In-person Laboratory Research Articles

Implementing an interactive online platform in a large undergraduate general chemistry course and its impact on student learning and perceptions

The rise of technology and online approaches has challenged the traditional learning and teaching model for first year chemistry of formal face-to-face lectures and in-person laboratory sessions. The COVID-19 pandemic since 2020 has created a rapidly changing environment in assessment and learning experiences for students and led to rapid adoption of online technology within chemistry courses. This study, during 2019–2021, examined the implementation of an active learning platform in a large undergraduate chemistry course. This study was informed by constructivist theories of learning and of relevance was the 5E framework, with learning phases of engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate. A combination of post-survey data and coursework data were analysed. Post-survey results indicated that students positively perceived that the interactive online platform helped them to learn. User statistics data for learning and self-assessment activities affirmed that students gave priority to the self-paced interactive online approach, in preference to conventional social learning activities. Modernization of delivery of the curriculum to replace unstructured independent private study with structured learning and revision activities was of greatest benefit to student learning for lower performing students that were typically mature age students, with significant differences observed for online quiz and final exam results for this cohort of students. Overall, student learning was supported with the introduction of digital technologies in the course. The findings revealed that the self-paced learning activities for chemistry, delivered with an interactive online platform, combined with conventional learning activities can be effective in creating a culture of learning in students and maintaining academic outcomes.

Students’ perspectives and experiences with equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in online and in-person undergraduate science laboratory courses

Inclusive education strengthens the capacity of academic systems and addresses the needs of all learners. Although colleges and universities are embracing diversity and introducing inclusive principles into higher education policies and practices, there is scarcity in research exploring undergraduate university students’ participation and engagement in science laboratories, especially among underrepresented and equity-deserving groups. Accordingly, this study explores students’ perspectives on undergraduate laboratory courses and investigates best practices for creating equitable and accessible laboratory environments, both in-person and online. This study addresses the following research questions: 1) How accessible are online and in-person undergraduate laboratory courses to students? 2) What equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) barriers exist in laboratory courses? and 3) What support structures are recommended to ensure inclusion of all students in laboratory courses? A mixed methods design was employed to gather data using an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with 58 students in undergraduate laboratory science courses from diverse cultural, ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds at a Canadian university. Findings highlight that students considered online labs to be flexible, convenient, self-paced, relaxed, and inclusive with respect to aspects involving physical disabilities and language barriers. In-person labs were deemed fast-paced, yet valuable for technical skills and inclusive considering elements pertaining to collaboration, academic support, and communication with peers and faculty members. Students highlighted the following as common inclusion barriers in both online and in-person delivery formats: accessibility (physical and language), financial, and stereotypical barriers. Recommendations for improving lab accessibility were also included. This research has significant implications for the design of laboratory courses and other experiential learning environments in higher education, particularly considering recent transitions and modifications in education. This paper will discuss implications related to the following sub-themes in the special issue: instructors’ professional development, digital education, and quality enhancement.

REMOTE ASSESSMENTS OF EMOTIONAL FUNCTIONING FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DEMENTIA AND THEIR CAREGIVERS

Abstract Emotional impairments are a common symptom of neurodegenerative disorders that can be devastating for persons with the dementia (PWDs) and family members who provide care (i.e., caregivers). Emotional functioning can be well characterized and quantified using laboratory assessments of behavioral, physiological, and self-reported responses to emotional stimuli. However, continuous declines in functioning make it especially difficult for PWDs and caregivers to visit a research laboratory repeatedly over time. In order to understand changes in emotional functioning across time and their impact on PWDs and caregivers longitudinally, there is a need for technology to support remote assessments of emotional functioning. We developed a portable version of laboratory assessments—Laboratory in a Suitcase Assessment (LISA)—to collect data from PWDs and their caregivers remotely in their homes. In a shippable suitcase, LISA provides the necessary equipment for: (a) presenting emotional stimuli via laptop screen and headphones; (b) obtaining audio and video recordings of participants’ behavior; (c) obtaining continuous ratings of emotional experience via a rating dial; (d) measuring cardiovascular, electrodermal, and somatic responses from PWDs and caregivers via wearable devices; (e) synchronizing behavior and physiology; and (f) maintaining two-way communication with participants via Zoom. We present high quality physiological, behavioral, and self-report data collected using LISA with 17 PWD-caregiver dyads. Data collected with LISA are comparable to data collected in the laboratory, indicating that LISA could enable researchers to continue data collection further into the course of disease when travel to in-person laboratory sessions would no longer be feasible.

Impact of transition to a hybrid model of biochemistry course-based undergraduate research experience during the COVID-19 pandemic on student science self-efficacy and conceptual knowledge

The COVID-19 outbreak has had a significant impact on higher education worldwide. In-person courses had to be quickly transited to online, including lab courses embedded with Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs). In response to this challenge, we successfully converted a fully in-person biochemistry lab that integrated with a 6-week modular CURE (mCURE) into a hybrid CURE (hCURE) in Fall 2020, with support from the Malate dehydrogenase CUREs Community. The hCURE was structured to have in-person labs and online activities arranged on an alternating weekly basis, so that only half of the regular class size of students attended the hands-on labs at any given time to maintain proper social distancing. To evaluate the efficacy of the hCURE, student science self-efficacy and conceptual understanding of protein structure–function relationships were measured using pre-course and post-course surveys and tests, respectively. Our data showed a significant increase in student science self-efficacy and conceptual knowledge test scores. Furthermore, we compared the pre-lab quiz scores that assessed various biochemical concepts and skills across three different semesters, Fall 2019 with a fully in-person mCURE before the pandemic, Fall 2020 with the hCURE implemented during the pandemic, and Fall 2021 when the lab returned to the fully in-person mCURE following the pandemic. A significant decline in quiz scores from Fall 2019 to Fall 2020, and an even further decline from Fall 2019 to Fall 2021 were observed, suggesting that apart from the impact of course modality, the pandemic may have exerted a lasting adverse effect on student learning.

The impact of an online physics lab on university students' self-efficacy and understanding of thermal concepts during COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 has caused widespread disruption, necessitating tough decisions for global economy and services, including one of the central social pillars, education. As in the rest of the world, Greek universities transformed and adapted their educational services to continue to operate during the pandemic. This article presents how a series of a physics laboratory work for thermal concepts was conducted to evaluate its effectiveness on students’ understanding and its impact on their self-efficacy beliefs. The results showed that the post-test performance on students’ understanding of thermal concepts and their self-efficacy beliefs levels toward physics teaching were higher than pre-test performance but still moderate. A critical challenge was to maintain the experiential consistency with the in-person laboratory classes of all the previous academic years and the promotion of group work of students.

Sex differences in endocannabinoid tone in a pilot study of cannabis use disorder and acute cannabis abstinence.

Cannabis use disorder (CUD) presents differently in men and women, particularly in symptoms of cannabis withdrawal. Novel pharmacotherapeutic interventions for CUD, such as those that target the endocannabinoid (eCB) system, must be developed in a manner consistent with these sex differences. The present pilot study sought to prospectively assess sex differences in cannabis withdrawal in a small sample of adults with moderate-to-severe CUD and to determine if withdrawal was associated with peripheral eCB and eCB congener tone. Men and women (n= 5/sex) completed 2 weeks of study participation separated by 1 month; in the latter week, participants abstained from cannabis use. Each week, participants attended in-person laboratory visits during which blood was drawn repeatedly to assess plasma eCB and eCB congener tone. Participants also completed multiple daily ambulatory assessments to assess cannabis use and withdrawal symptoms. As anticipated, women reported a greater increase in withdrawal symptoms during the abstinent week [Δ = 9.4 (SE = 1.1); p<0.001] than men [Δ = 1.2 (SE = 1.2); p=0.35]. Sex differences in levels of the eCB N-arachidonoylethanolamide (AEA), as well as the eCB congeners stearoylethanolamide (SEA) and linoleylethanolamide (LEA), were evident during abstinence at the morning time point only (p's <0.05). LEA was associated with withdrawal symptom expression in both sexes [β = 0.16 (SE = 0.09)] and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) [β = 0.22 (SE = 0.13)] and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) [β = 0.32 (SE = 0.15)] were associated with withdrawal symptoms in women only. Pharmacotherapeutic development for CUD should consider evident sex differences in eCB and eCB congener tone during abstinence and their associations with cannabis withdrawal, as eCB-based interventions may produce differential effects by sex.

Transitioning Lab Courses to Online Platforms by Higher Education Institutions during COVID-19: Strategies, Learning Outcomes, Perceptions, and Challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic forced universities to shift their in-person lab courses to remote delivery, which presented several challenges for instructors and students. This article analyzed 33 peer-reviewed research articles to identify the various approaches taken by universities to migrate lab courses to remote platforms, as well as the difficulties encountered during the transition. The review revealed that technology and internet issues, workload constraints, academic integrity, and the overall educational experience were among the challenges faced. The authenticity and completeness of online labs were inferior to in-person labs, resulting in mixed opinions on the effectiveness of online labs. Students found labs that incorporated video recordings and simulations on a synchronous platform to be the most engaging. However, home labs provided limited hands-on experience, depending on the circumstances. Further research is required to investigate the cognitive, physical, and temporal demands posed by these technologies to develop a more compelling online lab experience.

Online laboratory practices and assessment using training and learning activities as teaching methodologies adapted to remote learning. Student satisfaction and improved academic performance

This article presents new teaching methodologies implemented in subjects in the Ground Engineering Area. Specifically, it focuses on a series of activities carried out due to the appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in restrictions on class attendance. The new teaching methodologies brought about substantial changes in the way students learn and are assessed. For the practice sessions, a series of videos were prepared so students could attend and take part in the laboratory practices remotely. As regards the final theory exam, a comprehensive multiple-choice question bank was made available to students prior to the exam to consolidate the concepts seen in the master classes, which we call training and learning. We evaluated the impact of these new methodologies, implemented during two academic years, through the analysis of voluntary and anonymous student surveys and a series of indicators related to the results of the final exams. After analyzing the impact of the new teaching methodologies, we conclude that students are positive about the video experience for laboratory practices, but only as a complementary activity to in-person laboratory sessions. The students also stated that they would like the multiple-choice question bank to continue to be available in successive academic years. Improvements in the final grades of the theory exams demonstrate the success of this new teaching methodology.

Measuring Shyness in Children Online

During the pandemic, developmental psychology research labs had to adapt to virtual testing methods. Many labs continue to conduct online studies even as restrictions have been lifted, as these methods extend the geographical range of participating families. However, online testing methods cannot always match in-person procedures. For example, psychologists often measure behaviours that indicate shyness in children during in-person laboratory visits that include contexts such as giving a public speech or interacting with confederates. To adapt this method to a virtual environment, Dr. MacGowan has recently innovated a new procedure for studying shyness within an online, synchronous testing session.&#x0D; Dr. MacGowan's ongoing eProsocial study evaluates children’s behavioral shyness during synchronous sessions on Zoom. This is accomplished by having an experimenter posed as a child confederate named “Sam” log on with a gender-matched profile picture of a child; participants are told that Sam is the next child scheduled for a testing session. The lead experimenter leaves the participant to “chat” with Sam and the disguised researcher uses 7 pre-recorded audio clips of a real child’s voice to facilitate conversations with the participant (e.g., “What grade are you in?”). When the lead experimenter returns, they perform a manipulation check to gauge if the child is suspicious of Sam’s existence by asking “What did you think of Sam?”.&#x0D; A total of 194 sessions have been conducted to date, and only one participant has indicated doubt in the existence of Sam during manipulation checks. These results exhibit initial construct validity. To further examine validity, research assistants will code shyness behaviours, such as latency to respond, and compare this data to caregiver shyness reports. Dr MacGowan’s approach to measuring shyness in an online setting is promising, and other developmental researchers should consider replicating this paradigm in future studies.

Impact of gross anatomy laboratory on student written examination performance: A 3-year study of a large-enrollment undergraduate anatomy course.

The efficacy of the various pedagogies that are used in human anatomy laboratories has been extensively debated. Nevertheless, an important question remains relatively unexamined-how the learning experience in the anatomy laboratory impacts students' mastery and application of anatomical knowledge beyond the laboratory setting. In this study, the effect of a prosection-based anatomy laboratory on overall comprehension and mastery of anatomical knowledge was evaluated in an upper division undergraduate anatomy curriculum that consists of a mandatory lecture course and an optional laboratory course. This flexible curricular structure permitted assessing the merit of laboratory learning on the written examination performance of the lecture course. In 2019 and 2022, the anatomy laboratory was taught in-person using prosections, while in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic related regulations, it was taught remotely with live-streaming of prosections using document cameras. In both in-person and remote instructive formats, written examination scores of the lecture course were compared between two cohorts of students: Those enrolled in lecture only and those enrolled in both lecture and laboratory. Results showed that the cohort enrolled in both lecture and laboratory courses consistently outperformed the lecture-only cohort by one full letter grade. Furthermore, when the degrees of improvement on written examination scores were compared between the two instructive formats, in-person laboratory had a greater increase compared to remote laboratory. Altogether this study demonstrates that the prosection-based anatomy laboratory enhances students' mastery of anatomical knowledge beyond the laboratory setting by promoting comprehension of spatial relationships of anatomical structures.

Comparing data quality from an online and in-person lab sample on dynamic theory of mind tasks.

Nearly half the published research in psychology is conducted with online samples, but the preponderance of these studies rely primarily on self-report measures. The current study validated data quality from an online sample on a novel, dynamic task by comparing performance between an in-lab and online sample on two dynamic measures of theory of mind-the ability to infer others' mental states. Theory of mind is a cognitively complex construct that has been widely studied across multiple domains of psychology. One task was based on the show The Office®, and has been previously validated by the authors with in-lab samples. The second was a novel task based on the show Nathan for You®, which was selected to account for familiarity effects associated with The Office. Both tasks measured various dimensions of theory of mind (inferring beliefs, understanding motivations, detecting deception, identifying faux pas, and understanding emotions). The in-person lab samples (N = 144 and 177, respectively) completed the tasks between-subject, whereas the online sample (N = 347 from Prolific Academic) completed them within-subject, with order counterbalanced. The online sample's performance across both tasks was reliable (Cronbach's α = .66). For The Office, the in-person sample outperformed the online sample on some types of theory of mind, but this was driven by their greater familiarity with the show. Indeed, for the relatively unfamiliar show Nathan for You, performance did not differ between the two samples. Together, these results suggest that crowdsourcing platforms elicit reliable performance on novel, dynamic, complex tasks.

Combining iCn3D and NextStrain to create a novel undergraduate research experience around SARS-CoV-2 variants and commercial antibodies.

Undergraduate research experiences are increasingly important in biology education with efforts underway to provide more projects by embedded them in a course. The shift to online learning at the beginning of the pandemic presented a challenge. How could biology instructors provide research experiences to students who were unable to attend in-person labs? During the 2021 ISMB (Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology) iCn3D Hackathon-Collaborative Tools for Protein Analysis-we learned about new capabilities in iCn3D for analyzing the interactions between amino acids in the paratopes of antibodies with amino acids in the epitopes of antigens and predicting the effects of mutations on binding. Additionally, new sequence alignment tools in iCn3D support aligning protein sequences with sequences in structure models. We used these methods to create a new undergraduate research project, that students could perform online as part of a course, by combining the use of new features in iCn3D with analysis tools in NextStrain, and a data set of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. We present results from an example project to illustrate how students would investigate the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 variants escaping from commercial antibodies and use chemical interaction data to support their hypotheses. We also demonstrate that online tools (iCn3D, NextStrain, and the NCBI databases) can be used to carry out the necessary steps and that this work satisfies the requirements for course-based undergraduate research. This project reinforces major concepts in undergraduate biology-evolution and the relationship between the sequence of a protein, its three-dimensional structure, and its function.

An Acoustic Analysis and Comparison between Remotely Collected and In-Person Laboratory Collected Data in Vocal Imitation of Pitch

ABSTRACT Restrictions on face-to-face interactions due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) in early 2020 have impacted experimental behavioral research. The rapid change from in-person to online data collections has been challenging in many behavioral studies, especially those that require vocal production, and the quality of the remotely collected data needs to be investigated. The current study examines the recording quality and corresponding measures of vocal production accuracy in online and in-person settings using two measurements: harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR) and fundamental frequency, f 0. Participants imitated pitch patterns extracted from recordings of song or speech, either in a laboratory or via an online platform. The results showed that the recordings from the online setting had higher HNR than those from the in-person setting, whereas the pitch imitation accuracy in both settings did not differ. We also report an experiment that simulated differences between the online and in-person settings within participants, focusing on software used, type of microphone, and presence of ambient noise. Pitch accuracy did not differ according to these variables, except ambient noise, whereas HNR again varied across conditions. Based on these results we conclude that measures of pitch accuracy are reliable across these different types of data collection, whereas finer-grained spectral measures like HNR might be affected by various factors.

Hybrid Inquiry-Based Laboratory Curriculum Highlights Scientific Method Using Bacterial Conjugation as a Model.

Undergraduate microbiology students are exposed to the theory of the scientific method throughout their undergraduate coursework, but laboratory course curricula often focus on technical skills rather than fully integrating scientific thinking as a component of competencies addressed. Here, we have designed a six-session inquiry-based laboratory (IBL) curriculum for an upper-level microbiology laboratory course that fully involves students in the scientific process using bacterial conjugation as the model system, including both online discussions and in-person laboratory sessions. The student learning objectives focus on the scientific method, experimental design, data analysis, bacterial conjugation mechanisms, and scientific communication. We hypothesized students would meet these learning objectives after completing this IBL and tracked student learning and surveyed students to provide an assessment of the structure of the IBL using pre- and post-IBL quizzes and the Laboratory Course Assessment Survey. Overall, our results show this IBL results in positive student learning gains.

Графическая подготовка студентов с применением форм дистанционного обучения

This article examines the experience of graphic training of students of a transport university in the conditions of distance learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by the example of studying the discipline "Descriptive geometry and computer graphics". The use of the BlackBoard electronic educational environment and the teaching and methodological developments of the department staff is shown both as a learning medium for students, including independent work, and as a means of teaching for the teaching staff. Not only the remote format of classes is considered, but also the so-called mixed format, when in-person laboratory or practical classes are held only in small groups, and streaming lectures are conducted with the use of an electronic educational environment. After the end of the pandemic, the mixed format is used in many educational organizations continuously or occasionally due to the withdrawal of a separate group to quarantine. Within the framework of the article, a comparative analysis was carried out, reflecting data on the quality of graphic training among students who studied before, during and after the pandemic, using the example of samples from among the students of the 2019 – 2022 sets. The results of the comparative analysis show that there were no significant fluctuations in one direction or another. This allows us to conclude that the measures taken to organize the educational process in the remote format of classes have helped to preserve the quality of graphic training of students. Recommendations on the organization of graphic training of students are given, which can be used by geometry teachers both in the field of higher education and secondary special education, after returning to the usual conditions of the educational process.

Графическая подготовка студентов с применением форм дистанционного обучения

This article examines the experience of graphic training of students of a transport university in the conditions of distance learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by the example of studying the discipline "Descriptive geometry and computer graphics". The use of the BlackBoard electronic educational environment and the teaching and methodological developments of the department staff is shown both as a learning medium for students, including independent work, and as a means of teaching for the teaching staff. Not only the remote format of classes is considered, but also the so-called mixed format, when in-person laboratory or practical classes are held only in small groups, and streaming lectures are conducted with the use of an electronic educational environment. After the end of the pandemic, the mixed format is used in many educational organizations continuously or occasionally due to the withdrawal of a separate group to quarantine. Within the framework of the article, a comparative analysis was carried out, reflecting data on the quality of graphic training among students who studied before, during and after the pandemic, using the example of samples from among the students of the 2019 – 2022 sets. The results of the comparative analysis show that there were no significant fluctuations in one direction or another. This allows us to conclude that the measures taken to organize the educational process in the remote format of classes have helped to preserve the quality of graphic training of students. Recommendations on the organization of graphic training of students are given, which can be used by geometry teachers both in the field of higher education and secondary special education, after returning to the usual conditions of the educational process.

Faculty Perception of Student Engagement in Online Anatomy Laboratory Courses During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

When the social distancing guidelines, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused universities to close campuses, there was a rapid shift in the course delivery methods of human gross anatomy laboratory sessions. Courses were delivered online, and this change created new challenges for anatomy faculty to engage students effectively. This profoundly impacted student-instructor interactions, the quality of the learning environment, and successful student outcomes. Because of the importance of student interaction and engagement for hands-on laboratory courses like anatomy, which rely on cadaver dissections and in-person learning communities, as well as the novel opportunity, this qualitative study sought to explore the faculty perspectives of transitioning their in-person laboratory sessions online and unearth their experience with student engagement in this new teaching format. The Delphi technique was used to explore this experience in two rounds of qualitative inquiry using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, identifying codes and building themes. The study utilized indicators of student engagement in online courses to formulate four themes: instructor presence, social presence, cognitive presence, and reliable technology design and access. These were constructed based on the factors faculty used to maintain engagement, new challenges they faced, and strategies deployed to overcome these challenges and engage students in the new learning format. These are supported by strategies such as using video and multimedia, ice-breaker activities, chat and discussion features, immediate and personalized feedback, and virtual meeting via synchronous sessions. These themes highlight important lessons that faculty designing online anatomy laboratory courses can use to guide their course design, and institutions and instructional design faculty can use to inform best practices and faculty development efforts. Additionally, the study calls for further research to design a standardized and global assessment tool that measures student engagement in the online learning environment.

Reliability of Wearable Sensors for Assessing Gait and Chair Stand Function at Home in People With Knee Osteoarthritis.

To assess the reliability of wearable sensors for at-home assessment of walking and chair stand activities in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Baseline data from participants with knee OA (n=20) enrolled in a clinical trial of an exercise intervention were used.Participants completed an in-person laboratory visit and a video conference-enabled at-home visit.In both visits, participants performed walking and chair stand tasks while fitted with 3 inertial sensors. During the at-home visit, participants self-donned the sensors and completed 2 sets of acquisitions separated by a 15-minute break, when they removed and redonned the sensors. Participants completed a survey on their experience with the at-home visit. During the laboratory visit, researchers placed the sensors on the participants. Spatiotemporal metrics of walking gait and chair stand duration were extracted from the sensor data. We used intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs)and the Bland-Altman plot for statistical analyses. For test-retest reliability during the at-home visit, all ICCs were good to excellent (0.85-0.95). For agreement between at-home and laboratory visits, ICCs were moderate to good (0.59-0.87). Systematic differences were noted between at-home and laboratory data due to faster task speed during the laboratory visits. Participants reported a favorable experience during the at-home visit. Our method of estimating spatiotemporal gait measures and chair stand duration function remotely was reliable, feasible, and acceptable in people with knee OA.Wearable sensors could be used to remotely assess walking and chair stand in participant's natural environments in future studies.

Developing a virtual laboratory module for forensic science degree programmes

Laboratory work is essential in forensic science degree courses. They provide students with an opportunity to put theory into practice, as well as develop relevant professional laboratory skills through a case-based learning framework. Traditional laboratory instruction involves the use of a written laboratory script or manual that details the laboratory procedures and techniques for an experiment. Occasionally, instructors may provide a brief in-person demonstration of a critical aspect of the experimental procedure during the session. Since the coronavirus pandemic, the use of virtual laboratory (vLab) resources, such as video demonstrations, in teaching science practical skills has increased. These resources may be used alone or in combination with in-person laboratory sessions in a flipped learning model. Previous research has shown that vLab resources could enhance students’ knowledge, confidence, and experience inside the laboratory. This study aimed to explore the perceptions and attitudes of forensic science students toward the use of a vLab module. Three videos were created in which procedures for carrying out presumptive tests, screening exhibits, and recording examinations were demonstrated. Seven undergraduate students enrolled at different stages of a forensic science degree programme were introduced to the vLab module and interviewed using a semi-structured interview approach. Through a thematic synthesis of the interview transcripts, we found that the implementation of an inclusive vLab module could enhance students’ knowledge, confidence, and independence in carrying out forensic science laboratory procedures.

Teaching Analytical Instrumentation Through Remote Access – A Gas Chromatography Perspective

An approach to online laboratory exercises for analytical chemistry students with demonstrated practical exercises through the use of remote-controlled gas chromatography (GC) instrumentation is discussed. The approach allows for a practical-based learning activity to be carried out by students who are unable to attend in-person laboratory exercises and was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning activities focused on the operation of GC instrumentation were completed prior to a research-based analysis activity being conducted by students. At the end of this experiment, the students are expected to understand, independently operate, and learn how to achieve better separation through the manipulation of GC settings, such as split/splitless injections, carrier gas flow rate, and oven temperature, and apply principles of GC to a practical application. Additional flexibility from this approach could also be beneficial during postpandemic and/or in the circumstance where students cannot physically attend the class.