Laboratory Teaching

Many labs take the form of "cookbook investigations" where students perform routine experiments that yield well-known results. However, this approach often stymies anticipation and curiosity, and offers little incentive to think or be creative. Where possible, effective laboratory environments should be learner-centred, with students playing an active role in building their own knowledge and understanding. Teaching staff should act as facilitators, and learning tasks should take the form of authentic problems that connect theory with reality, acting as triggers for self-directed investigations (either practically or through further research).

Importantly, the learning context should be complex and challenging, requiring higher-order thinking skills such as application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Taking a more enquiry-oriented approach, students could be asked to:

• observe a phenomenon, and then ask questions and devise a testable hypothesis or model
• carry-out an experimental strategy and gather data and evidence
• critically analyse their results, and refine approaches to enhance the quality of their data
• reach conclusions about the validity of their hypotheses
• decide whether more experiments are needed to answer the original questions
• if new questions have arisen during the course of the investigation, whether more experiments are needed to answer them
• communicate explanations and conclusions based on their evidence

Once you have identified your lab's main objectives and goals, you will need to turn these into intended learning outcomes. These learning outcomes define the skills a student will have acquired and will be able to do upon successfully completion the lab. They should be expressed from the students’ perspective and be measurable and achievable.

Laboratory classes are often timed to coincide with module topics, so that practical experiences mirror the theory. However, this isn't always achievable due to timetabling and physical lab constraints, and so extra efforts must be made to help students draw links between the two (both within the module and more broadly across the programme).

Three popular types of lab activity, and their design considerations, include:

• Demonstrations: used to illustrate a particular concept or theory, or to demonstrate a piece of equipment and how it works. These passive “show and tell” labs could be made more interactive by asking students questions to prompt creative thinking.
• Exercises: used to teach a particular skill or technique by requiring students to follow a step-by-step guide to obtain a known outcome. This approach that tends to focus on procedure rather than enquiry, and could be improved by including a motivational element of autonomy (e.g. giving students a choice, such as which tools to use, or which experiments to perform, to achieve the desired result).
• Structured enquiries: students are presented with a problem or research question to answer, and
  given a range of equipment/materials to choose from to solve that problem. This approach encourages personal ownership and fosters independent research and application of theory.

You can also try flipping your labs, and reversing the traditional laboratory experience. Students can complete important lab activities before a session and then again afterwards, leaving valuable contact time for hands-on experience. For example, students could read lab instructions or watch health and safety videos before they arrive at the lab, confirming their understanding through a quiz. Afterwards, they could complete knowledge check quizzes to demonstrate learning and achievement. Recorded lab videos and simulated lab experiments (such as those offered by Learning Science and Jove) can also help reinforce experiences before and after real-world experiences.

In laboratory-based teaching environments, instructors and demonstrators are seen as the most important factor affecting the student learning experience. Both need to know and review the lab's experiments before a session, plan clear explanations, and create questions to stimulate student thinking. In addition, it is the responsibility of the lab leader(s) to ensure that all safety requirements are followed.

Leading a laboratory session has particular challenges and opportunities that differ from those of a standard lecture or seminar. Instructors and demonstrators should seek to:

• Create lab assignments at least one week in advance
• Rehearse any procedures and experiments
• Make sure that your lab requirements are clear and feasible
• Check that the desired results are achievable in the time permitted
• Make sure any necessary resources and materials are available and ready
• Double-check that any lab assistance you require is in place
• Preparation, prior to the start of the lab, should also include becoming acquainted with the lab itself (i.e. where things such as lab materials and the first-aid kit are).

Instructors and demonstrators should also consider the following questions:

• Are you familiar with the lab requirements, and what is expected of students?
• Are you familiar with the materials and equipment needed?
• Have you made allowances for any special safety or accessibility considerations?
• How will you monitor student progress in the lab?
• Where might students run into difficulty completing their experiments?
• What kinds of questions should you ask to stimulate thinking and encourage deeper understanding of the experiment?
• If applicable, how will you help lab pairs/groups work together well?
• If applicable, how will you clearly communicate lab assessment criteria used in grading student work?