Study of 2,100+ students and educators reveals shifting enrollment from on-campus to online labs and offers strategies to enhance student preparedness and engagement across both learning environments.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Sept. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Science Interactive, a leader in supporting effective science education, released findings from its second Annual Lab Report: The State of Online & On-Campus Science Labs this week. The data in this report comes from the surveys of 295 science deans & department chairs and instructors as well as 1,878 students participating in online and on-campus lab courses.
Findings show that while demand for online learning grows, the lines between online and on-campus learning continue to blur. In fact, with enrollment in on-campus lab courses continuing to decrease, institutions are rethinking the way they deliver courses and increasingly embracing online learning as a way to boost enrollment.
Key findings include:
- Enrollment Trends: More than half of administrators indicated enrollment declines in on-campus lab courses since 2021, while nearly three-fourths report steady growth in online lab courses, much of which can be attributed to dual enrollment and pre-health science students. To respond to increasing student demand, 39% of deans/department chairs plan to increase the number of lab courses offered online.
- Top Challenges: For both online and on-campus lab courses, administrators, instructors, and students agree that the biggest challenges are a lack of student confidence and preparedness. Nearly 80% of administrators and instructors said that students are not prepared because they lack prerequisite knowledge needed for their courses, while nearly three-fourths also cite student engagement as a key challenge.
- Lab Modalities in Online Labs: The majority of instructors and students report satisfaction with online lab courses, and cite hands-on labs as critical for ensuring quality. In fact, an overwhelming majority—84% of administrators, 90% of instructors, and 82% of students—said hands-on labs provide students with better opportunities to gain the knowledge they need to be successful in the course. Both instructors and students agree that a mix of hands-on with virtual simulations create an engaging and effective lab course that supports better outcomes.
- Pre-labs in On-Campus Labs: Two-thirds of instructors use pre-lab assignments, and 84% of students feel they are effective. Yet despite their widespread use and being viewed as effective by both instructors and students, they don't appear to directly address the most pressing challenge: a lack of student preparedness.
"Programs should be looking for effective and engaging ways to differentiate and attract students while delivering high quality learning experiences, regardless of where students are learning from. Our goal with this research was to shed light on those opportunities. We focused on the administrator, instructor, and student experiences in both online and on-campus labs, effective strategies for overcoming key challenges, as well as the importance of providing students with the right tools and resources to support their success both online and on-campus," commented SI's Chief Academic Officer, Caitlin Runne-Janczy, PhD.
In addition, findings surfaced important opportunities for better supporting students. For example, 83% of students said that a virtual pre-lab that included an actual simulation of a trial experiment would help them feel more prepared for an in-person lab. Similarly, students in online labs said that incorporating a hands-on component helped them learn more and provided a lab experience comparable to that of an on-campus experience—the most engaging approach being a mix of both hands-on with virtual simulations.
As one full-time student shared, "All of my labs were fully in person except for my A&P lab. This was entirely online. But I still completed actual dissections of a sheep brain, cow eyeball, and fetal pig. This was a great experience for me, and I learned way more and actually retained the information." Another full-time biology student said, "The virtual simulations help me learn due to less fear of critical errors, and I can repeat experiments until I get it, which helps me learn better."
In addition to different approaches for supporting students, the report also offers key considerations and practical takeaways, informed by instructor and student responses, for delivering engaging and effective lab experiences both online and on campus. To learn more, register for the live webinar, Blending Boundaries: Navigating the Evolving Landscape of STEM & Online Learning, which will cover more findings from the report in depth as well as broader key trends in online learning from the Quality Matters CHLOE 9 report.
Science Interactive makes science education accessible to all students, no matter where they're learning from. Our complete lab solution combines customizable kits, a rigorous digital curriculum, and cutting-edge technology that makes it easier to create and deliver a hands-on lab experience for students in online and on-campus courses. Over 800 institutions nationwide partner with Science Interactive to expand access to their science programs, increase student engagement, and improve success rates.
Media Contact
Lauren O'Brien, Science Interactive, 1 7082504622, [email protected], https://www.scienceinteractive.com/
SOURCE Science Interactive
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