Failing to prepare for laboratory sessions can often mean preparing to fail. Student lab sessions can involve complex, intensive, and even dangerous tasks, so staff must have confidence that the students participating in these lab sessions are prepared for the work ahead.
You may have heard of flipping the classroom - Talis Elevate allows you to flip the lab. When a lab manual is uploaded to Elevate, students can work together to understand what’s expected of them, before they ever set foot in a lab. Academic staff can steer their conversations, guiding students to a full understanding of the tasks they have been set. By working together, both staff and students can be assured that they understand both the mechanics and the purpose of a lab session before it ever begins.
Using Talis Elevate’s powerful analytics features also allows staff to verify that students have meaningfully engaged with lab material prior to the session beginning. This gives staff the opportunity to engage with students who may be falling behind, and offer support.
Suggestions
- Upload your lab manual to Talis Elevate at least 48 hours in advance of your lab session.
- Separate your lab manual week by week, or session by session, to ensure your students clearly understand what’s expected of them.
- Ask questions of your students, either in the text of the lab manual itself or via Elevate, and check their understanding
- Make it clear that familiarising themselves with the lab manual is a vital part of the course