An Option of Hybrid Virtual Labs in an Introductory Biology Course as the Means for Accessible Learning and Enhancing Student Education

Abstract

Abstract

Affective Elements of the Student Experience That Contribute to Withdrawal Rates in the General Chemistry Sequence: A Multimethod Study

“…The authors hypothesized that these students may have struggled due to a lack of time available to devote to classes and proposed ideas such as subsidized on- or near-campus housing and offering additional on-campus jobs to maximize on-campus time for students. Another study has proposed at-home laboratory options as more accessible options for students with significant outside responsibilities.…”

A Simple At-Home Titration: Quantifying Citric Acid in Lemon Juice with Baking Soda and Mentos

“…Rapidly evolving technology, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic and social isolation measures, have also increased the need for at-home laboratory procedures that effectively teach students chemistry content and laboratory skills . In addition to such recent developments, at-home laboratory experiments better meet the needs of nontraditional students or those who work a significant number of hours, thereby expanding accessibility and promoting equity. , A recently published article found that students who commuted and/or were employed off-campus had lower success rates in introductory college chemistry courses and were less likely to utilize on-campus support services such as recitation sessions. These factors were also correlated with lower socioeconomic status and underserved student populations.…”

“…An additional drawback of the above approaches is that they were sometimes not assessed for accuracy, instead focusing on student perceptions. , In some cases, the analyte concentration values were compared to manufacturers’ values, which generally showed reasonable results with average percent errors of 5–20%. − Comparisons with manufacturers’ values provides a helpful comparison, but an ideal benchmark for an at-home experiment performed by undergraduates is comparison to typical results of a similar experiment performed in-person. Here, at-home titration (eq ) results are directly compared to the traditional in-person titration (eq ) (sodium hydroxide/phenolphthalein) performed by the same students.…”

Development of Gamified, Interactive, Low-Cost, Flexible Virtual Microbiology Labs That Promote Higher-Order Thinking during Pandemic Instruction

“…Studies have shown that virtual simulations had positive impacts on students’ retention of skills and broadened their comprehension of fundamental concepts ( 15 ). Data have shown that students perform similarly in introductory biology virtual labs and wet labs, scoring slightly higher in the virtual labs where at-home test-kits were employed, based on analysis of covariance of lab scores comparing F2F lab students with virtual lab students ( 16 ). Students also perceive the accessibility and usefulness of online labs as more convenient and just as effective as wet labs ( 17 ).…”

“…Students also perceive the accessibility and usefulness of online labs as more convenient and just as effective as wet labs ( 17 ). Virtual labs are safe, more cost effective, and portable, leading to an increased student preference for this mode of instructional delivery ( 16 , 17 ).…”