Sorry to hijack the thread. I was wondering if you could give us some insight on how online labs are administered. This is my first time taking orgo lab online and I wanted to know how this will work.
Thank you.
Basically, there are three varieties of labs that are used for online or distance learning courses.
1.) Virtual labs, such as BeyondLabz (the BYU creation) and Labster. These are lab simulations in which a student uses the mouse to open/close the buret stopcock, pour a liquid from one container to another to make a dilution, do thin layer chromotography (TLC), etc. The software generates numbers and colors/observations that the student records and does calculations/plotting and answers questions. It costs about $40 for the software. In my opinion, it is a good introduction to lab techniques and 100% safe. It is well suited to students who need knowledge about lab techniques in chemistry, but hands-on is not a necessity (think dietetics, nursing, pre-PA, business of science, etc. students). I have been a "student" with a few of these software programs and I am rather impressed with the level of detail and realism. In my organic chemistry courses, I give students the option of using this type of software.
2.) Reading and answering questions. In this type of lab experiences, students read a lab manual (such as "Organic Laboratory Techniques") and answer questions about lab techniques such as "In paragraph 5 on page 230, it was mentioned that a distillation should never be carried out to dryness. Explain why." and "How would the retention time in the gas chromatogram be affected if the temperature of the column was increased?" The students may be asked to watch videos of the experiments (such as the synthesis of ferrocene and the acetylferrocene) and answer questions. With the current COVID-19 crisis, some schools are using this approach. It is not a new approach as some gigantic universities (with enrollments in the tens of thousands) use this approach for their pre-lab exercises and is mandatory before students come to an on-ground lab and begin an experiment. I think it is a good method and really helps save time (and the cost associated with breakage) when students are setting up delicate distillation apparatus, Schlenk equipment, etc.
3.) Lab kits (such as those from eScienceLabs, Science Interactive Group, and Carolina Biological). In these lab kits, students get to do experiments at home. Some examples are: determination of an empirical formula, synthesis of aspirin, gravimetric analysis, isolation of DNA, protein assays, etc. The experiments are pretty safe and relatively straightforward to do. There are videos to guide the students in doing the experiments. Students still collect data and observations as well as do calculations and answer questions. The lab kits cost anywhere from $100 to $350 for the more elaborate ones. I encourage students to work together using the lab kits. In my opinion, lab kits are the next best option if an on-ground lab is not possible. (Not all on-ground labs provide a good learning environment, but that is a discussion for another day...)
I hope this helps.
