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Online Education Committee, Parkland College, IL Heidi Leuszler - Biology Toni Burkhalter - Kinesiology Dave Wilson – Chemistry / Forensics Brett Coup – Distance and Virtual Learning. Labs, Logistics and Loopholes in Online Science Education.
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Online Education Committee, Parkland College, IL Heidi Leuszler - Biology Toni Burkhalter - Kinesiology Dave Wilson – Chemistry / Forensics Brett Coup – Distance and Virtual Learning Labs, Logistics and Loopholes in Online Science Education
Labs, Logistics and Loopholes in Online Science Education • Parkland College faculty will host a one-hour webinar focusing challenges unique to online science education as well as issues that all online courses face. Lab topics such as lab kits, critical thinking dry-lab questions, and photo journaling will be discussed. Next, the webinar will investigate the logistics of setting up an interactive and engaging online class with appropriate assessments. And lastly, loopholes the faculty experienced will be touched upon while providing possible remedies. It should provide helpful hints to new online educators as well as more experienced faculty.
OUTLINE: • Parkland College • Why online lab classes? • Online lab diversity • Lab kits • Photo journaling • Physics online laboratory activities • Kinesiology lab development • Designing an engaging online course • Loopholes / problems and possible remedies • Discussion
Parkland CollegeA community college • Founded 1967 • delivered vocational-technical and academic instruction to over 210,000 people • 54 communities in the district • 100 degree and certificate programs designed for career and job placement or for transfer to programs at four-year institutions • approximately 18,000 students enrolled / yr
Why online lab classes?Rationale behind online lab classes • Why fully online course? • Delivery system changes to meet student needs • On campus • Telecourse • Accelerated • Learning community • Hybrid or blended • Honors • Fully online • Meet needs of diverse student body • Shrinking budgets (but not quality) • Shrinking lab space, but desire to grow enrollment Labs on campus
Labs • What is a lab? • Most agree: • Hands-on • Student-centered learning • Mimics or teaches process of science • May serve a variety of roles
Johnstone & Al-Shuaili, 2001, Hofstein & Lunetta, 2004, Ma & Nickerson, 2006 , Dickerman, 2000
How can we do these things when students do not meet us in the classroom?!? Johnstone & Al-Shuaili, 2001, Hofstein & Lunetta, 2004, Ma & Nickerson, 2006 , Dickerman, 2000
Key Point • There is no “best practice”; each solution is best for the unique situation and course
Role of Teacher Saya, Japan’s First Robot Teacher • Must an instructor be present for a lab to occur? “Yes” (n=40), “No” (n=11), “Sometimes” (n=25)
Safety • Directions • Liability • MSDS sheets • Choice of materials • Explain to students
Expectations • What do you expect of the students? • Time on task & devotion • Online Learning Packet • What should the students expect of you? • Availability, online office hours, grading • Assignments should match expectations
Make a Community • Lab partners are important in the classroom • Peer-peer interaction • Student-teacher interaction • Group work
Instructions for labs • Design consistent • Black text on white background • Few pictures • Amazingly clear & extremely concise • Must match kit exactly • Lab summaries up front • Assignment box at end • Many bullets and space • File format
Questions that arise with online labs • How will you make the students accountable without overburdening them? • How will you determine if online students are meeting your aims and objectives? • How will you compare delivery modes? • Embedded assessment • Work in progress
Online lab diversity • Lab kits • Photo journaling • Physics online laboratory activities • Kinesiology lab development
Specialized EquipmentBiology and Chemistry • Needed physical lab supplies • Students could not obtain own materials • Packed own kits (4 sem) • Few materials • Low professionalism • Managing inventory • Liability • Time and financial constraints • Commercial custom kits
Photo Journaling How do we ensure students are doing the labs? • Data collection • Lab Quizzes • Peer interaction/ critiques • Unknowns in kit • Photos- Shutterfly (show)
Physics online lab simulations • “Online sections exclusively use these lab simulations, but I also use them from time to time in my traditional sections. They also work great as make up labs, when students miss a lab and the setup has already been taken down.” • Curtis Shoaf • Parkland College • Associate Professor, Physics
Kinesiology lab development • Human Movement • Exercise Physiology • Supplies needed • HR monitor • Flip camera (video) • Pedometer • Measuring tape • Scale
Example video for “making an exercise video” lab • Planes • Axis • Joints involved • Muscles involved • Movement
Quality in all Delivery Modes “The questions are, What do they need to know? And Did they learn it? I'm as confident of my online students as I am of my on campus students.”Robert L. LeopardInstructor of Biology, Anatomy and PhysiologyMonroe Community College