Teaching labs are a vital part of science education and there is no substitute for practical lab experience. Learning Science has developed over 100 engaging pre-lab resources to help students get ready for the lab and maximise learning opportunities.
The resources have been designed with the academic teaching community to support a wide range of lab practicals. By providing opportunities to actively learn about scientific apparatus and practise key techniques, students gain greater confidence, improve their performance and experience increased engagement.
FEBS community members can now access some examples of the resources below.
The full list of resources can be viewed at https://www.learnsci.co.uk/resources/.
Automated Pipetting -3 resources
Parts of a Pipette
Identify the different parts of an automated pipette and select an appropriate size of pipette given a particular volume of liquid to transfer.
Prepare an Automated Pipette
Prepare a given pipette to take up and dispense a given volume of liquid.
Operating an Automated Pipette
Demonstrate the steps involved in operating a pipette correctly to transfer liquid between vessels.
Electrophoresis (Agarose Gel) - 4 resources
Pouring an Agarose Gel
Describe the key steps in preparing an agarose gel.
Loading and Running an Agarose Gel
Describe the key steps in loading and running an agarose gel.
Agarose Gel Analysis
Analyse an agarose gel.
Separating DNA by Size
Explain how electrophoresis separates DNA fragments by size.
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We at FEBS Education Committee wish to thank Learning Science for agreeing to publish here in an open form some of their resources that are regularly available only under a contract with education centres. We hope this will help readers from many different countries to perceive ways of enhancing students' learning and profit from their practical classes, by arriving at the laboratory better prepared after having used the interactive simulations and exercises. Learning Science offers not only the simulations, but also tools for self-assessment and complementary activities designed for both pre- and post-lab periods.
A related article: http://bit.ly/2HASj0x
Laboratory practicals: Goals, perspectives and ways of adding value to teaching labs in higher education