Performing Department
Biological Systems Engineering
Non Technical Summary
Laboratory-based courses are a vital part of food, agricultural, natural resources, and human (FANH) sciences curricula because they help students connect theories to applications and build both practical skills and conceptual knowledge. Studies show that laboratory activities enhance students' conceptual understanding and improve cognitive growth. However, many students struggle to gain access to laboratory facilities and physical experiments for a variety of reasons, including shrinking financial resources and scarcity of expensive laboratory equipment at many universities. Further, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many institutions were forced to switch to virtual classes and halt in-person laboratory activities. In this project, we will design, develop, and deploy low-cost yet user-friendly paired virtual and remote laboratories (VR-Labs) for undergraduate and graduate-level food science and engineering courses, and we will assess the effectiveness of the VR-Labs on student learning. We aim to develop web-based virtual laboratories (VL) and remote laboratories (RL) for food science and engineering related topics. The project will bring together educators and scientists from five institutions (i.e., Washington State University, Cornell University, Cal Poly Pomona, The Ohio State University and Rutgers University) with complementary experience in the teaching of food science, food engineering, and food packaging and processing technology courses. The team members also complement each other with expertise in the areas of component design and fabrication, computer simulation, student learning pedagogy, instructional design and effective delivery techniques. The development of virtual and remote laboratories (VR-Labs) will provide a promising solution to support education in the FANH sciences and provide equal access to all, including students in online degree programs and students with physical disabilities that prevent them from accessing laboratory buildings. Virtual laboratories (VL) will be built using commonly used software programs on personal computers that will allow users to perform experiments in simulated lab environments. We will utilize the latest educational tools, such as computer animation, simulation, student learning management system, and student discussion forums in VL. The VR-Labs will advance the students mastery of theoretical and practical knowledge in the areas of food science and engineering. We will develop low-cost, take-home kits that replicate laboratory equipment using inexpensive scale models. We will employ simple devices and sensor technologies that will facilitate the development of low-cost experimental take-home kits for use in the RL. A variety of tools, including 3D printers and CNC machine will be utilized to fabricate parts for the laboratory kits. Each of the eight paired online modules and take-home kits will be implemented, at least by two of the ten participating institutions across the nation, namely Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Chapman University, Cal State-LA, Illinois Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, North Carolina State University, University of Georgia Athens, University of Florida Gainesville, University of Wisconsin - Stout, and San Jose State University. A comprehensive evaluation plan will assess the effectiveness of the VR-Lab exercises in order to improve the course curriculum and instruction; to attract, recruit, and retain qualified and diverse students; and to prepare graduates with the knowledge and skills to meet the demands of the workplace. The project outcomes will be disseminated to a large national audience of stakeholders and policymakers. We will disseminate information related to VR-Lab exercises to peers in academia through journal publications, professional conference presentations, and share major findings on social media. Our project outcomes will also promote access to education for traditionally under-represented groups and improve the education quality of FANH sciences programs in 1862 and 1890 institutions by implementing VR-Lab modules at these institutions. The VR-Lab is a form of assistive technology that has potential to help reduce educational inequalities and promote access to learning for all, regardless of location, disability, or social status. The VR-Labs are ideally suited for Gen-Z learners. For conventional on-campus education programs in FANH sciences across the nation, our VL will be flexible and cost effective for combination with physical experiments in hybrid or mixed-reality laboratories. Our RL can supplement existing campus laboratory experiments and can also help students gain hands-on experience while conducting their laboratory experiments away from campus settings. Ultimately, this practice of utilizing VR-Labs will promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education by providing teaching and learning tools with greater accessibility and at lower cost to all tertiary educational institutions in the United States.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Laboratory-based courses are a vital part of food, agricultural, natural resources, and human sciences curricula because they help students connect theories to applications and build both practical skills and conceptual knowledge.In this project, we will design, develop, and deploy low-cost yet user-friendly paired virtual and remote laboratories (VR-Labs) for undergraduate and graduate-level food science and engineering courses, and we will assess the effectiveness of the VR-Labs on student learning. We aim to develop web-based VL and at-home experimental kits (RL) for food packaging-related topics. The project objectives are to: 1) design and develop low-cost VR-Labs for undergraduate and graduate-level food science and engineering courses, 2) test the VR-Labs at four (4) collaborating institutions, 3) deploy VR-Labs at ten (10) cooperating institutions, 4) assess impact/effectiveness of the VR-Labs on student learning. This project advances the status quo of virtual laboratories by combining them with hands-on experimental kits. Our project outcomes will also promote access to education for traditionally under-represented groups and improve the education quality of FANH sciences programs in 1862 and 1890 institutions by implementing VR-Lab modules at these institutions. The VR-Lab is a form of assistive technology that has potential to help reduce educational inequalities and promote access to learning for all, regardless of location, disability, or social status.
Project Methods
Design and develop low-cost VR-Labs for undergraduate and graduate-level food science and engineering coursesVirtual laboratories (VL): We will develop online modules for eight different laboratories. The themes of the laboratory experiments will be based on common topics in food science and engineering and packaging courses. We will develop computer simulation and visualization modules for each laboratory, including text (as HTML), graphics, and animation and/or video-based information (as a movie file) to navigate the students through the procedures, data collection and analyses, and report preparation.We will incorporate innovative technologies into the instructions, including a student response system, virtual discussion forum, Panopto, Adobe Animate, and VoiceThread. The module will also include a brief background about the laboratory topic, learning outcomes, pre- and post-lab assessment surveys, and a short quiz. The simulation and visualization modules will be concise (10-15 minutes of engagement time) to maintain the students' attention. Theoretical aspects of each laboratory topic will be covered in the lecture portion of the courses and a brief background will be included in the module.Remote laboratories (RL): We will develop eight paired take-home experimental kits corresponding to the VL, with ten to twelve replicas of each kit. The take-home kits will provide hands-on experience with qualitative observation and data collection, while the online modules will provide quantitative learning with reliable datasets for analysis and synthesis. At-home experimental kits will be designed to ensure students' safety and detailed instructions will include safety communications as needed. The kits will consist of commercially available low-cost scientific devices and sensors. Some special components will be fabricated in the WSU Engineering Workshop (EW) and modified as needed after two rounds of testing and assessment. Kits will be designed and assembled at WSU. All co-PDs will provide feedback on the prototypes prior to developing the kits with 10-12 replicates.For each laboratory experiment, coupled with watching VL and conducting the RL, the completion time will be less than two hours with one extra hour will be expected (included in the instruction for students) for proper pre- and post-experiment preparations and clean-up. Although some experiments (e.g., shelf-life study, measurement of water vapor transmission) may require periodic readings over a few days, this practice will not differ from similar experiments performed during the in-person campus laboratory assignments.Test VR-Labs at collaborating institutionsInitially, a small number of students at the collaborating institutions will be recruited to test the laboratory simulation modules and at-home experimental kits. We will adjust the experimental kits and refine the simulation modules based on the student and co-PDs feedback. Once satisfied, the PD and co-PDs will incorporate the VR-Labs into the relevant courses they teach at their institutions. Each collaborating institution will incorporate at least two laboratory exercises. The entire class will participate in testing of the virtual laboratories; however, a sub-set of the students will take part in testing experimental kits. This sub-set is due to the limited availability of the experimental kits (with 10-12 kits for each lab). Student groups at the different institutions will perform selected laboratory exercises and follow one or more testing and evaluation plans. These include: (1) VL exercises prior to conducting in-person sessions at the university campus, (2) VL exercises prior to conducting the same session at home using the experimental kit, (3) no VL exercise prior to conducting in-person sessions at the university campus, and (4) no VL exercise prior to conducting the exercises at home using the experimental kit. The design of these four scenarios will allow us to compare and analyze the effectiveness of the VL prior to the RL and to validate the RL versus on-campus laboratories using advanced instruments. The testing and evaluation will be conducted at all co-PDs' institutions with enough students to gain reliable data. We will secure appropriate IRB approvals prior to these educational experiments. The take-home kits will facilitate qualitative learning, while the VL modules will mirror the quantitative learning experiences. The kits will provide hands-on and open-design experiences, and the simulation modules will provide reliable datasets for more in-depth data analysis in correlation with the working principles and testing of 'What-if' scenarios. Such testing will allow us to evaluate whether using a VL exercise prior to conducting an in-person session can also enhance the students' experimental self-efficacy, i.e., their ability to organize and execute courses of action by the pre- and post-lab survey and the quiz associated with the particular laboratory.Refinement of the experimental kits and modules: Participating student and instructor feedbacks will inform us of the need to institute improvements to the at-home experimental kits, simulations, and visualization modules. This feedback may include issues such as the supply of adequate materials/components, selection of alternate materials/components for improved accuracy of the experimental data, ease of use or safety concerns, user-friendliness of the simulation modules, and clarity of instructions, graphics, animations, or refinement of the videos.Deploy VR-Labs at cooperating institutionsTen (10) cooperating universities that offer undergraduate and graduate courses have agreed to implement one or more VR-Lab exercises in their courses (see letters of collaboration). We will ship the designated experimental kits to these participating institutions and provide them access to all VL modules. Students participating in the implementation of the VR-Labs will complete questionnaires and quizzes associated with exercises. We will analyze effectiveness in student learning based on the feedback from the participating students and instructors.Assessment of the impact of the VR-Labs on the student learningWe will systematically assess the quality of the student learning in individual courses using both formative and summative assessment methods. We will evaluate the impact of new instructional methods (i.e., use of virtual and remote laboratory exercises) on the student learning by comparing the assessment results of the student groups as above.Student and instructor feedback will be collected via surveys and will be used to assess the effectiveness of the instructional approach for conducting VR-Labs. We will also use the student laboratory reports, quiz scores, and questionnaire surveys for the learning outcome assessments on the courses and programs. The students will submit their laboratory reports by the week following the completion of the virtual, remote, and/or physical laboratories, based on the educational experimental design (four scenarios mentioned above). The quizzes and survey questionnaires will be given at the start, end, and then two weeks after a given laboratory exercise is performed in order to assess both the immediate and delayed outcomes. Student learning will be examined by comparing the scores in pre-lab and post-lab surveys using multivariate analyses of variance with data obtained from the different student groups. Concomitant statistics, including the effect of the class sizes, standard errors, and p-values will be obtained and reported.