Learning lab skills online: Lessons from implementing video‐based instruction for a remote biotechnology lab

Abstract

The COVID‐19 pandemic forced many courses to move online, presenting a particular challenge for hands‐on laboratory courses. One such course in our Biotechnology track is an advanced Protein Interactions lecture/laboratory course. This 8‐week course typically meets for 5 h a week in the laboratory space. For the Fall 2020 version of the course, first‐person videos were produced for each of the laboratory experiments, and the corresponding experimental data produced by students in previous semesters were provided for the current students to analyze in their electronic lab notebooks and lab reports. Student perspectives and assessments were collected on course participants from Fall 2019 (in‐person laboratories) and Fall 2020 (online laboratories) to compare experiences and outcomes. Analysis of the data shows that the online students appreciated the videos and gained self‐confidence in the procedures, but maintained more misconceptions about the material. In addition to being unable to perform the hands‐on experiments, other factors such as anxiety could also be interfering with the learning process under the pandemic conditions. The implementation process for the remote labs, student reactions, and lessons learned are discussed.

Transforming Experimental Teaching of Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer Courses Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Moreover, these materials were produced by the teaching staff, not by film professionals, thus the quality of recordings has room for improvement. Despite all these drawbacks, this type of video is reported to be highly appreciated by the students [19,32], especially when the issues are followed by a set of data obtained by other classmates.…”

“…This way, the experimental setup is familiar to the students when they access the pilot plant. Nevertheless, it is possible that they hold misconceptions about material or equipment if the quality of videos is poor [19]. In relation to the change from the written exam to the online multiple-choice test, this allowed a reduction in the exam time, despite the increase in the number of questions, with the consequent increase in the lab time (30 min).…”

“…In general, the online teaching equivalents are usually easier to scale up to large classes than the on-site courses because they are free of physical space restrictions, there are no scheduling limitations and students have flexible time to work. Likewise, while online students may not be able to gain specific technical skills, which can only be acquired by performing experiments in the laboratory, they can still gain other valuable pedagogical competencies, such as the capacity to collect data over multiple days, to analyze results, to realize their mistakes, to make experimental adjustments, and to design experimental strategies [19].…”