Since COVID-19 forced instruction online, science educators have pioneered new ways to help students engage and succeed online, from adopting Labster virtual labs to holding class via Zoom, among many other educational technologies. Labster’s 2020 conference, Science Online (SO): Inspired, brought together the community of high school and higher ed science educators, administrators, and thought leaders to exchange stories, tips, tools, and best practices aimed at educating and inspiring the next generation of scientists.
On-Demand Sessions
A Look Ahead: the Labster Product Roadmap
Speakers:
Ainara López-Córdoba, Head of Content and Research
Mark Fuller, Product Director
Description:
Your chance to hear directly from the Product Team with a quick trip through our newest simulations, latest product improvements, and a sneak peek into what’s coming next on the Labster product roadmap.
Ainara López-Córdoba, Head of Content and Research
Mark Fuller, Product Director
Description:
Your chance to hear directly from the Product Team with a quick trip through our newest simulations, latest product improvements, and a sneak peek into what’s coming next on the Labster product roadmap.
How to build virtual labs into your online course
Speakers:
Alex Mortensen, Sr. Customer Success Manager
SJ Boulton, Scientific Simulation Director
Description:
Yes, you can move your lab course online and still meet your learning objectives. With a focus on course content rather than technology, you can use virtual labs to inspire curiosity, foster discovery, and build your students’ conceptual understanding.
Alex Mortensen, Sr. Customer Success Manager
SJ Boulton, Scientific Simulation Director
Description:
Yes, you can move your lab course online and still meet your learning objectives. With a focus on course content rather than technology, you can use virtual labs to inspire curiosity, foster discovery, and build your students’ conceptual understanding.
Getting Started with Labster
Speakers:
Victoria Polunina, Implementation Specialist
Description:
If you’re a new or existing Labster user, we created this overview of best practices just for you. We’ll cover information like how to use Labster and how to access Labster Support.
Victoria Polunina, Implementation Specialist
Description:
If you’re a new or existing Labster user, we created this overview of best practices just for you. We’ll cover information like how to use Labster and how to access Labster Support.
Sales - Labster Product Tour
Speakers:
Hannah Lawless, Regional Sales Director
Camilo Echeverry, Regional Sales Director
Description:
Curious about Labster? Want to see what our simulations are like? We’ll give you a tour of our platform and share how other schools are using virtual labs in their courses.
Hannah Lawless, Regional Sales Director
Camilo Echeverry, Regional Sales Director
Description:
Curious about Labster? Want to see what our simulations are like? We’ll give you a tour of our platform and share how other schools are using virtual labs in their courses.
Supporting the COVID Cohort in the Lab
Speakers:
Tope Oyelade, Teaching Lab Tech, University College London
Description:
Faculty at University College London were skeptical at first about using Labster. Then COVID-19 hit and the A-Levels were cancelled. Tope Oyelande, Teaching Lab Technician, explains how UCL responded to the crisis by using Labster to help overcome knowledge gaps.
Tope Oyelade, Teaching Lab Tech, University College London
Description:
Faculty at University College London were skeptical at first about using Labster. Then COVID-19 hit and the A-Levels were cancelled. Tope Oyelande, Teaching Lab Technician, explains how UCL responded to the crisis by using Labster to help overcome knowledge gaps.
Sharing access to science education across Europe
Speakers:
Anne Nørremølle, Assoc. Professor, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen
Description:
In this real-life case study, Dr. Nørremølle shares her experience using Labster in a large course at the University of Copenhagen’s Department Cellular & Molecular Medicine. She explains how she tested and improved her approach to using Labster with Zoom and supplemental materials, how she integrated group work and socialization, and how she assessed learning.
Anne Nørremølle, Assoc. Professor, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen
Description:
In this real-life case study, Dr. Nørremølle shares her experience using Labster in a large course at the University of Copenhagen’s Department Cellular & Molecular Medicine. She explains how she tested and improved her approach to using Labster with Zoom and supplemental materials, how she integrated group work and socialization, and how she assessed learning.
How High School Teachers Can Get Back in the Groove During a Pandemic
Speakers:
Stacia Bowden, Biomedical Science Instructor, Tulsa Technology Center
Sue P. White, Director of STEM, Friendship Public Charter School
Bernard M. Bujard, Adjunct Instructor, Chemistry, Uvalde High School
Margaret (Meg) Moore, Environmental Science Teacher, Friendship Collegiate Academy
Description:
Stacia Bowden, Margaret Moore, and Bernard Bujard each give the pros and cons of several ed tech tools they use in their high school science classes. Sue White advises other school administrators to listen to their teachers and empower them to discover and try innovative ed tech tools.
Stacia Bowden, Biomedical Science Instructor, Tulsa Technology Center
Sue P. White, Director of STEM, Friendship Public Charter School
Bernard M. Bujard, Adjunct Instructor, Chemistry, Uvalde High School
Margaret (Meg) Moore, Environmental Science Teacher, Friendship Collegiate Academy
Description:
Stacia Bowden, Margaret Moore, and Bernard Bujard each give the pros and cons of several ed tech tools they use in their high school science classes. Sue White advises other school administrators to listen to their teachers and empower them to discover and try innovative ed tech tools.
Access, Inclusivity, and Equity in the Virtual Science Classroom
Speakers:
Dr. Laura Rozzi, Operations and Lab Technician, Online Lecturer, Biology, University of Kansas
Dr. Mark Mort, Professor, Biology, University of Kansas
Dr. Sophia Rahming, Associate Director, Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Florida State University
Francesca Rahming, Upper Level Laboratory Technician for Biology, University of the Bahamas
Description:
How can we teach university-level science to a broader population of students? The University of Kansas used Labster to create nonmajor biology courses that are inclusive, resilient, and accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world. At the University of the Bahamas, Labster’s virtual lab simulations permit health science students to continue their studies without skipping a beat. And at Florida State University, nonmajors who are engaged by these same gamified, storified Labster simulations start to think “maybe I could see myself in this field.”
Dr. Laura Rozzi, Operations and Lab Technician, Online Lecturer, Biology, University of Kansas
Dr. Mark Mort, Professor, Biology, University of Kansas
Dr. Sophia Rahming, Associate Director, Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Florida State University
Francesca Rahming, Upper Level Laboratory Technician for Biology, University of the Bahamas
Description:
How can we teach university-level science to a broader population of students? The University of Kansas used Labster to create nonmajor biology courses that are inclusive, resilient, and accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world. At the University of the Bahamas, Labster’s virtual lab simulations permit health science students to continue their studies without skipping a beat. And at Florida State University, nonmajors who are engaged by these same gamified, storified Labster simulations start to think “maybe I could see myself in this field.”
A Discussion With Sal Khan
Speakers:
Sal Khan Founder, CEO, Khan Academy
Description:
Sal Khan shares his observations on teaching online with Mads Bonde, co-founder of Labster. Topics include the right balance between synchronous and asynchronous learning, what we can expect from students as independent learners, and how to make sure socialization and fun are part of your everyday teaching.
Sal Khan Founder, CEO, Khan Academy
Description:
Sal Khan shares his observations on teaching online with Mads Bonde, co-founder of Labster. Topics include the right balance between synchronous and asynchronous learning, what we can expect from students as independent learners, and how to make sure socialization and fun are part of your everyday teaching.
Surviving and Thriving in the New Learning Environment
Speakers:
Dr. Meshagae Hunte-Brown, Professor, Biology, Drexel University
Description:
Online learning is not just a digital version of the in-person classroom. Instead, teachers must innovate and reframe traditional classroom practices. Dr. Meshagae Hunte-Brown walks us through detailed, best practice guidance for online teaching that promotes engagement with virtual labs and reduces anxiety for students as well as faculty.
Dr. Meshagae Hunte-Brown, Professor, Biology, Drexel University
Description:
Online learning is not just a digital version of the in-person classroom. Instead, teachers must innovate and reframe traditional classroom practices. Dr. Meshagae Hunte-Brown walks us through detailed, best practice guidance for online teaching that promotes engagement with virtual labs and reduces anxiety for students as well as faculty.
Community College Faculty Share Lessons from the Front Lines
Speakers:
Dr. Ali Ahrabi, Assistant Professor, Anatomy & Physiology, Middlesex Community College
Juliana Kelley, Associate Professor, Biology, Laredo College
Selinda Martinez, Instructor, Biology, Laredo College
Description:
Community college instructors teach a diverse group of traditional and nontraditional students. They are more likely than other college students to struggle with low internet connectivity and to juggle their studies with the demands of caring for relatives, young children, and working at one or more jobs. Topics include the changing roles and responsibilities of teachers and how to challenge school leaders to be less reactive and plan ahead for classroom technology.
Dr. Ali Ahrabi, Assistant Professor, Anatomy & Physiology, Middlesex Community College
Juliana Kelley, Associate Professor, Biology, Laredo College
Selinda Martinez, Instructor, Biology, Laredo College
Description:
Community college instructors teach a diverse group of traditional and nontraditional students. They are more likely than other college students to struggle with low internet connectivity and to juggle their studies with the demands of caring for relatives, young children, and working at one or more jobs. Topics include the changing roles and responsibilities of teachers and how to challenge school leaders to be less reactive and plan ahead for classroom technology.
Best Practices for Using EdTech in Your Curriculum
Speakers:
Dr. Stephanie Dillon, Director, Freshman Chemistry Laboratories, Florida State University
Description:
Dr. Stephanie Dillon is a strong believer in using out of the box thinking to teach chemistry labs, both now and after the pandemic. Rather than using only online or only face-to-face instruction, she advocates a hybrid approach and combines the use of Labster’s plug and play interactive simulations as a pre-lab exercise with the use of inexpensive, kitchen lab materials for students learning at home.
Dr. Stephanie Dillon, Director, Freshman Chemistry Laboratories, Florida State University
Description:
Dr. Stephanie Dillon is a strong believer in using out of the box thinking to teach chemistry labs, both now and after the pandemic. Rather than using only online or only face-to-face instruction, she advocates a hybrid approach and combines the use of Labster’s plug and play interactive simulations as a pre-lab exercise with the use of inexpensive, kitchen lab materials for students learning at home.
Chemistry & Biology: Two Approaches to Learning
Speakers:
Dr. Felicia Vulcu, Associate Professor, Biochemistry & Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University
Dr. Caitlin Mullarkey, Teaching Professor & the Associate Chair of Undergraduate Education in the department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University
Description:
Dr. Vulcu and Dr. Mullarkey pose three questions to science instructors who are transitioning to online teaching: 1) what are your learning objectives, 2) what are your assessment methods, and 3), how can novel technologies be leveraged in innovative ways? Topics include integrating group work and written and verbal communication skills in lab sciences, leveraging Labster storylines to engage students, and using smaller assessments throughout the term so students can apply feedback and grow in their scientific abilities.
Dr. Felicia Vulcu, Associate Professor, Biochemistry & Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University
Dr. Caitlin Mullarkey, Teaching Professor & the Associate Chair of Undergraduate Education in the department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University
Description:
Dr. Vulcu and Dr. Mullarkey pose three questions to science instructors who are transitioning to online teaching: 1) what are your learning objectives, 2) what are your assessment methods, and 3), how can novel technologies be leveraged in innovative ways? Topics include integrating group work and written and verbal communication skills in lab sciences, leveraging Labster storylines to engage students, and using smaller assessments throughout the term so students can apply feedback and grow in their scientific abilities.
Closing Panel discussion: How We Can Transform Science Education in a post-COVID World
Speakers:
Terri Quenzer, Statewide Director, California Community College System
Dr. Jennifer Hearne Bobenko, Chairperson, Institutional Review Board; Professor of Biochemistry, University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Moustapha Diack, Doctoral Program in Sciences/Math Education (SMED) - College of Sciences & Engineering, Southern University
Leslie Kennedy, Senior Director Academic Technology Services, The California State University System
Description:
Is online instruction here to stay? COVID disrupted the technology-adoption lifecycle. While early adopters had already discovered online learning technologies, laggards were forced to pivot to online teaching in just a few weeks. Will we revert to our old, pre-COVID ways in the post-pandemic future, or will we transform? Topics include how to build a sense of community in the online classroom and the importance of encouraging accrediting bodies, universities, and faculty to accept online courses and virtual lab experiences in the delivery of science courses.
Terri Quenzer, Statewide Director, California Community College System
Dr. Jennifer Hearne Bobenko, Chairperson, Institutional Review Board; Professor of Biochemistry, University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Moustapha Diack, Doctoral Program in Sciences/Math Education (SMED) - College of Sciences & Engineering, Southern University
Leslie Kennedy, Senior Director Academic Technology Services, The California State University System
Description:
Is online instruction here to stay? COVID disrupted the technology-adoption lifecycle. While early adopters had already discovered online learning technologies, laggards were forced to pivot to online teaching in just a few weeks. Will we revert to our old, pre-COVID ways in the post-pandemic future, or will we transform? Topics include how to build a sense of community in the online classroom and the importance of encouraging accrediting bodies, universities, and faculty to accept online courses and virtual lab experiences in the delivery of science courses.
The Classroom of the Future
Speakers:
Michael Bodakaer Jensen, Labster CEO and co-founder
Description:
Michael explains how the mission of empowering the next generation of scientists will continue to transform Labster’s products and technology.
Michael Bodakaer Jensen, Labster CEO and co-founder
Description:
Michael explains how the mission of empowering the next generation of scientists will continue to transform Labster’s products and technology.