BME Labs in the Era of COVID-19: Transitioning a Hands-on Integrative Lab Experience to Remote Instruction Using Gamified Lab Simulations

The BIORES-21 Survey: Insights Into Remote and Online Education in Biomechanics and Mechanobiology

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated mainstream adoption of online and remote learning approaches, which were highly advantageous yet challenging in many ways. The online modality, while teaching biomedical engineering-related topics in the areas of biomechanics, mechanobiology, and biomedical sciences, further added to the complexity faced by the faculty and students. Both the benefits and the challenges have not been explored systematically by juxtaposing experiences and reflections of both the faculty and students. Motivated by this need, we designed and conducted a systematic survey named BIORES-21, targeted toward the broader bio-engineering community. Survey responses and our inferences from survey findings cumulatively offer insight into the role of employed teaching/learning technology and challenges associated with student engagement. Survey data also provided insights on what worked and what did not, potential avenues to address some underlying challenges, and key beneficial aspects such as integration of technology and their role in improving remote teaching/learning experiences. Overall, the data presented summarize the key benefits and challenges of online learning that emerged from the experiences during the pandemic, which is valuable for the continuation of online learning techniques as in-person education operations resumed broadly across institutions, and some form of online learning seems likely to sustain and grow in the near future.

An Upper-Division, Remote Microbiology Laboratory That Blends Virtual and Hands-on Components to Promote Student Success during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 shutdown forced many institutions of higher education to shift in-person teaching to emergency remote teaching. This was particularly challenging for laboratory courses, where students are expected to learn hands-on skills needed for their career goals. Here, we describe the transformation of an upper-division microbiology laboratory to a course that seamlessly integrates online simulations with safe, hands-on experiences that can be done from home. This blended lab course helped students attain learning outcomes similar to those achieved in the in-person class. We illustrate the implementation of Unknown Portfolios to help students gain the data analysis and critical thinking skills needed to identify an unknown microorganism. Our data show that students who took these online courses mastered material as well as students who took the lab in person, demonstrating proficiency in laboratory safety skills, hands-on techniques, and theoretical class content. Last, we explore online adaptations to enhance in-person lab classes, aiming at reducing the accessibility and equity gaps inherited in many courses, as well as discussing challenges that instructors might experience in this process.

Converting a formerly in-person biochemistry course based undergraduate research experience to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the delivery of undergraduate courses around the world, and this was no different for the Biochemistry Capstone course offered to Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar's second year pre-medical students during the 2021 spring semester. The course, which was previously delivered in-person and offered an opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with research and laboratory techniques, had to be modified to be delivered online. The online delivery of the course mainly consisted of "Zoom" sessions, "Canvas" materials, and data analysis using Microsoft Excel raw data sheets. The final assessment of the course consisted of a research report encompassing the procedures discussed, the results of the literature search, and data analysis carried out for the duration of the course. At the end of the course, students completed a survey on the online delivery of the course. It was evident that the majority of students preferred either a combination of in-person and online delivery or in-person delivery only, rather than a fully online course. Students' feedback as well as other literature on the online delivery of courses were considered in order to potentially improve the course for the upcoming years.

Absence makes the mind grow stronger - Educating in a pandemic and beyond

With more than one academic year into the pandemic, it is timely to consider the lessons we learnt, and how they could shape education in the future. Papers from around the globe, reflecting on the directions we took and could take, were published in the FEMS Microbiology Letters virtual Thematic Issue 'Educating in a pandemic and beyond' in October 2021. Its content is reviewed here to facilitate discussions within the professional community. Online platforms and tools, that allowed a rapid emergency response, are covered, as well as enhancing student engagement, complementing and blending in-person activities with online elements for more flexible and accessible learning opportunities, the need for educator training, and improving science literacy overall and microbiology literacy specifically. As we go forward, in order to benefit from blended and flexible learning, we need to select our approaches based on evidence, and mindful of the potential impact on learners and educators. Education did not only continue during the pandemic, but it evolved, leading us into the future.

A toolbox for digitally enhanced teaching in synthetic biology

The global pandemic of COVID-19 has forced educational provision to suddenly shift to a digital environment all around the globe. During these extraordinary times of teaching and learning both the challenges and the opportunities of embedding technologically enhanced education permanently became evident. Even though reinforced by constraints due to the pandemic, teaching through digital tools increases the portfolio of approaches to reach learning outcomes in general. In order to reap the full benefits, this Minireview displays various initiatives and tools for distance education in the area of Synthetic Biology in higher education while taking into account specific constraints of teaching Synthetic Biology from a distance, such as collaboration, laboratory and practical experiences. The displayed teaching resources can benefit current and future educators and raise awareness about a diversified inventory of teaching formats as a starting point to reflect upon one's own teaching and its further advancement.