How Being Uncomfortable Helped This Western University Student Get Into Harvard
For years, Maximillian Soltysiak has been putting himself in uncomfortable situations to endure the growing pains of learning.
For years, Maximillian Soltysiak has been putting himself in uncomfortable situations to endure the growing pains of learning.
When teaching a science class, we often use experiences in the lab to foster critical thinking skills and reinforce the concepts we introduce in lectures. But with campuses closed, students cannot access the lab.
So what do you do? Is it better to forget about labs at all, or is there value in online or hands-on at home methods? This is what one study published by the Journal of Formative Design in Learning tells us.
Students who take lecture and laboratory concurrently outperform their lecture-only peers, regardless of whether that lab is face-to-face or non-traditional.
Online labs can range from simple videos and games, to graphing and 2D simulations, to interactive 3D virtual reality experiences. Simulations, as mathematical models of processes in the physical world, allow users to manipulate parameters and can be used by faculty to customize laboratories in various disciplines. Some examples include:
Source:
Rowe et al., Efficacy of Online Laboratory Science Courses (2017) Journal of Formative Design in Learning
This award-winning student’s lifetime of loving learning has led him to fighting COVID-19 and other healthcare problems alongside Canada’s leading figures.