Student perceptions of instruction sheets in face-to-face and remotely-operated engineering laboratory learning

Abstract

The laboratory instruction sheet (sometimes called a laboratory manual), together with the equipment used by students, is an essential resource for laboratory work. It has a direct influence over all the interactions that can occur in the laboratory activity, of which studentequipment is the only common synchronous interaction in both face-to-face and remote-access laboratories. This article offers a student perspective on the function, utility, and importance of laboratory instruction sheets in Engineering along with their preferred design for both face-toface and remote modes. Both qualitative and quantitative investigations were made for studying students' perceptions. The laboratory sheet was found to be a contributing factor to student satisfaction for student-equipment interactions in face-to-face laboratories and important to students' experience in remote-access laboratories in giving them a feel of operating real equipment. Student responses indicated that the instruction sheet should meet different content requirements and emphases that depend upon the laboratory mode and different levels of student academic achievement.

Development of Hybrid Laboratory Sessions During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…For example, hands-on labs are efficient in developing design skills, while simulated labs enable performing experiments that otherwise would impose health and safety concerns (e.g., using high-power lasers). Finally, remote labs can offer a similar level of conceptual understanding as hands-on labs (Lal et al 2020;Herrington and Fields 2021;Niel, Mourey, and Bateman 2021;Wu et al 2020). Each laboratory type has its drawbacks, too.…”

“…Remote labs can also be used to advertise STEM education amongst high school students, deliver the curriculum to minorities or to students with motion disabilities (Carpenter et al 2017;Ari-Gur et al 2013). Remote labs, on the other hand, separate the instructor from the students, therefore, restricting the students from acquiring essential engineering laboratory skills (Lal et al 2020).…”

Introductory Physics Laboratory as an opportunity to promote students´ soft skills

“…This approach or design is relevant whenever one deals with complex experiments requiring re ned technical skills, for example, to operate an electronic microscope, a cryogenic station, a material testing cell, an electrical power distribution control station, among other examples. For these sorts of experiments, remote laboratories, even those assisted by augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), or virtual laboratories reinforced with simulators, can restrict the development of those re ned skills (Lal et al 2020). In these cases, experience in real physical laboratories can be very important.…”

Assessing the Effect of Laboratory Activities on Core Curricular Units of an Engineering Master’s Program: A Multivariate Analysis

“…Laboratory training is fundamental in engineering education [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10], but understanding how the experimental activities contribute to meaningful learning and to achieve the goals established for a specific curricular unit (CU) is challenging [11][12][13][14]. Researchers often classify the educational engineering laboratories as follows: (i) hands-on with real equipment; (ii) simulated or virtual; and (iii) remote [15][16][17][18][19].…”