Laboratory Curriculum Research Articles

Recent advances in laboratory education research

Abstract This review synthesizes recent advancements in laboratory education research in university chemistry over the past decade, from 2014 to 2024. It focuses on three key areas: evidence-oriented teaching practices, student learning outcomes and processes, and progressive curriculum development. The paper highlights the growing emphasis on evidence-based approaches to laboratory instruction, the multifaceted nature of student learning in the laboratory, and the importance of designing laboratory curricula that ensure progression and congruence across study programs. The review instantiates how evidence-oriented teaching practices have led to a shift in focus from theory to practical techniques. It explores the diverse learning outcomes associated with laboratory work, including experimental competencies, conceptual understanding, and affective aspects such as identity development and self-efficacy. The paper also introduces a comprehensive framework for assessing student learning in laboratories, integrating cognitive, conative, affective, psychomotor, social, and epistemic domains. Furthermore, the review examines approaches to curriculum development that emphasize scaffolding, progression, and alignment between various curricular elements. It presents models for developing experimental design competence and ensuring congruence in laboratory curriculum development. The paper concludes by acknowledging the persistent gap between research and practice in laboratory education and calling for continued efforts to bridge this divide.

CHALLENGES OF MEDICAL EDUCATION IN SIALKOT: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE MEDICAL COLLEGES

Background: Medical education in Pakistan is hindered by infrastructure deficiencies, outdated curricula, shortage of qualified faculty, and limited clinical exposure, which collectively impact the quality of healthcare training. This study highlights challenges in medical colleges of Sialkot affecting educational standards and compares the challenges faced by medical education between public and private medical colleges, focusing on infrastructure, curriculum, faculty quality, clinical training, and assessment methodologies. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in public and private medical colleges of Sialkot from October 2023 to March 2024, after approval by the Institutional Review Board of Sialkot Medical College. Data from 200 medical students were collected via convenience sampling and analyzed using a questionnaire covering infrastructure, curriculum, faculty, clinical exposure, and assessments. SPSS-21 and Chi-square tests were used for analysis. Results: A total of 200 students participated from the public and private sectors. Notable differences were observed in laboratory resources, curriculum transparency, and problem-based learning availability, with public colleges generally faring better. However, critical thinking promotion, student-teacher interaction, and clinical rotations did not significantly differ between the two sectors. Conclusions: The study identified shared and distinct challenges in medical education within public and private sector medical colleges of Sialkot. Public colleges showed superior resource allocation and curriculum transparency, yet both sectors need improvements in faculty development and clinical training. These findings suggest targeted reforms to enhance standards of medical education and outcomes in Pakistan. Pak J Physiol 2024;20(3):77–80, DOI: https://doi.org/10.69656/pjp.v20i3.1653

Learning cleanroom microfabrication operations in virtual reality – An immersive and guided learning experience

This paper details the design and development of an immersive and self-guided Virtual Reality training system (iSGVRTS) for learning cleanroom microfabrication operations, with a specific emphasis on the photolithography process, within a college-level semiconductor laboratory curriculum. It presents the thorough construction of the iSGVRTS environment as well as the incorporation of integrated instructional methodologies. To assess the impact of the iSGVRTS intervention, pre-and post-tests were administered to evaluate learners' performance. The implementation of iSGVRTS yielded a notable enhancement for learners in laboratory operational proficiency, evidenced by improvements in task correct rates, reduction in procedural errors, and knowledge acquisition. Moreover, post-session interviews revealed learners’ reported increased confidence, a heightened sense of presence, manageable cognitive load, and positive feedback regarding the immersive learning experience.

In Vitro Characterization of Dopaminergic Toxins: A Laboratory Exercise Suitable for a Senior Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory Curriculum

<i>In Vitro</i> Characterization of Dopaminergic Toxins: A Laboratory Exercise Suitable for a Senior Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory Curriculum

Facilitating aerospace engineering senior design: Integrating lab curriculum redesign with student project and new technologies

AbstractThis study addresses a gap in existing literature by exploring the impact of an aerodynamics laboratory course on students' readiness for senior design projects in Aerospace Engineering at North Carolina State University. The redesigned curriculum focuses on propellers, aligning with the increasing popularity of senior design projects involving fixed‐wing aircraft and multi‐rotor systems in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department. The updated course incorporates Additive Manufacturing (AM) and an anechoic chamber for the first time, outlining its structure, objectives, and pivotal concepts. The use of data acquisition codes streamlines experimentation while integrating AM accelerates practical applications of blade element theory (BET). Through an assessment of lab report grades, this initiative significantly enhances students' grasp of propeller concepts, marking a pivotal step in their preparation for senior design projects.

Students’ assessment of learning gains with a POGIL-based Experimental Psychology Laboratory curriculum.

Students’ assessment of learning gains with a POGIL-based Experimental Psychology Laboratory curriculum.

Developing Students’ STEM Career Identity and Sense of Belonging in a Biology Class

Undergraduate career courses impact students’ STEM self-effcacy and identity, helping to close opportunity gaps by promoting retention and reducing the time to graduation. However, these courses are generally separate from students’ disciplinary courses, which allows students to see this work as important, but separate. In addition, this siloed approach means that only students who take these classes or engage with career services support individually have access to these opportunities. This opportunity gap is likely compounded for students from underrepresented and minoritized groups, creating a structural barrier where these students are expected to recognize the value and seek these opportunities in unfamiliar and often exclusionary environments. By integrating career exploration, skill development, and reflection into a student-centered biology classroom, we aim to engage students in purpose-driven exploration, planning, and skill development within the context of their disciplinary learning experiences. Drawing on the Social Cognitive Career Theory and Marcia’s Identity Formation Model we designed and assessed the IRL (In Real Life) lab curriculum, which was implemented in a student-centered introductory biology class that includes lecture and lab components. Through the IRL lab, students engaged in activities that helped in (a) Identifying and articulating their purpose, which we define as the intersection of their values, interests, skills, and the societal impact they prioritize in their work (b) Purpose-driven exploration and planning and (c) Making meaning of their experiences by building and articulating career-related skills, and building professional networks. We evaluated the outcomes using a qualitative coding approach, triangulating data from class assignments, focus groups, and semi-structured interviews to assess the impacts of the IRL lab on students’ STEM career identity and sense of belonging. We find that engaging with the IRL lab: (a) Increases students’ career-related self-effcacy and outcome expectations, thus impacting their STEM career identity (b) Shifts their focus from a destination-driven approach (specific job or career) to a purpose-driven approach, thus impacting their identity formation process and (c) Increases access and students’ sense of belonging by engaging them in making meaning of their disciplinary experiences and reflecting on how their academic goals align with their career goals. To summarize, STEM higher education is a choose your own adventure challenge where only some participants are equipped with the tools needed to navigate this new world. Engaging in career-related exploration and reflection in a disciplinary, student-centered class breaks down this structural barrier by equipping all students with the tools and strategies needed for success, thus empowering ALL students to choose their own adventure. This work was supported by the Lyman Briggs College AD Innovation Fund and the AACU Curriculum to Careers Institute. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Use and Perception of Peer Recommendations to Improve Study Skills in Undergraduate Anatomy and Physiology Courses

Student success data from students enrolled in an undergraduate anatomy and Physiology (A&amp;P) course at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse indicated that student performance closely correlated with the number of prior completed university semesters. Based on this data we hypothesized that some students may have gained (or use) study skills that may have contributed to their success. Students at the end of the term were asked to provide recommendations to future A &amp;P students on how to be successful in the course. A total of 408 recommendations from 68 students were received and underwent inductive and then deductive coding. More than 50% of respondents encouraged group studying and frequent engagement with material. The ranked and coded list of recommendations was then provided to the entering student at the start of the new term. Entering students were subsequently polled to gauge perceptions/reactions to this information. 91% of entering A&amp;P students (n = 73) responded that they valued receiving study recommendations at the start of the term 59% of which said they preferred having that information come from former students rather than the faculty. Following the 1st lecture examination these students completed an Ink Shedding activity in which they shared exam studying strategies with their peers. Of the 62 participants 80% both found the activity helpful and recommended it be incorporated into future semesters. Collectively this data supports the perceived value of offering study skill resources to upper division A&amp;P students and a positive reaction to peer guidance. Student performance improved on embedded course assessments. This information has been used to further develop peer mentoring programs and resource collaboration within the A&amp;P lecture and laboratory curriculum. This research was supported by a UWL FY2023 Course Improvement Grant and a University of Wisconsin System IDEAS Alliance Curriculum Reform Grant. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

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

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 diffcult 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 in introductory anatomy and physiology labs 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 recent semesters where instruction returned to mostly in-person and hands-on (Fall 2021 – Spring 2022). Interestingly, beginning in 2022 and continuing into fall of 2023, ratings of overall satisfaction began to decrease. Although it is currently diffcult to determine the root cause of this decrease in satisfaction, we speculate that many students are becoming fatigued with the continued use of seemingly virtual labs. Although most lab exercises are hands-on and include dissections and live physiological recordings, we think that the continued use of a virtual interface is too reminiscent of learning under quarantine conditions. Even with variations in ratings regarding Lt use in our introductory anatomy and physiology laboratories, our data still help 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. Research reported in this poster was supported by the University of the Incarnate Word Offce of Research and Graduate Studies. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Leveraging undergraduate learning assistants when implementing new laboratory curricula

At University of California, Irvine, a large-enrollment research university, undergraduate chemistry courses for non-chemistry majors were delivered remotely during the 2020–2021 academic year, with a return to in-person instruction planned for January 2022. Because this return to in-person instruction coincided with the transition of second-year students from general chemistry to organic chemistry laboratory courses, the instructional staff recognized a need for remedial laboratory curricula for students with no prior in-person laboratory experience. Simultaneously, we desired to implement undergraduate Learning Assistants (LAs) in non-chemistry major organic chemistry laboratories for the first time at our university. In this paper, we describe our approach for leveraging undergraduate LAs to (1) test new laboratory curricula and (2) address feelings of comfort and safety for students with no prior in-person laboratory experience. Benefits of our LA program perceived by students include increased laboratory efficiency and improved student learning from near-peer instructors; benefits perceived by LAs include the development of professional skills and teamwork with graduate student teaching assistants. We provide an outline of resources and strategies to enable instructors to simultaneously implement undergraduate LAs and new laboratory curricula.

Science Education for the Youth (SEFTY): A Neuroscience Outreach Program for High School Students in Southern Nevada during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Laboratory outreach programs for K-12 students in the United States from 2020 to 2022 were suspended or delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions. While Southern Nevada also observed similar closures for onsite programs, we and others hypothesized that in-person laboratory activities could be prioritized after increasing vaccine doses were available to the public and masking was encouraged. Here, we describe how the Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) collaborated with administrators from a local school district to conduct training activities for high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Science Education for the Youth (SEFTY) program's curriculum was constructed to incorporate experiential learning, fostering collaboration and peer-to-peer knowledge exchange. Leveraging neuroscience tools from our UNLV laboratory, we engaged with 117 high school applicants from 2021 to 2022. Our recruitment efforts yielded a diverse cohort, with >41% Pacific Islander and Asian students, >9% African American students, and >12% multiracial students. We assessed the impact of the SEFTY program through pre- and postassessment student evaluations, revealing a significant improvement of 20.3% in science proficiency (p < 0.001) after participating in the program. Collectively, our laboratory curriculum offers valuable insights into the capacity of an outreach program to actively foster diversity and cultivate opportunities for academic excellence, even in the challenging context of a global pandemic.

Analysis of ten-year teaching evaluation of oral microbiology lab curriculum

BackgroundBased on the updated teaching philosophy of oral microbiology, Wuhan University School of Stomatology initiated a reform in the teaching of oral microbiology in 2009. As part of this reform, an oral microbiology laboratory course was introduced to cultivate students' fundamental skills, professional competence, comprehensive abilities, and innovation capabilities through experimental design. This paper provides thorough examination of the teaching experiment findings from 2013 to 2022, a ten-year timeframe, building on earlier data.MethodsThe curriculum targets fourth-year undergraduate students in a five-year program and adopts a cooperative learning approach. The experimental teaching mainly involves four parts: plaque collection and processing, isolation and cultivation of dental plaque bacteria, staining and biochemical identification of dental plaque bacteria. This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the student experiment results from 2013 to 2022. Statistical analysis was conducted using the chi-square test to assess whether there were any differences in students' experimental grades between different years. A significance level of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Additionally, we evaluated the impact of teaching methods and educational systems on improving students' practical skills and overall innovative abilities.ResultsThe performance of 664 undergraduate students showed improvement in the oral microbiology laboratory course, with a noticeable decrease in the proportion of "C" grades in Experiments 2, 3, and 4 compared to Experiment 1. These results indicate that the laboratory course enhanced students' academic achievements, aiding their understanding and mastery of course content, and received positive feedback from the students.ConclusionThis lab curriculum, through systematic laboratory teaching and practical experience, contributes to the enhancement of students' professional skills and research abilities. It fosters students' interest in scientific research and improves the quality of dental education.

Spectroscopic Monitoring and Modeling Drug Dissolution for Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum.

The pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing industry has become the largest industrial sector for the employment of chemists, indicating a need for experiments with a pharmaceutical sciences context in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. In the pharmaceutical industry, testing drug dissolution is a key analytical task for solid oral dosage forms that is performed in different phases of drug development to test the release behavior of new formulations, ensure consistency between manufacturing lots, and help predict the in vivo absorption of the drug substance after administration. However, there are a limited number of laboratory experiments in dissolution testing developed for the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. To help students obtain hands-on experience in dissolution testing, a protocol has been developed for an undergraduate chemistry laboratory course for students to build a dissolution apparatus, monitor dissolution processes, model the dissolution to extract kinetic parameters, and evaluate the consistency between dissolution curves with FDA regulated methods. Students successfully collected dissolution curves and completed the modeling analysis with nonlinear least-squares fitting. The designed dissolution protocol has been evaluated to have consistency and reproducibility to be implemented in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory curriculum.

Preservice elementary teachers' perceptions of their science laboratory instructors in a phenomena‐based laboratory and how it impacts their conceptual development

AbstractPhenomena‐based approaches have become popular for elementary school teachers to engage children's innate curiosity in the natural world. However, integrating such phenomena‐based approaches in existing science courses within teacher education programs present potential challenges for both preservice elementary teachers (PSETs) and for laboratory instructors, both of whom may have had limited opportunities to learn or teach science within the student and instructor roles inherent within these approaches. This study uses a convergent parallel mixed‐methods approach to investigate PSETs' perceptions of their laboratory instructor's role within a Physical Science phenomena‐based laboratory curriculum and how it impacts their conceptual development (2 instructors/121 students). We also examine how the two laboratory instructors' discursive moves within the laboratory align with their's and PSETs' perceptions of the instructor role. Qualitative data includes triangulation between a student questionnaire, an instructor questionnaire, and video classroom observations, while quantitative data includes a nine‐item open response pre‐/post‐semester conceptual test. Guided by Mortimer's and Scott's analytic framework, our findings show that students primarily perceive their instructors as a guide/facilitator or an authoritarian/evaluator. Using Linn's knowledge integration framework, analysis of pre‐/post‐tests indicates that student outcomes align with students' perceptions of their instructors, with students who perceive their instructor as a guide/facilitator having significantly better pre‐/post‐outcomes. Additional analysis of scientific discourse from the classroom observations illustrates how one instructor primarily supports PSETs' perspectives on authentic science learning through dialogic–interactive talk moves whereas the other instructor epistemologically stifles personally relevant investigations with authoritative–interactive or authoritative–noninteractive discourse moves. Overall, this study concludes by discussing challenges facing laboratory instructors that need careful consideration for phenomena‐based approaches.

Different strategies to facilitate meaningful reflections among post-secondary students in a community service learning water project

This study explored how continuous diverse reflective exercises embedded in a Community Service Learning chemistry lab support science students' meaningful learning. The findings of this study are intended for those involved in teaching natural science in higher education, as well as those interested in Community Service Learning, self-directed learning, and reflective strategies. Fourteen students in a second-year Analytical Chemistry II lab participated in this study. Reflective exercises representing multiple modes of reflection were purposefully designed and embedded across the lab curriculum. Qualitative content analysis of data from reflective writings, scrapbook reflections, and reflective discussions demonstrates that students were able to articulate their self-directed learning from the perspective of academic enhancement, personal growth, and civic engagement in the different reflective exercises. Students indicated a high level of satisfaction, agreed that the integration of diverse continuous reflective strategies can enhance their transformative learning practice in an engaging way, and would like to continue this practice for other science laboratory courses.

Evaluation of Interprofessional Delivery of Diabetes Medication Management Training Among Family Medicine Residents.

Diabetes-related care makes up approximately 24% of outpatient clinic visits. Therefore, confidence and understanding of diabetes management is necessary for family medicine residents. We developed a combined lecture and simulation lab curriculum utilizing a registered nurse and pharmacist to deliver education to 20 family medicine learners. Pre and post surveys of the educational material were completed in 2 sections including one gauging medical knowledge and a second part gauging level of comfort. Of the learners who participated, fourteen completed the pre-post surveys. Most (53%) respondents improved their scores, while 20% scored the same 27% scored worse. The overall average score increased 57% to 70% and improvement was statistically significant (P < .05). All learners improved confidence by at least 1 point. An interprofessional team utilizing a lecture curriculum focusing on providing education on effective prescribing, medication safety profiles, and resource availability, showed improvement in confidence but mixed knowledge benefit. Further modifications to the curriculum may yield further educational gains.

10 Guiding principles for learning in the laboratory

Laboratory work in chemistry has been extensively researched in the last decade but the gap between research and practice is still broad. This Perspective shares 10 guiding principles relating to university laboratory education, drawing on research over the last decade. Written with an audience of practitioners in mind, the Perspective aligns with Hounsell and Hounsell's congruence framework, so that the 10 principles consider all aspects of the laboratory curriculum: design, teaching approaches, and assessment approaches as suggested by Biggs, but additional contextual factors relating to teaching context: backgrounds of students and their support, and overall laboratory organisation and management. After discussing the rationale for each guiding principle, examples of approaches are given from recent literature along with prompts to help enact the guiding principle in practice.

Developing a faculty support program for fostering enriching undergraduate laboratory experiences under limited resource conditions.

Meaningful pedagogical reform requires good faculty training and support programs. Such support is particularly valuable when colleges and universities are trying to bring research and inquiry into the laboratory curricula under resource-limited conditions. In this situation, it may help to extend the scope of the faculty support program to include training for practicing experimental techniques, sustainable networking opportunities, and a space to learn about pedagogical reforms. From this perspective, we share our experience about building a faculty development program for public college teachers who teach undergraduate biology in India. Though we designed the program for low-resource settings, the experiments curated could very well represent core biological concepts typically identified by the international community. The activities and overall design of the program can be useful for initiating pedagogical reform in any college/university where the traditional approach to biology laboratory instruction predominates, and high-end research is not easy to access.

Teaching transferable skills in teamwork, accountability, goal setting, writing, and problem-solving in a non-major microbiology lab: the unknown bacteria experiment redefined.

College to Career is a phrase that we often use to describe the skills and abilities that students should achieve while preparing for college and/or careers. To help prepare our students for their future careers, we developed a microbiology laboratory curriculum based on factors identified to improve college-to-career readiness. These factors include content knowledge, analyzing and interpreting data, accountability, goal setting, and teamwork. At the core of the design are inquiry and problem-based learning. This approach allows students to actively engage in the scientific process while collaborating with classmates and learning technical and transferable career skills. The curriculum includes microbiology laboratory skills, including plating, serial dilutions, and biochemical tests, with integrated opportunities for students to engage in critical thinking, analysis and interpretation of data, teamwork, goal setting, decision-making, and scientific writing.

Implementation and Student Perceptions of OneNote as an Electronic Laboratory Notebook in a General Biology Course

Paper Laboratory Notebooks (PLNs) have been used for centuries to document and archive the thoughts and work of inventors, scientists, students, and engineers. PLNs are the first formal means of scientific communication we teach our students and, in turn, a student’s first training on cultivating and expressing scientific thinking. In the science teaching laboratory, PLNs are at the forefront and serve various purposes for students in the science laboratory curriculum, like good documentation practices and accurate record keeping. This paper discusses the reasons for switching to OneNote ELN, the criteria for selecting OneNote ELN software, how OneNote ELN was introduced and used in the course, and students’ opinions on using this ELN. We successfully implemented the OneNote ELN in our General Biology Laboratory II sequence course for biology majors and non-major students entering the health professions. Students had a generally favorable response to using the OneNote ELN; 98% of students agreed that ELNs enabled them to keep a well-maintained laboratory notebook. Overall, student experience with ELNs was positive, with 85% of students indicating that they would recommend other future science laboratory courses they will be taking to adopt the OneNote ELN. In general, the OneNote ELN was viewed more positively in many respects than the PLNs in ease of its usage, access and organizing the notebook.