September 2001 — Features

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The Viability of Distance Education Science Laboratories

by Kyle Forinash, Ph.D., Raymond Wisman

Galileo Galilei established experimentation as a foundation of modern science through the simple act of dropping two iron balls from the Tower of Pisa. Though debatable whether he actually performed that experiment, discussion in his Dialogues Concerning the Two New Sciences shows clearly the power and importance of experimental observations in convincing others of the correctness of a particular scientific theory or hypothesis. The history of science from Galilei on has primarily been the reconciliation of theory with imperfect experimental data. Providing a similarly compelling laboratory experience for a student, especially to one not physically present, is problematic.

Experimentation is obviously central to scientific investigation, but what compelling reasons are there for students to perform experiments, particularly the textbook laboratory exercise in which the results are already well known? There are two main elements to an experiment: its design and analysis of the data. But no experiment can be performed without error, so one must determine with what degree of certainty the data supports a particular hypothesis. Coming to terms with the inaccuracy and imprecision of results requires knowledge of the interplay between experimental design and data analysis. Some laboratory skills, such as the statistical analysis of data, can be learned in the abstract outside of the laboratory. Experimental design, however, can only be learned from using real equipment in real experiments, often through a certain amount of trial and error. It is no great surprise that student practice of experimentation is needed to understand science; educational abstractions alone are not enough. In addition to other laboratory goals, it is crucial that this skill, the art of experimental design, be communicated to the student through the laboratory experience.

Current Delivery Technologies

Distance education attempts to achieve traditional educational goals with the added challenge of connecting the instructor and student by some delivery technology. No matter how unobtrusive, any delivery technology can conceal as well as illuminate an educational point. It can also impose a high cost on instructors in learning the requisite technical skills. Complex delivery technologies will attract few instructors, thereby reducing the use of distance education. In contrast, simple delivery technologies will be more easily mastered by a greater number of instructors and likely produce a clearer experience for the student. Whether distance education is successful in maintaining experimentation as an important part of science education depends to a large degree upon the transparency, for both instructor and student, of the delivery technology. The three delivery technologies that to date have most often been employed for performing experiments in distance education are computer simulations, videos of real laboratories and laboratory kits sent to a student.

There is clearly a place for computer simulations in science education with many excellent programs available, which are useful in exploring real and hypothetical scenarios. They can also provide exposure where reality is too dangerous, expensive, complex, fast or slow, such as exploring human anatomy, controlling a nuclear reactor or examining the supersonic crack of a whip. Although in watching a video the student is often only a passive observer, videos can offer a way to actively participate in an experiment.