Original research: the annual lab report

The Readiness Gap: What It Really Takes to Prepare Students for the Lab & Clinic

STEM lab enrollment is growing, led by pre-health students. But students aren't arriving prepared, and instructors are paying for it in lost lab time and heavier workloads.

The 2026 Annual Lab Report explores this readiness gap, covering:

  • Student readiness
  • Faculty strain and reteaching
  • Practice before the lab
  • Hands-on learning and simulation
  • Allied Health readiness
  • AI and academic integrity
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What's Inside the Annual Lab Report 

  1. Key findings from this year's report:

    • Labs keep growing: 80% of institutions report lab growth.
    • Students overestimate readiness: 88% feel confident, but instructors say only 44% can do the work unaided.
    • Reteaching eats lab time: 35% of instructors lose more than a quarter of it.
    • Students want practice: 91% say pre-lab simulations would help.
    • Hands-on still matters: 95% of administrators call it essential or valuable.
    • Allied Health is under pressure: 75% of institutions plan to expand programs.
    • AI policy lags concern: 96% of administrators worry about integrity, yet few have policies.

Together, data shows science education evolving faster than most institutions can support.

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What It Means for Science Education

The 2026 report points to a clear challenge for programs: how do you expand access to labs while making sure students arrive ready to learn and graduate ready to apply what they've learned?

It starts before the lab begins, with better preparation, meaningful opportunities to practice, and a thoughtful balance of virtual and hands-on experiences.

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Live Webinar!

The Readiness Gap: Insights from the Annual Lab Report

Join us October 22 for an in-depth look at what’s shaping the future of science education.

This summer, we surveyed more than 1,300 students, instructors, and administrators across U.S. colleges and universities for our 2026 Annual Lab Report. Join Dr. Cait Runne-Janczy, our Chief Academic Officer, as she walks through the findings and what they mean for your online, on-campus, and hybrid lab courses.

We’ll cover:

  • Key trends from the 2026 data, from enrollment growth to the student readiness gap
  • Why 81% of instructors lose lab time to reteaching, and how to win it back
  • How to balance hands-on and virtual lab components without losing rigor
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