Comparative Study of Hands-on and Remote Physics Labs for First Year University Level Physics Students

Abstract

With the present zeitgeist, science educators worldwide are developing robotically controlled lab equipment for students to use to perform science experiments remotely.Such use of shared resources, if pedagogically justified, has several advantages: there are cost savings (needing only one lab setup instead of a class set and reduced setup/takedown time); marginalized students, students in remote communities, and disabled students and students with care giving responsibilities can access labs; labs can offer flexibility in the timeframe in which the experiments can be conducted; experiments can be done collaboratively with others at remote locations; experiments can be re-run and refined by students; and a larger variety of experiments can be offered (including ones normally too expensive or dangerous).A pilot study was done comparing the performance of two groups of students conducting a typical first year university level physics lab using a traditional face-to-face lab format and the remote web-based science lab technology.No significant differences in the work the students produced were found.Student experiences with respect to a set of learning objectives derived from a meta-analysis of the literature were also investigated and no significant differences were found.One of the strengths of this study is that it uses a comprehensive set of science lab learning objectives, as opposed to previous research, which tends to focus on learning objectives relevant specifically to the technology being evaluated.A study is planned for a larger group of students so that results may be generalized for all post-secondary science students.