The emergence of remote laboratory courses in an emergency situation: University instructors' agency during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study examines and describes how various online remote laboratory courses, necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, were implemented at Hankuk University in Korea in 2020. We compared four general undergraduate laboratory courses, one each for physics, chemistry, biology, and earth science, and two major-level laboratory courses taught during the spring and fall of 2020. Employing a sociocultural perspective, we examined how the changes in structures at the macro-, meso-, and micro-levels shaped the responses of educational authorities and impacted the agency of university instructors. Instructors implemented various remote laboratory courses in each content area dependent upon availability and access to material resources, including access to video of laboratory activities, and also based on the nature of experimental data associated with each content area. Drawing from survey responses and in-depth interviews with instructors and students, we share findings about how instructor practices impacted the interactions of students, the processes for evaluation, and student learning. We discuss how the global pandemic has re-ignited the debate about the role and value of experimental laboratory activities for undergraduate science majors and about the significance of hands-on versus minds-on science learning. Implications for how universities approach laboratory coursework in the post-COVID-19 are discussed, and questions for university science instruction are raised for future research.

University students' perceptions of remote laboratory courses necessitated by COVID-19: differences in emergent teaching strategies at a Korean university

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe and caused formal educational sites to shift from in-person instruction to remote learning. University laboratory courses that were previously hands-on were also transformed into remote courses. This study investigates how university students perceived their experiences of remote laboratory courses across various disciplines. This study was conducted at a large public university in the Republic of Korea that offers a variety of laboratory courses. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, we collected online survey responses from 338 students and conducted in-depth interviews with 18 students. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni post hoc tests of survey responses found that students' perceptions of their remote laboratory courses differed significantly (p < .05) by discipline (physics, chemistry, biology, earth sciences, etc.). Student interviews revealed that these differences in perceptions were attributable to the different emergent teaching strategies used in each course. Based on these findings, for remote laboratory courses in the post-COVID-19 era, we suggest that course instructors clearly set learning objectives, carefully design videos of experiments, offer collaborative and synchronous online sessions, provide guidance and feedback on lab report writing, and introduce supportive assessments.

Navigating into the future of science museum education: focus on educators' adaptation during COVID-19.

Repeated closures of the world's science museums to stem the spread of COVID-19 have significantly reduced visitors' access to informal science learning opportunities. Interviews with educators and an analysis of the online content of a science museum were used in this case study to examine the impact of this phenomenon on informal science education. We present several education examples to highlight how educators have attempted to adapt. Specifically, we describe and characterize educators' strategies-collaboration, networking, and feedback-to address difficulties involved in developing virtually accessible content that will engage users. In addition, we analyze essential attributes of informal learning in the science museum attributes of interaction, free-choice learning, hands-on experience, and authentic learning that the educators kept in mind while planning and redesigning educational programs and cultural events in response to COVID-19. We conclude by forecasting the future of science museums based on the educators' perceptions of their roles and the nature of informal science learning, assuming that educators are the crucial agents to build a new future direction.

Exploring informal science education responses to COVID-19 global pandemic: learning from the case of the Gwacheon National Science Museum in Korea

Science museums have long been heralded as important informal science education sites where people can engage in voluntary and experiential science learning. In this paper, we identify and raise questions about how science museum responses to a global pandemic could impact on accessibility of informal science education for the public. To explore these issues, we examined the response of the Gwacheon National Science Museum (GNSM) to COVID-19 in South Korea using publicly available data from the museum website and museum YouTube video channel. Analysis shows that the pandemic has increased and diversified the GNSM’s provision of science content for the general public via online platforms, such as YouTube and the museum website. In addition, GNSM educators are preparing special outreach education projects for deaf and blind visitors, who have often been excluded from informal science learning opportunities. By discussing these changes, we seek to raise questions about the potential for a global pandemic, like COVID-19, to affect informal science learning opportunities for a diverse group of people.