Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia
Picture this: you're teaching an undergraduate science lab, hoping to spark curiosity, enthusiasm and develop crucial skills. But instead, you're drowning in a sea of mediocre lab reports, plagiarism headaches, and a mountain of marking. Sound familiar? We've been there too. That's why we decided to shake things up with interactive oral assessments (IOA).
In this post, we will explore how IOA can transform your STEM labs and breathe new life into laboratory classes and assessments.
Love the lab, loathe the lab report
Traditional lab reports, which are ubiquitous in STEM courses, often turn exciting experiments into tedious paperwork. In our second-year genetics lab classes, we noticed students struggling to connect theory with practice. The lab became just another box to tick, rather than a vibrant and engaging learning space. Worse still, during marking, we couldn't tell if poor reports stemmed from failed experiments or misunderstood concepts. Something had to change!
Enter the 'mini-IOA' - 5-10 minute, semi-structured conversations between students and tutors. These mini-IOA replaced the written reports and effectively assessed the students' grasp of theory, result interpretation, troubleshooting skills and understanding of theoretical content in the practical context.
We've discovered several key advantages to this approach. First off, they mirror real-world scientific discussions, giving students a taste of industry-level communication. Students also receive immediate feedback, allowing tutors to correct misunderstandings on the spot - no more waiting weeks for graded papers. The semi-scripted nature of mini-IOA lets us dive into personalised content exploration, adapting to each student's needs and providing us with a net to identify students who are struggling with course content. Plus, the interactive format boosts active participation and deeper engagement with the material. And here's a bonus in our AI-driven world: they're virtually GenAI-proof!
From 'Uh-Oh' to 'Aha!': Navigating the IOA Learning Curve
Implementing mini-IOA wasn't all smooth sailing, but we've learned a lot along the way. Student anxiety emerged as our first hurdle, so we introduced a practice IOA in the first lab.
Our students appreciated the chance to get their feet wet before the real deal. Consistency among markers was another concern, prompting us to beef up our training program. We created instructional videos and set up a buddy system for new tutors, ensuring everyone was on the same page. To maintain academic integrity while keeping things fresh, we developed a diverse question pool complete with model answers and follow-up questions. This approach encourages critical thinking and prevents predictability. Lastly, we tackled unclear expectations by revamping our marking rubric and creating exemplar videos. Now students can clearly see what we're looking for in top-notch performances. With these tweaks, we've turned challenges into opportunities for growth and improvement.
Chatter Matters: Oral Assessments Boost Laboratory Engagement and Performance
To really understand how these mini-IOA were working, we dug deep into course evaluations, student performance data, survey responses, and focus group discussions. Satisfaction scores have jumped significantly across the board, particularly in areas like assessment usefulness and feedback quality. The student comments have been particularly insightful – they're finding these conversations more valuable than traditional lab reports, appreciating the chance to "talk it out" rather than just write it down.
The opportunity to discuss problems in-person has helped students grasp concepts more thoroughly compared to passive approaches like reading or watching recordings. As one student put it, "The IOA was a good opportunity to clarify points of confusion or not enough understanding while also testing my quality of knowledge of what I have learned." Another shared, "It's all done in a few minutes and being able to talk to someone and ask questions is a lot nicer than trying to figure out what to put in a report." Students have embraced the mini-IOA format, appreciating its impact on their lab work. One student captured the general sentiment: "I enjoyed the more casual approach that the mini-IOA had, and they allowed me to engage more actively with the course content covered”.
The benefits extend beyond individual learning. This interactive approach has created a more social learning environment, strengthening connections not just between students and teaching staff, but among peers too. We were particularly pleased to see that both international students and those with English as an additional language performed just as well as their peers. While some students initially felt nervous about the oral format, this anxiety typically decreased as they became more familiar with the process. Best of all, we've seen significant improvements in both laboratory and theoretical assessment marks, suggesting that these conversations are helping students grasp the bigger picture of what we're teaching.
Lab Coats Off, Thinking Caps On: Reimagining Assessment with IOA
In this evolving educational landscape, particularly with the rise of generative AI, innovative approaches like IOA demonstrate the value of rethinking traditional assessment methods. For educators looking to enhance student learning and engagement in laboratory settings, IOA offer an intriguing alternative. They foster active participation, provide timely feedback, and help develop crucial communication skills that prepare students for real-world scientific work.
Interested in learning more or implementing IOAs in your own courses? We'd be happy to share more about our experience and discuss how this approach might work in your context. Reach out and we can talk nerdy!
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The HERDSA Connect Blog offers comment and discussion on higher education issues; provides information about relevant publications, programs and research and celebrates the achievements of our HERDSA members.
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