The trepidatious return to in‐person instruction during the COVID‐19 pandemic: valuable lessons applied from online teaching using Lt in the face‐to‐face classroom

Abstract

The speed at which educators have embraced new technologies during the COVID‐19 pandemic has been remarkable. This pivot to virtual instruction has been particularly difficult in courses where hands‐on experiences are the norm, such as in anatomy and physiology laboratory courses. Now with the transition back to mostly in‐person instruction, the anatomy and physiology lab environment has faced a new set of challenges where the want to return to a strictly hands‐on experience is being met with the need to still maintain flexibility and accessibility for students placed in quarantine. The anatomy and physiology lab curriculum at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) has adapted to this varied set of needs by adopting the use of the web‐based laboratory software platform, Lt. Students surveyed during strictly virtual semesters reported a high level of satisfaction with the Lt lab software. Ratings regarding ease of use, support of learning, and overall ratings increased each semester with the highest ratings occurring during the most recent Fall 2021 semester where instruction was mostly in‐person and hands‐on. This helps to support the widely held belief that students perform best, and that instruction is more effective with face‐to‐face laboratory courses. With our continued use of Lt, we have found an effective combination of virtual and in‐person instruction that best fits our course outcomes while still supporting the flexibility and accessibility our students require.