Use of Lt Systems in Large Class Lab Delivery.

Abstract

The attainment of laboratory-based skills is essential for the development of all students who study the Life Sciences. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and Universities worldwide closed campuses, there was great uncertainty around how long people would have to work from home, leading to a real risk that students could miss out on obtaining laboratory practice for one or perhaps 2 years. It, therefore, became critical that processes were put in place that would allow students the opportunity to gain insight into what the laboratory environment is like, and to also gain experience in data collection, interpretation, and analysis. The adoption of Lt systems (a cloud-based learning platform for the Life Sciences) to create laboratory-based teaching allowed for these issues to be addressed. Detailed planning, teamwork and production of online lab sessions allowed for the creation of bespoke lessons that replicated as best as possible the 'face-to-face' experience. This was achieved by taking aspects of pre-existing labs, filming new material and utilising interactive data analysis tools in order to create online Lt labs that gave students a feel of what it would be like to be in a laboratory on campus. Lt systems also doubled as a revision tool to enhance student learning and ultimately allowed intended learning outcomes to be successfully met. The labs were well received by students and the online material meant that they could access content at a time convenient to them. This 'online anytime' possibility was crucial for such a large class (n=378) who were working from home in many different countries worldwide during a pandemic. Going forward, the online lessons built during the pandemic can be integrated with future face-to-face sessions to create a more enhanced learning experience for the student.