LabWrite is a resource
for students. But in order for students to get the full learning potential
from using LabWrite, lab instructors need to provide motivation and guidance
for their students. You can achieve the best results for your students
by offering four kinds of guidance:
1. Introducing students
to LabWrite
2. Assigning the PreLab before labs
3. Reminding students to use other parts
of LabWrite as appropriate
4. Grading lab reports
Introducing Students to LabWrite
Providing a formal introduction to LabWrite in
the lab class has two benefits. First, it gives students an overview
of the web site and shows them how to use it. Second, it sends the message
to students that LabWrite is an important part of the class and they
are expected to use it.
When to Introduce LabWrite in your Lab:
Deciding when to do the introduction to LabWrite
depends on the course curriculum and lab schedule. Most lab instructors
introduce LabWrite during the first week of labs. Because activities
during that first week are often limited to descriptions of schedules,
policies, safety, and other administrative issues, there is some time
for an introduction to LabWrite. Some lab instructors wait until just
before the first lab report is due, thus having the LabWrite materials
fresher in students’ minds as they work on their reports. Regardless
of when you choose to introduce LabWrite to your students, the introduction
will reinforce your commitment to the site and will encourage higher
participation from your students.
How to Introduce LabWrite:
There are several approaches you can take for
a formal introduction to LabWrite. You can use a Power
Point presentation that leads students through the major parts of
the site, including the Tutor. For a full treatment of how to introduce
students to LabWrite, including strategies and teaching materials, Click
here.
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Assigning the PreLab Before the Labs
In our interviews with students, many have identified
the PreLab as the part of LabWrite that contributes most to their learning
of science. The PreLab is designed to stimulate learning in two ways:
(1) It encourages students to focus on what they
are supposed to be learning by doing the lab—the scientific concept
of the lab; and (2) it initiates the process of thinking scientifically
about the upcoming lab. An additional value for students is that once
students complete a LabWrite PreLab, t hey have essentially written
all the components of the Introduction of their lab reports. When writing
their Introduction, all they will have to do is revise their answers
to the PreLab and put them in paragraph form.
Assigning the PreLab also has benefits for the
lab instructor. Asking students to email or otherwise turn in their
PreLab responses before the lab allows you to identify problems with
students’ understanding of the lab and to address those problems
before the lab begins. You may also ask students to bring their PreLabs
to the lab class and take a few minutes at the beginning of the class
for them to swap their responses, to identify any possible misunderstandings
in the responses, and then to discuss those misunderstandings in the
class as a whole.
You can click here
to find other tips for using the PreLab in your class.
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Reminding Students to Use Parts of LabWrite
as Appropriate
Especially early in the term, students may need
to be reminded to use parts of LabWrite. This reminder also reinforces
your expectation that students will use those parts. It is helpful to
remind students:
- To
answer the PreLab questions before the lab and to turn it in according
to your assignment
- To
use the InLab as they are working in the lab
- To
find and use LabWrite graphing resources appropriate to the lab
- To
use the PostLab for writing their reports (especially at the end of
the first couple of labs before students leave)
- To
use the LabChecklist as a guide for revising their reports before
they turn them in
- To
use the hot links on the LabCheck Evaluation Guide to help them understand
your evaluations on the grading rubric and to guide them in doing
better on the next lab report (when you hand back the graded reports)
Other helpful information is available for teaching
with InLab, PostLab, and LabCheck.
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Grading with LabWrite
Perhaps the most effective way of encouraging
students to use LabWrite is to grade their lab reports using the LabWrite
Evaluation Guide, which is based on criteria for a good lab report taken
from the PostLab. Students are motivated by grades. However, the best
reason for using the Evaluation Guide is that it provides a way for
you to shape and reinforce the scientific reasoning that is reflected
in the writing of the lab report.
For help in using the Evaluation Guide, see Grading
Lab Reports.
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