Online or Face-to-Face Microbiology Laboratory Sessions? First Year Higher Education Student Perspectives and Preferences

Susan Salter,Christine Gardner

doi:10.4236/ce.2016.714189

Abstract

Reducing the number of face-to-face laboratory sessions and supplementing with virtual/online alternatives are critical to managing the combined pressures of increasing first-year student numbers and decreasing university budgets. Most of the research studies about online practicals are hypothesis generating rather than hypothesis testing thus only providing initial support and direction for the generation of pedagogically sound online laboratory teaching. This pilot study investigated the effectiveness of using a combination of online and face-to-face practical sessions to enable students in a Microbiology unit, offered to students completing several health science courses, to connect discipline-specific theory and practical application. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered using a paper-based questionnaire from 72 first-year students. Results showed that 65 percent of students preferred a combination of face-to-face and online sessions. Furthermore, determinants for engagement with online sessions varied with student gender.

Highlights

Decreasing university budgets and staff, and increasing student cohorts, have resulted in laboratory teachingHow to cite this paper: Salter, S., & Gardner, C. (2016)
In addition to the face-to-face laboratory sessions, the use of virtual practicals is appropriate for first-year microbiology students who are required to develop generic skills based on foundation microbiology curricula as opposed to subsequent years where more specialised laboratory techniques based on advanced theory are better handled in wet laboratories
Students spent from 0 - 180 minutes on each of the online sessions

Summary

Introduction

Decreasing university budgets and staff, and increasing student cohorts, have resulted in laboratory teachingHow to cite this paper: Salter, S., & Gardner, C. (2016). Online practicals have been trialled in a wide variety of specific science/biological disciplines including histology, microbiology, pharmacology and dentistry (Evans, Gibbons, Sha, & Griffin, 2004; Gilman, 2006; Sancho et al, 2006; Wahlgren, Edelbring, Fors, Hindbeck, & Stahle, 2006). These practicals have covered specific areas such as slide staining and interpretation (histology, microbiology) and occupational health and safety (dentistry). Studies of these trials typically have employed one-dimensional methodologies (Dee, Lehman, Consoer, Leaven, & Cohen, 2003). Many of these studies are hypothesis generating rather than hypothesis testing and, as such, provide initial support and direction for the generation of pedagogically sound and student-supported online laboratory teaching (Sunal, Sunal, Odell, & Sundberg, 2003)

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Conclusion