Using Science Experiment Videos in the Online Classroom
Seeing is believing. Science students in an online environment must be able to see science to believe it. Through the use of technology, students have discovered that videos of science experiments can create a laboratory atmosphere in their homes. We will look at how science experiment videos can create an online lab experience like no other and enhance seated labs to be even better.
What started as a need to provide online students with a valuable laboratory experience has developed into an invaluable teaching tool in both online and seated courses. Science experiment videos are available in a variety of formats, unlimited content and are readily available when the students need them. The World Wide Web provides many educational tools and learning resources to help make school life easier.
The different formats of online science experiment videos vary from streaming video housed on an external server to downloadable media files that you save to your own computer. The benefit to the streaming video is the size of the file as you view it. It can be paused, rewound, or fast-forwarded at any time. This is particularly attractive to students in science courses that are rigorous in content. YouTube is a phenomenal website with many videos available with the option of uploading your own videos at no cost. Of course, what makes the site great also creates a problem. With no editing feature on YouTube, students must be warned not to believe everything they see on the site.
Another useful format of online videos is downloadable media files. Files can be downloaded, distributed on CDs and viewed offline. This is useful since some students may live in areas with limited internet access. Large media files present a problem that can easily be solved with fully downloadable files. The players for media files are free programs either installed on computers or easily accessed. Our college media department burned CDs containing required science experiment videos and sold them in our bookstore at a minimal cost to the students.
The content of science experiment videos is unlimited. Students in a variety of science courses can benefit from using videos of common, and not so common, experiments. Our biology department uses fetal pig dissection videos with much success. We offer streaming video and CD options for these labs. Our online instructor has created interactive applets for naming parts. We have synchronous Elluminate sessions where the instructor and students are online watching the video together. (Elluminate is webinar software, allowing instructors and students to interact with audio and/or video.) If viewing the video on their own, students are able to replay the video as often as needed until they understand the procedure. Our physics department uses videos of many concepts to replace the physical lab experiments. In a recent semester, we videotaped the actual demonstration in the lab. Seated students watched the demo live and online students watched the taped version. Both classes were given the same follow-up questions and assignment. The results from both groups were nearly identical.
The ability to recreate the experiment with relative ease has been an added benefit of using science videos like these . A common, time-consuming responsibility of science instructors is the setting up of laboratory experiments. By setting up the lab once and videotaping the experiment, the recreation of the experiment is unnecessary. For smaller schools with minimal science offerings, this could allow instructors much more freedom in choosing their experiments. Instructors will be able to conduct an optics laboratory experiment without a laser using a video of lasers and optics; incorporate high-powered microscopic slides without owning the microscope; and determine molar mass of a volatile liquid without being exposed to the vapor. The options are unlimited. Instructors have the option of creating videos with as much interaction as desired. The possibilities are endless!
In a time when college students use their computers more than their televisions, it is an opportunity to expand educational offerings and reach students in a new way. One way to reach students is to offer flexible scheduling. It is attractive to students to have the option of taking classes that fit their own schedule. By having science lab experiments available online, students have the flexibility to participate in the course on their own time. Seated students have the luxury or reviewing online materials after class or catching up on missed class time. Even if science experiment videos do not replace seated laboratory experiments, they can enhance learning by offering the opportunity for review. The benefits to students are great in number. The potential pitfall to this convenience would be students using the online component to replace attending class. It is important to realize that though online learning is a wonderful option for many students, it is not right for all students.
With an increasing volume of online learning opportunities, how can instructors meet the needs of the student and compete globally for enrollment? One way is to use our online resources, including science experiment videos. Realistically, the start-up of our video labs was time-intensive. Creating videos requires recording from all angles, voice-overs, and many hours of editing. However, the benefits of the end product far outweigh the pains.
Our goal as science educators is to promote scientific literacy and enhance the role of students as independent thinkers and active participants in science and society. We must focus on our objective…student learning. How can we aid students in achieving that outcome? In many cases, science experiment videos are a great tool for enhancing student success. The use of videos may not be right for every science course. Some courses may require on-site labs, as many online courses require on-site, proctored testing. Regardless of class format, the videos can either replace or supplement the laboratory experience.
Few schools, if any, have the luxury of having everything they need and enough money to buy what they don’t have. College enrollment is increasing across the state. On overcrowded campuses, using video lab experiments allow science lab classes to take place in regular classrooms as well as online. Equipment can be ‘virtually’ shared among schools will little effort. An online library of science experiment videos would provide a valuable teaching resource for science educators.
In conclusion, it matters less how to accomplish the task and more that the task is accomplished. Students’ learning is the common goal. The use of science experiment videos can remove boundaries, increase flexibility, and overcome financial barriers. Working together educators can engage, educate and retain science students.
Syndicate
Title
Test