Opinion piece: non-traditional practical work for traditional campuses

Traditional practical work for higher education in STEM subjects is under pressure from rising student numbers and adesired increase in active learning. Investing in more buildings and staff is financially challenging, while stretching existing resources affects outcomes, health, and participation....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Higher education pedagogies 2020-01, Vol.5 (1), p.210-222
Main Authors: Drysdale, Timothy D., Kelley, Simon, Scott, Anne-Marie, Dishon, Victoria, Weightman, Andrew, Lewis, Richard James, Watts, Stephen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Active Learning
Asynchronous Communication
automation
Blended Learning
Computer Mediated Communication
Computer Simulation
experiments
Foreign Countries
Higher Education
Humanism
Laboratories
Learning Activities
Nontraditional Education
pooling
practical work
remote laboratories
Science Activities
Science Laboratories
simulations
STEM Education
Synchronous Communication
virtual laboratories
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Summary:Traditional practical work for higher education in STEM subjects is under pressure from rising student numbers and adesired increase in active learning. Investing in more buildings and staff is financially challenging, while stretching existing resources affects outcomes, health, and participation. A more pragmatic approach is to embrace a less instrumentalist view of practical work in physical spaces and instead adopt a critical post-humanist approach which mixes both humanity and technology to achieve a sum greater than the parts, not bound by the limits of either. We share the experiences of leading UK exponents of non-traditional laboratories in the four main categories of simulation, virtual laboratories, real-asynchronous, and real-synchronous activities, as well as experts in scaling digital education initiatives for university-wide adoption. We foreshadow opportunities, challenges and potential solutions to increasing the opportunity for active learning by students studying at traditional campuses, via the complementary addition of non-traditional practical work.
ISSN:2375-2696
2375-2696
DOI:10.1080/23752696.2020.1816845