Chapter 1 – My experience of practical engineering labs as a first-year undergraduate during the pandemic

Context

This case study is a reflective narrative of my experience as a first-year undergraduate engineering student at a UK higher education institution and my learning experience of  practicals during the pandemic. I make reference to three specific teaching and learning  approaches used for practicals on my course. I illustrate how these worked and how the future of online practicals could look from a student’s perspective, based on my experience.

Teaching approaches that enabled hands-on engagement in practicals

I started studying in the academic year 2020-2021 during the pandemic and am now, at the time of writing, in year 2. I was looking forward to going to university after completing my A levels and am grateful that universities kept their doors open for students despite the world being in lockdown during the pandemic. My first-year experience was atypical, mostly spent studying remotely from college accommodation and from home for the majority of the academic year. However, I was not on my own. I felt supported by my supervisors and pastoral tutor. I also met some of my peers who were studying engineering in the same college and some peers on other courses with whom I was in the same household (five in total).  From the very beginning, I also had a lab partner with whom I collaborated regularly. Palmer (2007, p. 11) states: ‘Good teachers possess a capacity for connectedness. They are able to weave a complex web of connections among themselves, their subjects, and their students so that students can learn to weave a world for themselves.’ Palmer’s (ibid.) ideas resonate with my own experiences, as I felt supported but was also given the freedom to explore and experiment.

Labs are an integral part of the engineering course as they give vital hands-on experience and provide opportunities to experiment for real with the concepts and ideas taught in lectures. The UK’s Engineering Council (2014, p. 17) notes that engineering programmes should enable students to develop practical engineering skills and create opportunities ‘to apply relevant practical and laboratory skills.’ I will detail three different examples of how I experienced the labs organised by the Engineering Department during my first year and my related experience.

Electronics Lab

In a more typical first year of the course, I understand that the electronics lab would be carried out through several  different visits to the facilities within the Engineering Department. Since this was problematic due to social distancing rules, each student on the course was provided with a kit of the electrical components and oscilloscope needed to complete the set of tasks remotely. This arrangement gave us lots of flexibility in when and where we could tackle the tasks set and helped us to develop our time-management skills.

Groups of tasks were assigned every couple of weeks or so, and each task was provided in various formats. Some included using a free circuit design and analysis software to prototype circuits and observe the idealised behaviours that we would expect from a physical version. Others had us constructing circuits using our kits and observing their performance, then comparing the outcomes with theory and/or a digital, simulated version. I felt that this independent, task-based learning engaged me meaningfully with the equipment provided, and I gained experience using it; for a discussion of the benefits of this approach to teaching, see Nerantzi (2020). Our answers were submitted electronically, and short feedback was provided in a few days or a week’s time. This helped to ensure that we had understood the course content and interpreted the questions correctly.

CAD Lab

Another lab series we took was Computer-Aided Design (CAD). CAD labs familiarised us with the basics of Solidworks, an industry-standard piece of software used to design components digitally. We were each provided with access codes which enabled us to download the software onto our own devices.

The tasks were divided into three different groups with three separate deadlines. Each task consisted of a few written tutorials which introduced how to use a feature of the software, followed by some questions which challenged us to apply our new knowledge and construct a part to a specification. After each set, a digital 1-on-1 call was arranged with a marker in which our solutions were marked, and potential improvements were suggested. I felt that interweaving tutorials, tasks, and feedback helped me learn how to use Solidworks in a structured and practical way.

Structures Lab

One of the largest labs of the year was the Structures lab. Each lab group was tasked with designing and fabricating a structure out of pre-specified materials to meet a specified loading condition. After a series of (live and pre-recorded) educational lectures about the theoretical and practical components of the project, my lab partner and I worked remotely to plan a structure that would satisfy the brief. Noetel et al.’s (2021) literature review on the use of video in higher education illustrates that video can help to maintain students’ engagement in the learning process, which was also the case for me. The videos provided a more human element to the subject as well as being multisensory with audio, visual and textual aspects relaying the same information in slightly different ways. The videos were short, and I could watch specific sections multiple times or sped up if I needed to, which was useful in completing the practical drawing task that followed. I often worked with my lab partner as it enabled us to apply and test what we had learnt.

In a normal year, we would then take the technical drawings that we produced to the department and manufacture the structure. As this was not possible, a few designs, including ours, were selected and built by the technicians working in the department. They were then tested to the rated loading, and the test was recorded, including remarks about the construction process and the failure modes by those that built them. This experience was very valuable as it enabled us to identify common failures and consider what might need to be changed in our own drawings.

In the next term, some of the labs were blended, and we ended up being able to manufacture and test our designs, including any modifications we had made in the physical lab (Bangert et al., 2020). This gave us the chance to incorporate our learnings as well as to get practical experience in working with technical drawings – giving insight into the importance of good drawings and manufacturability considerations.

The culmination of this lab was an in-person competition within the section of the cohort undertaking the lab at the same time, wherein their built structures were tested to find their ultimate strength.

With all of the labs as well as all the courses, there was an asynchronous question and answer forum in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) in which we could submit written questions and our peers or  those running the course could answer. This provided ongoing opportunities for interaction and support during the learning process, and while completing specific tasks, as well as quickly resolving any common issues.

Looking to the future of labs

The university and engineering department have worked creatively to engage us in labs and provide a similar and fulfilling experience to previous years, despite the very challenging times of the pandemic. A wide range of approaches were taken which I believe enabled myself and my cohort to learn effectively. My first-year experience made me reflect on the following areas linked to practicals on my course, which may also be relevant to other disciplines or professional areas:

A blended approach is beneficial, even in times where physical labs are possible, as this offers flexibility in scheduling for students and variety in the way topics and concepts are introduced and explored.

Online labs could present opportunities for students from engineering courses across the country and internationally to work together in small groups, via networked technologies, on shared tasks.

Educators should strive to make their online labs as engaging as the physical ones. Some of the smaller labs were delivered via recorded videos of the demonstrators performing the experiment, which, although less interactive, were delivered using supporting task material.

Exploring emerging technology such as Virtual Reality (VR) could be an interesting avenue for the future. There is potential for more engaging and immersive experiences using these technologies, where failure can happen in a safe space, either remotely or in person, as noted by Project Zero (2016, p. 4): ‘failure is an opportunity to try again’.

In this case study, I have reflected on my experience of practicals as a first-year undergraduate during the pandemic. Whilst mine was a different experience to  previous years, I feel that the Engineering Department at the University of Cambridge adapted well to the difficult situation and made practicals varied, stimulating our curiosity and enabling experimentation and learning.

Acknowledgments 

I would like to thank Professor Chrissi Nerantzi, who provided me with invaluable support in writing this article, as well as the reviewers Professor Matthew J. Mason, Dr Kamilah Jooganah, and Tab Betts, for their suggestions.

References

Bangert, K., Bates, J., Beck, S. B. M., Bishop, Z. K., Di Benedetti, M., Fullwood, J., Funnel, A., Garrard, S. A., Hayes, T., Howard, C., Johnson, M. R., Lazari, P., Mukherjee, J., Omar, C., Taylor, B. P., Thorley, R. M. S., Williams, G. L., & Woolley, R. (2022). Remote practicals in the time of Coronavirus, a multidisciplinary approach.  International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, 50(2), 219-239. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306419020958100

Engineering Council. (2014). The accreditation of higher education programmes: UK standard for professional engineering competence. (3rd ed.). Engineering Council.  https://www.engc.org.uk/engcdocuments/internet/Website/Accreditation%20of%20Higher%20Education%20Programmes%20third%20edition%20(1).pdf

Nerantzi, C. (2020). The use of peer instruction and flipped learning to support flexible blended learning during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Management and Applied Research. 7(2), 184-195.  https://doi.org/10.18646/2056.72.20-013

Noetel, M., Griffith, S., Delaney, O., Sanders, T., Parker, P., del Pozo Crus, B. & Lonsdale, C. (2021) Video improves learning in higher education: A systematic review. Review of Educational Research. 91(2), 204-236.  https://doi.org/10.3102%2F0034654321990713  

Palmer, P. J. (2007). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life. Jossey-Bass.

Pedagogy of Play Research Team. (2016). Towards a pedagogy of play. Project Zero. Harvard Graduate School of Education. http://pz.harvard.edu/resources/towards-a-pedagogy-of-play