The COVID-19 pandemic forced many educators and students to dramatically change how they teach and learn, particularly in hands-on lab courses. In response, Professor Luna Huang of Materials Science and Engineering redesigned a year-long senior undergraduate laboratory course — typically held in-person — to be delivered 100% remotely. Huang led a development team of teaching assistants and lab technicians to create more than 30 instructional videos, a robust suite of web resources, and a series of experiments that students could safely design and execute at home. With the return to in-person instruction this year, some unexpected benefits of remote course development have emerged, such as the opportunity to offer advanced laboratory and instrumentation experiences to students who usually do not have access to them.

In this Advances in Higher Education Research Seminar, Huang will share how she now utilizes remote learning strategies to improve and supplement hands-on lab classes.