Moving the Laboratory Online: Challenges and Options

The question of how to move science-based labs online has been one of the main obstacles associated with the development of online science programs. In the spring of 2006 and again in 2007, we presented online workshops broadly based around the central theme of Moving the Lab Online. Produced by the Sloan-C, the two workshops looked at a number of issues associated with the challenges of moving science labs into the online environment. Each of the workshops was developed based on our experience with the Integrated Laboratory Network (ILN) initiative, an initiative to provide anytime/anyplace access to advanced scientific instrumentation, expertise, and supporting curricular materials. The first workshop, entitled “Practical Techniques for Utilizing Remote Instrumentation to Enhance Science Education,” focused primarily on the technical aspects of using remote instrumentation. The second, entitled “Changing the Laboratory Learning Experience Using the Online Environment,” looked at issues associated with teaching online labs using remote instrumentation. Although different in their focus, a number of similar themes emerged. These ranged from a need to better articulate the role of the laboratory experience to questions of whether labs even need to be part of the online science learning experience, to the need for the development of best practices. In this paper, we discuss and expand upon some of the prominent themes that emerged from the Moving the Lab Online workshops