The Chemistry Teaching Laboratory: A Sensory Overload Vortex for Students and Instructors?

Abstract

Engaging in laboratory practical activities, developing laboratory practical skills, and, to a degree, even wearing laboratory protective equipment such as safety coats and goggles are all quintessential components of chemistry education. It is becoming quite common for institutions to invest in large-scale chemistry teaching laboratories, filling them with cutting-edge technology, chemicals and apparatus, digital learning tools and laboratory furniture. It is also becoming quite common for educators to develop and execute well considered, research-based approaches to learning and teaching in the laboratory. However, despite such grand and admirable commitments and ambitions, there seems to be little acknowledgment of just how difficult it can be for some to be a room that is so noisy, bright, odorous and surrounded by hazards, risks, chemicals, glassware, electricity, gas, naked flames, eye washes, body showers, fume hoodsthe list goes on. While sensory overload issues were once associated with psychiatric mental disorders such as Autism, Schizophrenia, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, it is now becoming known that anyone, regardless of whether they have a psychiatric mental disorder, can experience sensory issues for a variety of reasons. As such, while the chemistry teaching laboratory and all its sense-demanding intricacies might be manageable for some, for other students and instructors akin who experience sensory overload issues, it can be a most-unnerving environment to be in, let alone to think about chemical concepts. The purpose of this Article is to review literature on the concept of sensory overload, consider some research on sensory overload, and identify how this may implicate chemistry laboratory education.

10 Guiding principles for learning in the laboratory

“…As well as diversity in laboratory competencies based on prior experiences, there will likely be other diversities among student cohorts, and therefore laboratory work should be designed to ensure it is accessible to all students, and staff (Egambaram et al, 2022). Flaherty recently discussed sensory overload in laboratory environments (Flaherty, 2022), which highlights several considerations that could enhance the learning experience for neurodivergent students, but in fact offer good design principles for all students. This concept of universal design -preparing learning environments so that they are accessible to all students rather than the need to accommodate particular student needs on a case by case basis -is gaining substantial momentum and has previously been outlined for laboratory settings by Miller and Lang (2016).…”

Digital Technology Approach In Chemistry Education: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Sensory issues were once thought to be associated with psychiatric mental disorders like Schizophrenia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This article explores the literature on sensory overload and how this may affect chemistry laboratory education (Flaherty, 2022)…”

The Future of Laboratory Chemistry Learning and Teaching Must be Accessible

“… 31 However, experiences of laboratory-based teaching and the laboratories that they often take place in are not all positive or equitable. For example, with respect to neurodivergence, Flaherty highlighted that little consideration in chemistry education research and practice has been given to the impact of sensory overload experienced by many students and instructors in chemistry laboratories: “there seems to be little acknowledgment of just how difficult it can be for some to be in a room that is so noisy, bright, odorous and surrounded by hazards, risks, chemicals, glassware, electricity, gas, naked flames, eyewashes, body showers, fume hoods—the list goes on.” 32 In the laboratory, sensory overload can be caused by sensory inputs with little or no informational content, 33 such as noisy equipment, vibrations, bright and flickering lights, and chemical smells. Moving beyond sensory overload, Long and Kowalske reported that chemistry instructors “are not aware of the needs of D/HH [Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing] students, have limited experience with the D/HH community, feel unsupported in meeting the needs of D/HH students, and do not have or know how to access adequate resources to best support their D/HH students.” 34 In terms of physical disability, our focus group participants spoke about how narrow or cluttered hallways and doors that were not automated made it more challenging for them to move around safely if they were using walking aids or wheelchairs.…”