5.2 Reflecting on best practices in teaching with virtual labs
Watch
Watch the video above, where Prisca Byukusenge reviews some of the most important principles you've learned during this course and encourages you to reflect on the best practices you can adopt in your own STEAM teaching with virtual labs. As you watch the video, compare the range of practices she recommends with your own current teaching practice—which approaches might work for your students and in your teaching context?
Read
To further expand your knowledge on the best practices in teaching STEAM with virtual Labs, read through the following resources.
Virtual Labs implementation model predicts future STEM plans
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED635875.pdf
Collaborative Virtual Learning in Education in STEM Education
Download the article
Review
Virtual labs and simulations are considered an authentic form of assessment particularly well-suited to online learning. For a deeper review of authentic assessment in online education, read Chapters 1 and 7 of the open-access book below.
Chapter 1: The Big Picture A Framework for Assessment in Online Learning
Chapter 7: Planning an Assessment and Evaluation Strategy—Authentically
You might download the entire book or bookmark it to read online later.
Assessment Strategies for Online Learning: Engagement and Authenticity
https://www.aupress.ca/books/120279-assessment-strategies-for-online-learning/
Explore - optional
The PhET team has also prepared a virtual workshop to guide you through the full lesson planning process, with strategies for facilitating your simulation-based class. It includes many of the best practices you've seen in this course and would make a useful summary of integrating virtual labs in STEAM teaching.
The PhET team estimates the entire workshop will take about 6 hours to complete, so this Explore activity is optional. However, if you aren't sure where to start with your lesson planning or would like to learn more about the process, consider spending some time to review part (or all) of the workshop, including the video demonstrations of facilitation. You might also bookmark the page for later.
Facilitating PhET simulation use
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/teaching-resources/virtual-workshop/facilitating-phet-sim-use
Respond
In this second discussion for Module 5, you'll be asked to reflect on everything you've learned in this course, as well as your experience in teaching and supporting your students, and share your own personal best practice. It might be something broad and universal, or it might be narrow and specific - we need practices of both kinds. Together, we can build a shared directory or guidebook of best practices!