Educational Research

This case study describes an innovative and successful rework of a biochemistry lab assessment process at De Montfort University for a large, diverse student cohort. The new format had inclusivity, authenticity and student co-creation in mind throughout, and used various forms of dialogic and peer feedback in a flipped classroom. LearnSci LabSims were a key part of this approach, helping students learn and develop relevant scientific skills at their own pace ahead of formative and summative case study work.

An exploration of the use of Smart Worksheets as an assessment in two second-year practical courses, replacing written report assessments.

J. McCartney and colleagues from the University of the Western Cape report on the benefits of rolling out LabSims and Smart Worksheets on their pharmacy students. They observed higher levels of student comfort in using the scientific equipment, allowing them to focus on the underlying scientific concepts rather than basic kit function when precious lab time was available to them.

This report describes the innovative use of formative–summative paired laboratory assessments in chemistry and demonstrates an association between student engagement with formative online assessments and summative attainment.  For both gravimetric analysis and titration pairs, students who engaged with the formative assessment scored significantly higher in the corresponding summative assessment. Additionally, students who engaged with both formative assessments scored significantly higher in mid-module and end-of-module tests than students who did not.

This collaboration between educators at the Universities of Sydney and Leicester asked a large Year 1 chemistry cohort whether and how students believed LearnSci LabSims impacted their laboratory experience. Through both quantitative (N=419) and free-text (N=373) survey responses, a firm majority of students expressed positive impacts which included motivation from feedback and help visualising the techniques and easing them into the lab.

Richard Blackburn and colleagues from the University of Leicester integrated LabSims into a first year chemistry module to help students practice experiments, make mistakes and receive feedback before their lab sessions. Students were highly engaged with the simulations and provided very positive end-of-module feedback. They were also noticeably more confident, and achieved higher marks compared to a previous cohort.

A series of Smart Worksheets were introduced to a second year chemical kinetics course at the University of Bristol. These supported students in workshop preparation while allowing staff to tailor these sessions based on areas of strength and misunderstanding revealed by the Smart Worksheets. Students responded very positively to the Smart Worksheets, and their introduction resulted in higher-order thinking within the workshops and a significant increase in subsequent examination performance on kinetics questions

This study investigated student use and views of a Scientific Numeracy Smart Worksheet. This was introduced as a supportive and diagnostic resource to help students develop numeracy skills and identify areas for personal improvement.

Analytics data showed that students did well at ‘Displaying numbers’ and ‘Rearranging and solving equations’ sections, whereas ‘Graphs’ was an area students struggled with. Students who repeated the SNSW scored significantly higher and used the auto-solve feature significantly less on the second attempt (both p < 0.001). Students gave a high recommendation rating for this resource (8.2/10), with most students finding it helpful and pitched at the appropriate level.

Nicholas Harmer and Alison Hill from the University of Exeter successfully used LearnSci resources as part of a drive to effectively teach and assess practical bioscience amidst COVID-19 lockdowns. The laboratory simulations (LabSims) helped consolidate theoretical and practical concepts, and were well-received by students. Smart Worksheet tasks which were originally created to address poor performance in a challenging part of a biochemistry course were shown to effectively support students when using historical datasets for those unable to attend lab sessions.

Neil Williams from Kingston University introduced LabSims and Smart Worksheets as a way of closing the attainment gap his chemistry module was experiencing, by providing more opportunities to develop skills and confidence in students who had little previous lab experience before university.