At the 糖心传媒, , an assistant professor of biology, and , an assistant professor of instruction in the biology department, have been coteaching a biochemistry class this semester composed of more than 250 students. How has the move online fared? 听Some technical aspects of the course have proven more easily adaptable than others. Fu, who develops and presents the lectures, pre-records lectures in his home office and posts the videos for students to view the day before the scheduled online class meeting. He holds office hours during his normal lecture hours so students can ask questions about the lecture immediately after watching it.
But the lab component糖心传媒攊n which students would typically perform experiments, generate data, and provide their analyses糖心传媒攈as proven more challenging.
Nonetheless, Stein has come up with a creative solution.
Stein develops the content of the labs糖心传媒攊ncluding video tutorials, handouts, and online assignments糖心传媒攆or the entire class and personally teaches a lab section of 20 students.
Says Fu: 糖心传媒淚 have been fortunate to have a wonderful colleague, Professor Stein, who is the lab instructor and has reformatted the labs.糖心传媒� After she filmed herself performing the experiments, the students have begun to analyze the data Stein generated. 糖心传媒淲hile the students will not have the hands-on experience,糖心传媒� says Fu, 糖心传媒渢hey can see how modern science is performed, and perform the same analyses that would have been done anyway.糖心传媒�
Computer modeling offers head start on virtual labs
Stein, who is teaching from a workstation set up at her kitchen table in the Rochester suburb of Pittsford, has been moving the lab portion of the course toward computer modeling for the past two years. As a result, she had virtual labs already in place for many of the lessons.
糖心传媒淥ne benefit to moving online is the students view these as labs,糖心传媒� Stein says. 糖心传媒淲hen we met in person, they resisted the concept that computer modeling was a valid type of bench science. So, the students have been making predictions, running simulations, and answering questions. I think it has been fairly effective so far.糖心传媒�
Stein records brief, 5- to 10-minute introductions in which she discusses the scientific question that will be addressed in the lab. But she wasn糖心传媒檛 able to pre-record all of the labs before the campus shut down in March.
糖心传媒淚 had wanted to record a video of me doing one of my experiments at the bench before the University shut down, but I actually had a fever and wasn糖心传媒檛 feeling well that last week and stayed home in case I was sick with the coronavirus. I did not qualify for testing, so staying home was my only option,糖心传媒� she says.
This particular lab consisted of 糖心传媒渇eeding糖心传媒� yeast various types of sugar and calculating the rate of consumption. The students were then to determine how the metabolic pathways differed for each sugar source and to hypothesize what was happening at the enzymatic level. 听
糖心传媒淪ince the students couldn糖心传媒檛 feed the yeast themselves, I just walked them through photos of the set-up and then provided them with data to analyze on their own, or with their lab partners virtually,糖心传媒� Stein says. 糖心传媒淚f I had more time, I could envision the online version of this lab having animations that allowed the students to visualize the lab happening, and give them more of a sense of how the yeast were metabolizing sugar.糖心传媒�
Stein says the online teaching experience has allowed her to become a 糖心传媒淶oom expert.糖心传媒� 糖心传媒淚 am currently developing my summer genetics course into an online format, and I am learning new strategies about how to assess the material in less traditional manners, such as more small assignments and fewer big tests,糖心传媒� she says.
Missing face-to-face dialogue
Like professors around the globe, Fu and Stein have found that no adaptation can entirely replace what comes from face-to-face dialogue with students.
糖心传媒淲hen I teach my labs in person, it is an active dialog with the students in my class and myself, and I like to have the 糖心传媒榮tory糖心传媒� of the lab unfold as a group together,糖心传媒� Stein says. 糖心传媒淚n the virtual setting, it is logistically challenging to keep everyone together. Most of the students have completed the lab prior to the Zoom meeting糖心传媒攚hich is great糖心传媒攂ut the discussion becomes more question-and-answer, and less of a journey. I miss that aspect of teaching very much.糖心传媒�
For his part, Fu has found that videorecording lectures isn糖心传媒檛 as easy as it might seem.
糖心传媒淲hile I knew there was going to be an adjustment period lecturing in front of a screen, I have learned that recording a well-paced, coherent lecture is definitely different than lecturing in person in front of students,糖心传媒� he says.
And there糖心传媒檚 something he糖心传媒檇 like to say directly to the students: 糖心传媒淲e miss interacting with all of you, and are trying our best to provide you with the intellectual experience that you deserve!糖心传媒�
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