10 Guiding principles for learning in the laboratory

Abstract

Laboratory work in chemistry has been extensively researched in the last decade but the gap between research and practice is still broad. This Perspective shares 10 guiding principles relating to university laboratory education, drawing on research over the last decade. Written with an audience of practitioners in mind, the Perspective aligns with Hounsell and Hounsell's congruence framework, so that the 10 principles consider all aspects of the laboratory curriculum: design, teaching approaches, and assessment approaches as suggested by Biggs, but additional contextual factors relating to teaching context: backgrounds of students and their support, and overall laboratory organisation and management. After discussing the rationale for each guiding principle, examples of approaches are given from recent literature along with prompts to help enact the guiding principle in practice.

Critiquing lab technique videos prior to class: can it improve demonstrated technique?

“…We found that using this pre-lab exercise alone was not enough to significantly improve the students' performance, despite their perception of the assignment as being useful towards their learning. Consistent with others reports (Seery et al, 2024) we found that a potential predictor of student success is access to an instructor who directly assists them with learning proper technique.…”

Mass Is Better than Light: Students’ Perception of Using Spectrophotometry and Gravimetric Analysis to Determine the Formula of a Hydrate in the General Chemistry Lab

“…54,56 This provides educators with the empirical evidence needed to make informed decisions rather than "gut instinct or personal experience" 61 about curriculum design called for in reforming general chemistry 62 and to "narrow the gap between research and practice" in the teaching lab. 63 ■ DESCRIPTION OF LABORATORY ACTIVITY This work was done within a general chemistry laboratory class at a large midwestern urban university serving a population with no majority ethnic or racial demographic. The laboratory is a two-credit, one-semester course taught independently of the introductory lecture course.…”

“…By analyzing undergraduate chemistry students’ written expressions through the lenses of meaningful learning and phenomenography, we present an outcome space that delineates students’ learning and their perceptions of spectrophotometry in the laboratory setting. These perceptions are grounded in students’ experience and are due to different patterns of awarenesshow individuals perceive and experience different components of the phenomenon. , This provides educators with the empirical evidence needed to make informed decisions rather than “gut instinct or personal experience” about curriculum design called for in reforming general chemistry and to “narrow the gap between research and practice” in the teaching lab …”

How to Write a Scientific Lab Report: A Short-Term Intervention for Improving Chemistry Writing Skills

“…Reducing cognitive load on these students will incentivize them to concentrate on applying new concepts in the lab at a critical point in their development . This type of intervention falls under the actions to take in alignment with the Guiding Principle 8 proposed by Seery et al…”