The OpenSTEM Labs: delivering practical learning at a distance during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyo Home : ALT's Summer Summit 2020

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Wed, Aug 26 2020, 4:00pm – 5:00pm

Authors: Helen Lockett

Room: Creanor Seminar Room

Type: Parallel Session (30mins)

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Description

Session Description

This presentation will reflect on the Open University’s experience of delivering practical learning for STEM subjects at a distance during the COVID-19 pandemic

The OpenSTEM Labs are the Open University’s remote and onscreen laboratories that allow students to undertake hands-on practical learning at a distance. The OpenSTEM Labs allow STEM students in any location to access cutting-edge scientific equipment and data. They provide an inclusive approach to practical work without requiring students and tutors to be co-located in laboratories and observatories.

The OpenSTEM Labs began with the OpenScience Laboratory, launched in 2013 with funding from the Wolfson Foundation. The OpenScience Laboratory hosts remote analytical instruments, a variety of bench-top science experiments, and live data streams from instruments monitoring weather, tree growth, cosmic rays and chemical reactivity. This was later joined by the OpenScience Observatories consisting of two remotely operated optical telescopes and a radio telescope. The OpenEngineering Laboratory launched in 2017 and remote experiments in engineering, electronics, control, materials, and robotics. We provided over 50,000 student-hours of HE-level practical engagement during the last academic year across a variety of STEM subjects.

The pedagogy behind the OpenSTEM Labs project has successfully challenged the standard pedagogic model for experiential learning in Higher and Further Education, without compromising the role that practical work plays. Most of our activities are interactive, allowing students to use remote access connections, livestream video and/ or archival data for practical work.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the entire University sector has recognised the need to deliver learning remotely. Practical work is an essential part of many STEM subjects and the temporary closure of University campuses prevented students undertaking practical work in a laboratory environment. Even as University campuses begin to open up in the future, social distancing requirements will mean that fewer students can be accommodated in laboratories. As a result there has been widespread interest in delivering practical hands-on learning for STEM subjects remotely.

The presentation will introduce the OpenSTEM Labs concept and the pedagogy behind our remote and onscreen laboratories. The opportunities and challenges of delivering practical learning remotely will be discussed as well as reflections on our experience of delivering practical learning remotely through the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future.

References

1. Lockett, H. (2020). Using Remote and onscreen laboratories in online learning. [online] Design@Open. Available at: http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/design/using-remote-and-onscreen-laboratories-in-online-learning/ [Accessed 18/08/2020]
2. Anon. (2020). The OpenSTEM Labs Showcase. [online] The OpenScience Laboratory. Available at: http://learn5.open.ac.uk/course/format/sciencelab/section.php?name=osl_showcase [Accessed 18/08/2020]

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