ranging from K–12 through higher education. , Fields of study, such as chemistry, which intimately integrate experiential learning into their curricula have been severely impacted by the pandemic. − The limitations of social distancing and hybrid and remote learning have forced educators to rethink their pedagogical approach. − One area in particular that has required educators to identify innovative pedagogical methods is the laboratory setting. − Instructors have explored a myriad of approaches, including using virtual chemistry laboratories (VCLs) . Other strategies that have been implemented include live streaming laboratories, virtual simulations, home chemistry kits, and laboratory videos. ,,, An alternative to these interventions, which has been implemented with success, is service-learning. , …”