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From campus to screen, and everywhere in between, people are choosing to learn, earn degrees, or further their careers in so many different ways.
Just ask the nearly 7 million students taking online courses—that’s about one third of the nearly 20 million college-level students in the U.S. (National Center for Education Statistics), who are choosing to learn at their own pace and in the ways that best suit them. That might mean students physically attend courses on campus—all the time, some of the time, none of the time, or some mix in between. Today’s students, including those taking science labs, are learning in a world more flexible than ever, and it’s up to you to figure out the most effective ways to teach those students so that every student experiences an engaging, authentic and high-quality lab.
What’s more, creating a consistent, high-quality experience across formats, whether online or in-person, matters. If students think they will only get a quality experience on campus, but can’t attend in-person, 32% won’t enroll at your institution while 30% won’t enroll at all! That means being able to support all students equally, from wherever they learn, makes your program more resilient and likely to grow.
A Widening Learning Gap
In addition to losing out on potential enrollment, an inconsistent learning experience across online or in-person formats would only widen the current learning gap. As many instructors will tell you, too many students currently lack necessary prerequisite knowledge, in part due to the learning loss resulting from the pandemic.
As one tenured faculty member shared in the 2024 Annual Lab Report, “Student preparedness is the biggest challenge I face in the classroom. Students are taking twice as long to complete a lab than pre-COVID students, but the labs are the same. Students are less prepared when they come to class and they are not doing the work before class. They come into a lab setting having no idea what they will be doing.”
“The reading and writing level of my post COVID-19 students is far below expectations. I feel support around writing and general communication is what is most missing.” -Physics faculty “The current cohort of students are the ones who came through the pandemic and so they are less prepared and less resilient than past students, and less prepared to take ownership of their learning.” -Biology faculty “I try to create clear grading rubrics before the semester and communicate them clearly with students to set their expectations. Constant reminders and monitoring along with pre-recorded pre-lab lectures and requiring students to write out lab procedures in notebooks before class are some of the ways I help prepare students.” -Chemistry faculty |
In fact, according to the report, 80% of campus faculty and deans/department chairs felt that student lack of preparedness and pre-requisite knowledge was a challenge, while more than half of students said they feel the same.
Lacking confidence and feeling under-prepared can directly impact student performance. Studies continue to show that learners with higher confidence are more willing to learn, challenge themselves, and have better resilience in the face of difficult challenges. Confidence is also a big factor in keeping learners engaged. By increasing confidence, you’re allowing the learner to believe they have the potential to achieve and reduce their fear of failing. Studies have shown that this motivates them to attend class regularly, have better focus, and complete coursework to the best of their ability.
Yet, with students taking labs in a variety of course formats—online, on-campus, hybrid, blended—there’s an increased probability that their experiences will vary, which could widen the learning gap. Creating consistency in what and how students learn in your course, regardless of how your course format, will work to narrow the learning gap, better prepare students, and enrich the overall learning experience for students.
How to Build a Consistent Lab Experience Across Formats
Achieving the same objectives. Instilling the same critical thinking and problem solving skills. Prioritizing student success. Whether you’re instructing from behind a screen or in front of a classroom, students want to come away from your course richer in ideas, skills, and knowledge.
A consistent learning experience, whether students learn fully online, fully in-person, or prefer a blend of both, is key to ensuring a level of equity in students’ experiences, improving accessibility, and as a result, extending the reach of science education beyond just those able to travel to campus.
“Online learning is very convenient for me as a single working mother.” -Full-time working student “There aren’t enough options for chemistry classes for students with full time work schedules. No night classes and no online classes available, and there’s a good chance I’d have to enroll elsewhere to complete the pre-reqs I am looking for.” -Part-time student “I enjoy in-person labs because I can get real time feedback and guidance from my instructor. It’s also good to be around other students. They ask questions you don’t think to ask, or you can assist someone with something you already understand. And having a teacher watch over you as you do the labs is a big support.” – Full-time student Source: 2024 Annual Lab Report |
Online courses shouldn’t be abridged versions of on-campus courses. Similarly, on-campus students should have opportunities to practice and reinforce learning outside the classroom. All students deserve high quality learning experiences that use many of the same strategies, no matter where they’re learning from, and it all starts with communication.
Communicate Expectations in the Same Ways
No matter how you’re delivering your course, providing clear expectations and guidance for how and when to complete course activities is important for every student. In fact, Cheston Saunders, a biology instructor at Southeastern Community College, says that anticipating student questions is crucial for his students’ success.
“I often have friends review assignment instructions to see if instructions are clear. It’s also helpful to include videos and images that walk students through what the equipment and chemicals are for each lab. Including instructor-produced videos also helps students realize that I’m invested in their success.”
In addition to these, set the stage for student success with the following:
- Reminders to students of how and where to find course material, and explain how that material aligns with the objectives of the course.
- Keeping due dates for important labs and assignments top of students’ minds and make sure a syllabus and online rubric tied to the course’s learning outcomes are highly visible.
- Providing resources experiments, including how long each may take
- Using tools to share ongoing feedback with students so they have an opportunity to improve for the next lesson.
Whether your course is online or in-person, you can use lab management tools that make providing that feedback easier. With tools like this, you can focus your time on giving quality ongoing feedback to help students improve, which is proven to motivate students to continue engaging in your course. As an added bonus, you can also leverage assessment analytics in those tools, which help you identify students who may be falling behind in certain areas—giving you the opportunity to provide another layer of guidance that gets them back on track.
Use Consistent Curriculum Across Formats
Just because you’re delivering your lab online doesn’t mean curriculum or learning objectives should be different. Focus on building course goals and learning objectives that can be done from anywhere, whether in a lab or at home. To do that, use high-quality curriculum that allows students to gain the knowledge and skills needed to achieve course competencies.
High-Quality Lab Curriculum Across 14 Disciplines Did you know Science Interactive’s 450+ hands-on labs & virtual simulations are all aligned to Quality Matters standards? In fact, all 14 of Science Interactive’s disciplines, including Anatomy & Physiology, Biology, Microbiology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physics, are certified by Quality Matters, which ensures that students have the highest quality lab experience possible with clear expectations, relevant content and interaction, and engaging activities. Lessons are developed by an in-house team of PhD scientists, use input from active faculty, and are reviewed by our instructional designers for quality, accuracy, repeatability, safety, and ADA compliance. |
Providing students with different ways to practice skills and engage with concepts throughout your course will more deeply engage them, as well as help them feel more confident and better prepared to apply what they’ve learned—setting them up for greater post-course success.
Hands-on Learning for ALL Students
Hands-on learning shouldn’t only be reserved for on-campus students. Having students to physically conduct experiments at home or in their local environment will result in a much more rigorous learning experience and help you mirror the quality and experience of on-campus students.
Studies continue to show that hands-on learning helps students engage better with material — gaining a deeper understanding of the concepts they are learning. Similarly, according to data from the 2024 Annual Lab report, 75% of instructors teaching an online course with hands-on labs said they felt that these labs were comparable to an in-person lab experience, a 12% increase from last year’s report. What’s more, 90% said these labs provided students with the knowledge and skills needed to apply their learning to the real world.
Still, other studies also demonstrate that using hands-on learning proves to be an effective way for instructors to bring the same level of quality and rigor to their courses. Researchers from the University of Chicago showed that college physics students who participated in hands-on labs performed better. Students were randomly assigned to either a physical action or observation role, similar to a simulation. Overall, the action group earned scores that were about 7% higher than the observation group, stressing the importance of instructional practices that physically engage students in the learning process. Further research out of Stephen F Austin State University shows that student participation in hands-on chemistry labs vs computer simulations only improved students’ attitudes and kept students more engaged.
What’s more, a student shouldn’t have to come on campus just so they earn credit to transfer. Incorporating a hands-on component helps ensure students can use your course for transfer credit. But we know what you might be thinking…tracking down materials or having students source materials is a heavy lift and would create inconsistency.
It doesn’t have to be that way. For example, Professor Jones at Aiken Technical College uses Science Interactive to remove the burden of sourcing materials for her pharmacy technician courses so that she can focus on the areas that will help drive better student outcomes: constructive feedback and student reflection.
Prior to Science Interactive, she would spend valuable time venturing to different places to track down materials. Sometimes she found materials. Sometimes not enough. Sometimes not all. When she did find all of the materials, it became costly and created budget concerns. When she didn’t, it created an inconsistent lab experience.
To remove these challenges, she selected hands-on experiments, kits and lessons from Science Interactive’s Pharmacy Technician offerings that are aligned with her course learning outcomes. This ensures her students can participate in the same kind of lab activities they’ll experience in a real pharmacy.
“They get real-world practice, and it shows them the possibilities of what they can do. For example, making a real ointment—that’s something they will really do in the future—and this works to get them excited and eager for the coursework and their future. The hands-on labs we do together create an enriching experience that demands a level of accountability and ownership over their learning, just as it would in a real pharmacy. ”
The best part of all…these kits can be used for online students or on-campus students, creating a consistent learning experience no matter how the course is delivered.
Support Throughout the Process “The Science Interactive team is highly reliable and consistently ensures that students receive their lab kits on time, without any delays. They are proactive in managing the logistics, tracking shipments, and addressing any potential issues promptly. This level of dedication helps students stay on track with their coursework, ensuring they can fully engage in the hands-on lab experience without interruptions.” -Dr. Effat Zeidan Hatoum, Associate Professor of Science and Mathematics, Biological Sciences at California Baptist University |
Virtual Learning for ALL Students
When used as the only lab modality in the course—meaning, in place of hands-on labs—virtual simulations prove ineffective. Relying on them as the sole form of learning in your online lab not only creates an inconsistent learning experience but could also continue to widen the learning gap.
Administrators, Instructors & Students Agree –> 60% of instructors said their students would have learned more if given the opportunity to do hands-on labs at home –> 42% of deans and department chairs rated virtual simulations as ineffective when used on their own –> 63% of students using virtual simulations said they would have felt more confident applying what they learned in the real-world if they had the opportunity to do hands-on labs at home |
One full-time student commented, “I took an online microbiology course and all of the labs were virtually simulated with no hands-on experiments. It was not very helpful. For my online chemistry class, I have a kit so I can do all the actual experiments at home. I actually find doing hands-on labs just as helpful, if not even more helpful, than in-person class labs.”
That’s why hands-on learning for both online and on-campus students remains paramount. That said, virtual simulations can prove to be an effective tool for supplementing student learning. In fact, 84% of students say that virtual simulations are a helpful resource for practicing and reinforcing key skills. As one full-time biology student shared as part of the Annual Lab Report, “Virtual simulations help me learn due to less fear of critical errors, and I can repeat experiments until I get it, which helps me learn better.”
Using Virtual Simulations in Online Labs to Reinforce Learning & Balance Costs
Virtual simulations provide a low stakes environment in which students can run a digital experiment as many times as needed to get the desired result. With each experiment, students can manipulate variables, run the experiment, and immediately see the results. With each run, students engage more deeply with the concept, which is helpful for struggling students or those who need to repeat activities for a deeper understanding, working to reinforce hands-on learning.
Virtual simulations also allow students to ‘conduct’ experiments on phenomena that would normally be unobservable or unsafe to observe. Simulations can portray abstract objects, such as light rays, that students cannot see in a physical lab. Representation of abstract objects helps students understand the lab’s content better, especially important for more complex abstract topics.
With virtual simulations, there is no need for equipment or materials. Students aren’t paying for the shipping costs or materials required for hands-on lab kits, which can help to balance costs.
Using Virtual Simulations as Pre-lab Preparation for On-Campus Labs
Similarly, you can use virtual labs with simulated experiments as pre-lab learning activities with your on-campus students. In fact, when we asked instructors what they do to help bridge the confidence and preparation gap in their on-campus lab courses, two-thirds said they use written pre-lab assignments as a way to better prepare students. Consider incorporating virtual simulations (trial experiments) into your pre-lab assignments as a way to increase effectiveness. Why? 83% of students said that a virtual pre-lab that included a review of lab procedures, summary of safety protocols as well as a simulation of a trial experiment would help them feel more prepared for an in-person lab.
Using trial experiments during pre-labs is a way to connect and emphasize to students that experimental science is the basis for the models they learn about in lecture. Like virtual simulations in an online lab course, these pre-labs give students an opportunity to repeat experiments in a low-stakes environment and more deeply engage with course material. Virtual pre-labs that include simulated trial experiments can:
- Train students in conducting experiments and addressing problems
- Save valuable lab time by introducing techniques, equipment/materials & safety protocols
- Reinforce theoretical concepts and hands-on learning
- Make students feel better prepared and more confident going into experiments
Students can go at their own pace and practice navigating problems and repeating the simulation as many times as needed—all before walking into the campus laboratory. They will feel more prepared and confident in their abilities when they enter your lab, having gone through a virtual simulation of the lab and seen safety measures and lab techniques in action—extremely valuable for non-majors or for those students taking a lab for the first time.
As Victor Chiericoni, a student at Community College of Baltimore County and aspiring surgical technician shared, “I found great value in doing both hands-on and virtual simulations as a part of my lab experience. The virtual labs reinforced my learning and gave me the chance to repeat and practice as needed, going at my own pace. The mix was engaging, and I was able to learn and retain more as a result.”
Foster Class Community & Provide Student Support
Finally, no student—online or on-campus—will be successful without community and support. While on-campus lab students are sure to experience a sense of class community and collaborate with a lab partner, online students shouldn’t have to go without.
When students feel they belong to a class community, they are more likely to be motivated to complete class work, feel safe enough to ask questions or for more help, and be open to feedback that can help them improve—improving their performance and overall learning. To enable this for online students, you can:
- Create online lab partner pairs, similar to lab partners in campus labs. Pair up students at the beginning of the course, so each student has built-in peer support and someone they can go to—besides you—to ask questions and share experiences. Encourage them to communicate via course chat, text, and video.
- Engage students in a course discussion about a particular lab as part of the class curriculum to help them not only improve their critical thinking skills but also encourages them to engage with others in the class in a meaningful way. Establish this conversation as a forum to connect with each without the pressure of a graded assignment.
- Create a Q&A board for the class so students can post questions and crowdsource responses.
- Host virtual office hours to make yourself available to students, especially important when you don’t see them face-to-face throughout the week. Virtual office hours can be as simple as web conferencing with an individual or small group of students. Or it could involve adding a chat for those students, who just want to have a brief connection.
- Send students off into their own small-group discussions to share their lab results for particular experiments on your course discussion boards; have them compare and contrast results and hypothesize why there might be differences.
Similarly, consider the importance of support for students on-campus as well. As one student points out, “Be sure to take into account the different ways you might support students. It is so helpful to have hands-on experiences, but we definitely need resources and your guidance to complete courses successfully.”
To ensure student success across online and on-campus labs, invest time in providing all of your students with additional support and guidance, using in-person or virtual office hours and taking advantage of the features in your lab management platform to record and upload videos & demonstrations, point them to help material, and more.
Instructors we surveyed as part of our Annual Lab Report said they use the following methods to provide students with more guidance and support:
- Office hours
- Closely monitoring students
- Using discussion boards so students can interact
- Providing additional material and pre-recorded videos
- Using virtual simulations and hands-on labs
Together, with clear communication, hands-on and virtual simulations as well as pre-lab activities, these tactics can help boost student performance and better prepare students—no matter where they’re learning from—for advanced coursework or to even pursue careers in the sciences. That’s the true power of a consistent learning experience.
A Rigorous, High-Quality Online or On-Campus Lab is within Reach
While there are certainly some unique challenges with delivering labs online, including ensuring student preparedness, quality, and rigor, as well as recreating hands-on lab work—a unique consideration many other disciplines don’t face—many programs have been able to deliver online labs successfully, using proven strategies that both expand access to their programs and ensure students receive the same quality education they would on campus.
Obviously, your on-campus students will have access to hands-on experiments. Don’t be afraid to assign them virtually simulated labs as pre-lab preparation. Similarly, don’t be afraid to give your online students the hands-on experience. With hands-on labs, your students will be able to more easily connect course concepts to the real world and gain a deeper understanding of the concepts you intend to teach. Similarly, incorporating virtual simulations can reinforce that hands-on learning, give students a chance to practice at their own pace—all of which leads to a more rigorous learning experience and a more equitable playing field.
The most successful instructors will be able to adapt to the way their students learn, introduce a variety of approaches throughout their course, and as a result, deliver an effective and meaningful experience from wherever students choose to learn.