Challenges

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Challenges Solutionsfor Online Lab Science
Courses

• Peter Jeschofnig, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus
  Colorado Mountain College, CO
• Founder of the Institute for Distance Science
  Education
• Innovations 2009 Conference
• Mar. 15 18, 2009 Reno, NV

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Presentation

• Part I - Pros Cons of Online Lab Options
• Part II - Online vs. On-campus Assessment
  Comparison
• Part III - Cheating in Online Courses

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Presentation

• Part I - Pros Cons of Online Lab Options

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Colorado Mountain College
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CMC - Glenwood Springs
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Colorado Community Colleges Online (CCCOnline)
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What About Lab Sciences?

• Lab sciences MUST be fully included in online
• course offerings to avoid a continuing decline
  in science literacy in America.
• There are still many instructors and institutions
  that do not believe lab sciences can effectively
  be taught at a distance.
• Valid and reliable assessment data is required to
  dispel this misconception.

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Purpose of Science Labs?

• Why do we teach laboratory experimentation in
  science classes?
• What are students supposed to learn in the
  laboratory?
• How can these objectives be met at a distance?

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Science Labs Consensus

• Science Educators unanimously agree
• Laboratory experimentation must be part of all
  science classes
• Labs have been the weak link of distance learning
  science classes

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During the next decade, the United States demand
for scientists and engineers is expected to
increase at more than double the rate for all
other occupations. Michigan
Dept. of Education"Learning science is
something that students do, not something that is
done to them. In learning science students
describe objects and events, ask questions,
acquire knowledge, construct explanations of
natural phenomena, test those explanations in
many different ways, and communicate their ideas
to others. National
Science Education Standards, NRC 1996, 2006

• Quotes of Interest

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Philosophical Differences

• Simulations vs. Hands-On Labs Kits
• i.e. Seeing vs. Doing
• College Level vs. Basic Concepts
• i.e. Kitchen Chemistry
• String and Sticky Tape

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Virtual (Online) Science Classes Debate

• NY Times -10-06 Sam Dillon
• Members of the College Board insist that
  college-level laboratory science courses not be
  labeled A.P. without a physical lab.
• Hampden-Sydney College, Virginia, Provost, Dr.
  Fleck said students worldwide found the virtual
  dissection useful. But he called it markedly
  inferior to performing a real dissection. You
  dont get the look and the feel and the smell.

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Distance Lab Options

• Hybrid Labs
• Simulations Virtual Labs
• Remote-Access Labs
• Kitchen Labs
• Lab Kits
• Instructor Assembled
• Student Assembled
• Commercially Assembled

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Least Desirable Option - Hybrid

• Hybrid Combination Online and On campus
• Online Lecture
• On campus -Traditional labs
• 1. Weekly
• 2. Once-a-month all-day lab sessions at local
  
• college or H.S.
• 3. Several-day long lab workshops
• All Defeat the Purpose of Distance Learning
• Mind-numbing long sessions for students
• Loss of distance enrollment for Institution

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Simulations vs. Lab Experiences

• Students Like Simulations
• Easy
• Similar to computer games
• Low cost
• BUT how effective are simulations?

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Simulations Pros Cons

• PROS
• Relatively inexpensive
• Readily available
• Fulfill some lab objectives
• Will probably get better, more challenging
• Summary - useful as part of lab program
• CONS
• Dont meet as many lab objectives as lab kits
• Missing tactile experience - feel of doing
  science
• May not be adequate for science majors
• Potential problems transferring course credits

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Types of Simulations

• Textbook CD-ROMs
• Model Science Software
• Virtual ChemLab
• Simulators

All computer based - No actual hands-on
experimentation
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Textbook CD-ROMs

• Houghton Mifflin (Ebbing)

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Model Science Software (1)

• http//modelscience.com/

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Model Science Software (2)
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Virtual ChemLab - BYU
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Anatomy Simulation
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Aviation Simulator Analogy
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Simulations - Caveat

• Increasing numbers of 4-year colleges and
  universities are refusing to accept transfer
  credits for simulation based labs.
• University of Colorado School of Engineering is
  the latest institution not accepting transfer
  credit for simulation-based lab courses based on
  their evaluation that students without hands-on
  labs experiences are unsafe and have limited
  competencies.
• American Chemical Society supports this position
  In a recent statement it said, The Society
  believes that computer simulations are not a
  substitute for hands-on laboratories from the
  kindergarten level through undergraduate
  education. (Feb. 2009)

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Remote Access Lab ExampleDiffraction of
Electrons
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Kitchen Chemistry Labs

• PROS
• Provide genuine hands on science activities
• Relate science to the students real world
• Inexpensive
• CONS
• Limit sophistication of lab experience
• Students dont respect it as serious science
• Require extra time for acquiring supplies and
  constructing equipment
• Lab quality varies from very creative to
  inadequate
• Exceptional Kitchen Chemistry Courses
• Elmhurst College
• UC Denver and Univ. of N. Carolina - FIPSE Grant
  Anytime Anywhere Chemistry Experience

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Kitchen Lab Example Anytime Anywhere Chemistry
Experience
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Assembled Kits

• Instructor Student Assembled Kits
• Instructor checks out glassware and equipment
• Students buy supplies assigned by instructor
• Students return materials and equipment at end of
  semester
• PROS
• Relatively inexpensive or not?
• Students get a hands-on, wet-lab experience
• CONS
• Student complain about finding materials
• Instructor relegated to stock boy chores
• Disputes over inevitably lost/broken equipment

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Assembled Kits - History The Open University - UK

• Since early 1970s
• Very large science kit storage problem
• 1.8 million, 8000 students
• Very high annual costs for warehousing, shipping,
  replacement parts, etc.

Challenge Developing a new kit that is small
and non-returnable
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Assembled Kits - HistoryMonash University,
Australia

• Physics kit
• Video instructions
• Students as far away as Singapore
• Kits returned as much as 6 months late
• Success - High retention rate

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Assembled Kits - HistoryAthabasca University
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Assembled Kits HistoryMicro-Scale Techniques

• Micro-scale refers to the process of conducting
  traditional
• science experiments on a much smaller and safer
  scale.
• First introduced into the laboratory by chemistry
  professor Dr.
• Hubert Alyea (1903-1996) at Princeton University.
• Primary objectives
• Greatly reduce safety risk of experimentation
• Reduce environmental and chemical disposal
  problems
• Engage students in traditional science
  experimentation and foster inquiry-based problem
  solving abilities

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Micro-Scale Science EquipmentCentrifuge Tubes -
24-Well and 96-Well Plates - Thin Stem Pipet
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Chemistry LabPaq Produced by Hands-On Labs, Inc.
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Packaging of Chemicals by Hands-On Labs, Inc.
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Titration Methods Used in Hands-On Labs, Inc.
LabPaqs
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Colorimeter Produced by Hands-On Labs, Inc.
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Analysis of Phosphate in Water
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Lab Kit Issues

• How safe are at-home lab experiments?
• What are legal issues for conducting labs in an
  unsupervised environment?
• Are important experiments eliminated because of
  safety or cost?
• Is there compliance with proper waste disposal?

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Contact Information

• Feedback and Suggestions are Welcome!
• Peter J. Jeschofnig, PhD
• pjeschofnig_at_coloradomtn.edu
• Institute for Excellence in Science Education
• Peter_at_IEDSE.org www.IEDSE.org

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Presentation

• Part II - Online vs. On-campus Assessment
  Comparison

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Part II - Assessment Comparison

• Online vs. On-campus Comparison
• Colorado Mountain College, CO CHE 111
• Herkimer County Community College, SUNY
  System, NY BIO
• Ocean County College, NJ A P

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Study Objective

• To quantitatively assess and compare performance
  of my chemistry students
• In a face-to-face (F2F) chemistry course with an
  on-campus laboratory and
• In an online chemistry (DL) course using a
  chemistry LabPaq by Hands-On Labs, Inc. for the
  laboratory component

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Process of Assessing Outcomes

• Administer and Compare Results for Campus-Based
• CHE 111 Students vs. Online CHE-111 Students
• 1. American Chemical Society Standardized Exam
• Pre-test
• Post-test
• 2. Traditional homework, quizzes, exam grades
• 3. Laboratory reports graded via specific rubric

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ACS Exam Results DL vs. F2F
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ACS Score Comparisons
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Final Exam vs. ACS Exam F2F
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Final Exam vs. ACS Exam DL
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Lab Report Scores
Online lab results achieved using biology LabPaq
produced by Hands-On Labs, Inc.
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Effectiveness of a Web-Based Laboratory Course in
BiologyJennifer Herzog, Herkimer County
Community College, N.Y
Online lab results achieved using biology
LabPaq produced by Hands-On Labs, Inc.
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Ocean County CollegeTeaching Anatomy and
Physiology Totally Online

• Assessment of the Program
• HAPS Human Anatomy and Physiology Society
  Cumulative Exam
• Spring and Summer 2008
• Voluntary participation (2 days after finishing
  AP II)

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Ocean County CollegeTeaching Anatomy and
Physiology Totally Online
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Benefits of Doing Labs Remotely

• PROS
• Convenience of Time
• Students complete work and studies at their
  convenience
• Parents can complete work when children are
  asleep
• No Time Contraints
• Students can work as long as needed - any time,
  any where
• Not restricted to 50 minutes campus lab sessions
• Flexible Learning Style
• Students learn science in a way that is
  comfortable for them
• Own Materials and Equipment
• Students own and keep a mini-lab of their own
• Science equipment in the home encourages science
  exploration
• Convenient Buying Process
• LabPaq is ordered online using a credit card
• LabPaq is shipped directly to the student within
  24 hours

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Benefits of Doing Labs Remotely

• CONS
• Working Alone
• No immediate response from a partner or
  instructor. However, some instructors consider
  this discovery learning opportunity to be a
  major benefit to students.
• Limited or no synchronistic interaction between
  the student, teacher and classmates
• Instructor Competence
• Instructors must have specific teaching skills
  and open attitude geared toward online teaching
• Instructor may limit access and communications
• Cost
• Online class tuition can be more expensive
• Cost of single use lab kit. However, costs are
  often offset by savings from not having to
  commute to campus.

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Contact Information
Feedback and Suggestions are Welcome! Peter J.
Jeschofnig, PhD pjeschofnig_at_coloradomtn.edu Ins
titute for Excellence in Science Education
Peter_at_IEDSE.org www.IEDSE.org
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Presentation

• Part III Cheating in Online Courses

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CheatingThe Most Common Concern of Online
Educators

• Is the enrolled student doing the work and taking
  the assessments?
• Are the lab experiments done by the student?

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Lab Experiments

• TIPS For preventing the circulation of
• prior semesters lab reports
• Add new question sets each semester
• Utilize plagiarism software
• Require photos of students and their lab setups
  in each lab report
• Match Rosters against Vendor shipping lists It
  is impossible for students to do the lab work if
  they didnt obtain a LabPaq!

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Lab Report PlagiarismSoftware Options

• Turnitin.com
• Viper - free online plagiarism scanner
• iScan free online plagiarism scanner
• WinMerge - free download

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Online Exams

• Federally mandated verification
• Monitoring systems
• Timed, randomly generated exams
• New approaches to assessment
• Use tracking and statistical analysis
• Advise students that integrity tracking
  assessments are built into the course

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High-Tech Security Methods

• Retinal Scans Voice, Palm or Fingerprints
• Special monitoring cameras
• Monitoring Services (Securexam)

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Integrity Analysis Online Chapter Exams PHY
212 Spring 2009
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Contact Information
Feedback and Suggestions are Welcome! Peter J.
Jeschofnig, PhD pjeschofnig_at_coloradomtn.edu Ins
titute for Excellence in Science Education
Peter_at_IEDSE.org www.IEDSE.org
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Appendices
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Laboratory Report Grading Rubric Title of
Report Authors names
Grading Rubric Point Allocation for Lab Reports
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Grading Rubric Point Allocation for Lab Reports
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Grading Rubric Point Allocation for Lab Reports