Meeting Abstract
Computer simulations are great teaching tools, but they are often insufficient for teaching and learning concepts in the sciences. They tend to present over-simplified representations of the topic, and often limit the student’s ability to deviate from the expected path. In contrast, hands-on labs and activities let students learn science the way it’s actually conducted, by developing a hypothesis, setting up an experiment, collecting data, analyzing and interpreting the results. They can be messy and don’t always turn out as expected, but that’s the reality of how science progresses. But how do you offer students hands-on labs in an online course? The answer is to do the lab offline, using low-cost, easily obtainable materials, and have the students report back in the online environment. Yes, there are equipment limitations but, with creative lab design, most materials can be obtained from a pharmacy, grocery, or hardware store. I present a collection of low-tech, low-budget, high quality labs and activities that can be done safely by students working remotely, and offer a collection of strategies for verifying completion of the work and assessing student learning. These activities are free for you to use, share, and modify for your own purposes, and are suitable for an Introductory Biology course for majors or non-majors.
