Discussion Forum: Practical classes

In 2000 UniServe Science introduced a First Year Experience Forum to enable the enthusiastic science teachers, who are committed to "doing things better", to have the opportunity to share with one another. Reports from previous Forums can be accessed through the First Year Experience web page.

The Discussion Forum, Practical Classes: The Issues, was held at the University of Sydney on Wednesday 27 September 2006.

The programme included seven short presentations by various academics representing several Australian universities. These 'cameos' illustrated a number of alternative strategies that are being implemented and issues that are being addressed by universities, faculties or school/department in relation to practical classes in the sciences.

Invited speakers

• Deidre Tronson, University of Western Sydney
  The View from the Dark Side
  
• Jan Meyer, The University of Western Australia
  Are Labs More Bother Than They are Worth?
  
• Ieva Stupans, University of South Australia
  Practical Courses and their relevance to the education of Health Professionals: The Three R’s Reduction, Refinement and Replacement
  
• John O’Byrne and Nicholas Ekins-Daukes, The University of Western Australia
  Physics Labs are essential!
  
• Scott Kable et al., The University of Sydney
  The ACELL Project (The Australasian Chemistry Enhanced Laboratory Learning) What makes a good laboratory learning experience? (Evidence from the students’ perspective)
  
• Anjeela D Jokhan, The University of the South Pacific
  ARE LABORATORY COURSES STILL RELEVANT IN THE 21ST CENTURY? HOW CAN WE MANAGE LABORATORY COURSES WITH DECREASING RESOURCES?

Reports from break-out groups

• Group 1
• Group 2
• Group 3

Suggestions for the theme of next year's forum include:

• service teaching
• assessment and more assessment
• assumed knowledge/prerequisites/streaming
• too much content vs understanding i.e. what we do when faced with too much content
• integration of online work
• lectures, attendance, ppt
• more on testing (e.g. minor tests)
• feedback
• developing student's writing skills
• learning vs content
• project work in detail - peer assessment, group dynamics, research projects, logistics in large classes
• training of tutors and demonstrators, student feedback
• with the move to electronic delivery of lectures (ilectures) students don't attend class therefore is there any value in still offering lectures?
• Are lectures still relevant?
• Group work and project work at first year level
• Sharing practical experiment
• benchmarking
• changes to science courses in High School - how do we lead or keep pace?
• catering for the bright students
• first year <-> year 12 interface, changed with new Year 12 syllabi
• the "tutorial" as opposed to lab or lecture

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