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1. Comparison of the Effectiveness of In-Person and Remote Labs for Undergraduate Physics Students at an HBC

   Efe., F. (June 2023, American Society for Engineering Education, 2023. https://peer.asee.org/43284)

   Following the outbreak of COVID-19, conducting lab classes emerged as a major challenge. Just switching to remote only mode with virtual experiments and simulations was very limiting for both the instructors and the students. At an historically black university, an approach that integrated the hands-on experiments enriched by simulation resources with virtual follow up was adopted. The key advantages of this approach were access to equipment, flexibility on when and how experiments are conducted, and the curiosity driven engagement fostered. Though this approach lacks the in-person one-on-one engagement and use of specialized equipment in the lab, it established a different and, in some aspect, deeper student engagement. Development of troubleshooting skills and the confidence in setting experiments are a few key observations. In this study, we present a comparison of the efficacy of such remote integrated modes of conducting Physics experiments with in-person in laboratory teaching of undergraduate students, who are enrolled in the Introduction to Physics Experiment course participated at Morgan State University. We conclude that these two approaches are complementary to one another. 

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2. Student agency in chemical engineering laboratory courses across two institutions

   Svihla, V.; Wilson-Fetrow, M.; Chi, E.; Brown, J.; Wettstein, S.; Hubka, C.; Lopez, R.D. (July 2023, ASEE Annual Conference proceedings)

   Laboratory experimentation is a key component of the development of professional engineers. However, experiments conducted in chemical engineering laboratory classes are commonly more prescriptive than the problems faced by practicing engineers, who have agency to make consequential decisions across the experiment and communication of results. Thus, understanding how experiments in laboratory courses vary in offering students opportunities to make such decisions, and how students navigate higher agency learning experiences is important for preparing graduates ready to direct these practices. In this study, we sought to answer the following research questions: How do students perceive their agency in course-based undergraduate research experiences? What factors are measured by the Consequential Agency in Laboratory Experiments survey? To better understand student perceptions of their agency in relation to laboratory experiments, we first conducted a case study of a course-based research experience (CURE) in a senior-level chemical engineering laboratory course. We then surveyed six upper-division laboratory courses across two universities using an initial version of the Consequential Agency in Laboratory Experiments survey. We used exploratory factor analysis to investigate the validity of the data from the survey for measuring relevant constructs of authenticity, agency in specific domains, responsibility, and opportunity to make decisions. We found that with instructional support, students in the CURE recognized that failure could itself provide opportunities for learning. They valued having the agency to make consequential decisions, even when they also found the experience challenging. We also found strong support for items measuring agency as responsibility, authenticity, agency in the communication domain, agency in the experimental design domain, and opportunity to make decisions. These findings give us insight into the value of higher agency laboratory experiments, and they provide a foundation for developing a more precise survey capable of measuring agency across various laboratory experiment practices. Such a survey will enable future studies that investigate the impacts of increasing agency in just one domain versus in several. In turn, this can aid faculty in developing higher agency learning experiences that are more feasible to implement, compared to CUREs. 

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3. Consequential agency in chemical engineering laboratory courses

   Wilson-Fetrow, M.; Chi, E.; Brown, J.; Wettstein, S.; Svihla, V. (January 2022, Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference and Exhibition)

   In contrast to the dynamic treatment of other aspects of the curriculum, and despite being at the center of chemical engineering education, laboratory experiments have remained largely unchanged for decades. To characterize the potential impact changes to laboratory courses could have, we explored student perceptions across a department and characterized the kinds of opportunities students have to use their agency in these courses across universities. We used a survey to measure students’ sense of agency across several laboratory courses in a chemical engineering department. We found students in laboratory courses across the chemical engineering laboratory sequence, including those engaged in authentic course-based research did not perceive the experiments as agentive or authentic. We infer students draw upon abundant low-agency experiences in laboratory experiments. We report on the agency that instructors report students possessing across two chemical engineering departments to understand variation across institutions. Maximizing learning in laboratory courses may hinge on clearer communication about authentic experiments or systematic redesign of earlier courses. 

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4. Ocean Circulation Activity that Incorporates Inquiry and the Use of Real-World Data

   https://doi.org/10.58021/S5BC73  

   Black, Frank J. (January 2022, Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators (ISEE))

   Seagroves, Scott; Barnes, Austin; Metevier, Anne; Porter, Jason; Hunter, Lisa (Ed.)

   A multi-class period activity on the physical principals underlying ocean circulation was designed that utilizes real world data and inquiry pedagogies for use in an undergraduate, introductory oceanography course. Goals for the activity were for students to practice the scientific method, carry out an experiment of their own design, read and interpret real oceanographic data, and use their data, observations and relationships gleaned from these small-scale demonstrations, experiments, and activities to build an understanding of large-scale ocean circulation while practicing multiple inquiry process skills. Student outcomes related to both process skills and content knowledge improve as a result of the activity’s implementation, as indicated by a 14-percentage point increase in student scores on the same ocean circulation homework assigned in years before and after the new activity was created. During the COVID pandemic of 2020 this learning activity was taught in a hybrid classroom in which students could attend in-person or virtually; modifications to facilitate the successful use of the activity in this hybrid learning environment are described. 

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5. Complementary affordances of virtual and physical laboratories for developing engineering epistemic practices

   Nason, Jeffrey A; Gavitte, Samuel B; Koretsky, Milo D (June 2024, ASEE annual conference exposition)

   Professional engineering demands more than the ability to proficiently carry out engineering calculations. Engineers need to approach problems with a holistic view, make decisions based on evidence, collaborate effectively in teams, and learn from setbacks. Laboratory work plays a crucial role in shaping the professional development of university engineering students, as it enables them to cultivate these essential practices. A successful laboratory task design should provide students opportunities to develop these practices but also needs to adhere to the constraints of the educational environment. In this project, we explore how both virtual (simulation-based) and physical (hands-on) laboratories, based on the same real-world engineering process, prepare students for their future careers. Specifically, we seek to determine whether the virtual and physical laboratory modes foster different yet complementary epistemic practices. Epistemic practices refer to the ways in which group members propose, communicate, justify, assess, and validate knowledge claims in a socially organized and interactionally accomplished manner. To accomplish these objectives, we are conducting a microgenetic analysis of student teams engaging in both the virtual and physical versions of the same laboratory exercise, the Jar Test for Drinking Water Treatment. Jar testing is a standard laboratory procedure used by design engineers and water treatment plant operators to optimize the physical and chemical conditions for the effective removal of particulate contaminants from water through coagulation, flocculation, and settling. The central hypothesis guiding this research is that physical laboratories emphasize social and material epistemic practices, while virtual laboratories highlight social and conceptual epistemic practices. The goal is to gain transferable knowledge about how the laboratory format and instructional design influence students' engagement in epistemic practices. To date we have developed physical and virtual versions of the Jar Test laboratory, each built around the affordances of their respective modes. We have completed two rounds of data collection resulting in data from 21 students (7 groups of 3). The primary data sources have included video recordings and researcher observations of the teams during the laboratory work, semi-structured stimulated recall interviews with students and laboratory instructors, and student work products. Using discourse analysis methods within a sociocultural framework, we are addressing the following research questions: 1. In what ways and to what extent does conducting an experiment in a physical mode to develop a process recommendation influence students’ engineering epistemic practices? 2. In what ways and to what extent does conducting an experiment in a virtual mode to develop a process recommendation influence students’ engineering epistemic practices? 3. How do students in each laboratory mode respond to being “stuck”? Do students’ views on the iterative nature of science/engineering and their tolerance for mistakes depend on the instructional design afforded by the laboratory mode? While this study focuses on a process specific to environmental engineering, its findings have the potential to positively impact teaching and learning practices across all engineering and science disciplines that rely on laboratory investigations in their curriculum. 

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