Thoughts on Teaching a Lab

Students have started showing up in the lab - it is exciting to finally be getting the project started. This seems like a good point to talk a little about what faculty should consider in teaching a research lab like this. I have conducted similar in-person labs and while there is some similarity, there are also some issues unique to the online environment. In-person there was less of a class structure, students were assigned specific tasks and I made sure they understood enough about the project to do their task; I was available in person to help with any issues that came up. Online students are much more isolated and have a variety of levels of knowledge so it is more important to have a class in which to "bring them together" and have a mechanism to train them to handle any problem on their own. The students feel more like co-researchers and less like subordinates.

There is the need for preplanning and preparation of materials. In the current manifestation of the lab, the faculty members need to design the syllabus and set up the course. They need to have the IRB approval and all materials in place - otherwise students are wasting time waiting. It is the faculty's responsibility to make sure all IRB training has been completed by students and any additional paperwork is in. I strongly recommend having students sign a contract so they know what you are expecting from them and issues such as data ownership and publication issues are discussed. We have examples if anyone wants one - we incorporate it into our application for being a research assistant.

Organization is critical, you need to keep track of who has returned what forms, which recordings have been submitted and checked, who needs more training or closer supervision. I have several spreadsheets going all of the time with lists of students and notes on issues. I dedicate a flash drive to each project for all of the data so I can keep track of which recordings have been transcribed, submitted to the transcriptionist, and been analyzed. I keep them in separate folders on the flash drive. I try to enter quantitative data in SPSS as it comes in, otherwise it is easy to miss things.

I think it works well to have at least 2 faculty members on the project and in the lab - particularly with qualitative studies with interview recordings. It takes a lot of time to train the students in interviewing and requires listening to many practice recordings and giving feedback. Also, all participant interviews need to be checked so students can be informed if there are problems (and there are always some!). We always assign a faculty member to specific tasks so it is clear to everyone who has to be in charge of what.

A strong active presence by faculty in the classroom is essential. Students need and are looking for leadership in the unfamiliar environment of a research project. They feel very isolated but want to do a good job- so you want them to always be aware that you are there, available for questions, and have them feel accountable for their commitments to the project. Otherwise, the project will not be finished or data will be compromised. Have a discussion (and printed materials) on how to handle unforeseen issues while working with participants (critical with protected populations such as the elderly).

I think we have worked out a lot of the bugs in teaching a lab, but I am sure some new things will arise over the next 3 quarters. To echo Dr, Sickel - this is a unique, cutting edge opportunity, and I am really grateful to have the opportunity to be involved!

Lee Stadtlander