At the University of Glasgow's Chemistry department, we're passionate about supporting the student learning experience and have been seeking to understand and address the challenges and barriers that students face, particularly around their transition into the lab environment. The lab can be a daunting place, and we’ve observed that students often struggle with various aspects, from the large class sizes to unfamiliarity with equipment and general anxiety about entering the lab. We've been working to understand and alleviate these barriers that contribute to student anxiety and hinder confidence, with a particular focus on easing the transition into first-year labs. 

To tackle these issues, we developed e-resources designed to offer a virtual immersion into our Glasgow-specific labs. Our aim was to provide students with a preview of the lab setting, allowing them to familiarise themselves with the equipment, experimental setups, and safety protocols before they even set foot in the room. We adopted a multimedia approach, incorporating 360-degree views, interactive quizzes, and even simulations of typical lab noises. As Dr Smita Odedra, Senior Lecturer in the School of Chemistry, explains, "If you've not really been in a lab before, it can be a bit confusing and disorientating, because there's all different kinds of beeping and humming and buzzing going on and that can be quite unsettling for people who are sensitive to noise". By giving students an insight into the experience before going into the lab, we hope to settle them in better, lessen the fear factor and remove a layer of stress.

Our approach is very much student-centered. Final-year project students are involved in the research, creation and evaluation of these resources, and their perspective is really important in informing the project.  

The initial phase of our work focused on a specific first-year synthesis lab. We gathered feedback from students who had already completed the lab, asking them to reflect on how the e-resource might have influenced their experience had they had access to it. We also explored whether students struggle with cognitive load in relation to the lab. The response was encouraging, with many students indicating that the resource would have been beneficial in reducing anxiety and increasing their preparedness. At the time of writing, the e-resource has over 4500 interactions, showing that it’s clearly filling a need.

The success of this initial project has allowed us to secure further funding from the University of Glasgow to broaden the scope of our work. We’re now developing a new e-resource focused on lab safety, which will be accessible to all undergraduate students across all our labs. In addition to helping undergraduates, this new resource will also help to train our graduate teaching assistants and other staff members.

A key aspect of this project is the central role of our technical staff. We recognise their invaluable expertise and experience in the lab, particularly concerning safety procedures and common student errors. By tapping into their expertise and giving them the opportunity to contribute, we can ensure the resources are accurate, relevant, and practical.  

Beyond the lab-focused resources, we've also developed materials to aid students in their transition to higher education, specifically addressing the challenges of learning in lectures. This initiative reflects our holistic approach to student support, acknowledging the various factors that can impact academic success and well-being.  

Ultimately, our work is driven by a passion for creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment. Our goal is to address the challenges students face and provide  tools and resources that help remove these barriers, so students can feel more comfortable and like they belong.