Journal of Learning and Teaching
Monitoring Learning within the Laboratory-Based Learning Environment Carla Gallagher, Sport and Exercise Science Abstract Monitoring of student learning is a huge challenge for faculty members teaching within the laboratory environment and can present the teacher with difficult situations. Although the laboratory based environment is designed to encourage more active student participation, it appears that students often find it difficult to establish the link between theoretical knowledge and laboratory based practice, leaving students confused and apathetic. Therefore, a need to monitor learning within this environment is key, as the question; ‘are students really learning?’ is raised. This paper explores various effective methodologies that could be employed in order to monitor learning within the laboratory environment.
Introduction As part of the assessment for a postgraduate certificate in learning and teaching (PGCert), I was asked to reflect upon my teaching and identify an area in which I felt my teaching itself and/or student learning could be enhanced. As it was my first semester of teaching I was given hours to teach on a first year undergraduate module, titled ‘Bioenergetics of the Exercising Human’. My role
learner with a ‘hands on experience’ is known to enrich the learning process by reducing the amount of time spent simply observing and visually learning from the teacher, encouraging active student participation. It has also been suggested that learning by ‘doing’ is not only effective but leads to greater understanding and retention of information (Randall and Burkholder, 1990) due to a direct action-to-reaction response (Feldmann and Hofinger, 1997).
was to teach students key concepts and skills they need within the
Sport and exercise physiology, a discipline of sports medicine
laboratory environment, skills which will be utilised continuously
that involves the study of the body’s response to physical stress
throughout the rest of their Sport and Exercise Science degree.
has employed the use of the laboratory environment for numerous
During my teaching hours it became slowly apparent to me that
years. It allows the learner to engage in activities such as study
although the module is well designed it has one major flaw, within
design, data collection, analysis and interpretation, in order to
the laboratory environment learning progress is poorly monitored.
gain a greater understanding of basic principles used within this
With the exception of two laboratory reports, both of which are
discipline. However, although it is suggested that this environment
summative assessments, one written mid-semester and one at
leads to greater retention of information, often learning is poorly
conclusion of the module, no other assessments take place to
monitored, therefore the teacher is left unaware of the student
monitor student progress. This therefore poses two key questions:
learning process and progress.
how do we know that students are learning from laboratory style methods? And how do we determine whether or not students are making the link between theory and practice? Formatively assessing students can be an important key in the process of monitoring student learning. In this paper the need for monitoring learning and why it is becoming of importance within higher education will be discussed; furthermore methods which can be utilised to enhance this process will be reviewed. Literature Review The laboratory-based environment is designed to encourage diagnostic and communication skills, in addition to providing a team approach to learning (Black and Smith, 2006). Providing the 2012 Series: Paper 3
It has been reported that often students exploring theory through laboratory experiments experience difficulty in integrating their understanding of concepts gained in the lecture with physical phenomena observed in the laboratory (Nakhleh, 1994). Friedler and Tamir (1990) report that students seem to experience four major difficulties in carrying out laboratory work; (1) an inadequate understanding of the basic concepts underlying the lab, (2) an inability to relate their observations to their theoretical knowledge, (3) an inability to order their observations so that irrelevant details are filtered out, and (4) weak links and even gaps in their knowledge which slow down students’ understanding or even mislead them. In addition to the findings of Friedler and Tamir (1990)