The shift to remote learning as a result of COVID-19 has highlighted various issues with running information sessions, particularly when used as a replacement for practical classes in laboratory-based courses. There are several issues faced by students in these live video sessions, such as a difficulty focusing, unwillingness to participate due to the confrontation of speaking up in a group, and, particularly for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and other at-risk students, trouble understanding the content in a real-time situation. Feedback from remote students has also shown discontent with the level of resources available to supplement their learning, due to the absence of face-to-face practical classes, where they would have a greater level of individual support, and only providing a laboratory manual without the laboratory experience.
To help overcome these issues, the Centre for Learning and Teaching at the Australian National University is investigating the use of the open-source platform H5P to enhance laboratory manuals to improve student education. Leveraging H5P allows a greater learning experience to be afforded by providing more involved and engaging, self-paced resources that have the ability for students to self-assess their understanding through integrated formative exercises. Complex and supplementary content can also easily be incorporated and broken up into logical, coherent sections to reduce the risk of overwhelming students with large blocks of information, further encouraging student learning.
We will be showcasing our prototype for a first-year chemistry course and discussing how H5P can be used to provide a high-quality, well-rounded, interactive resource in your course.
