REF:66-2101-6012521 - Lack of practical sessions during covid-19

Your comment: Although the module has not officially started, having watched the introductory lecture already I am feeling severely demotivated and disheartened to learn that practicals are likely to not be going ahead. This module is supposed to be an opportunity to gain practical skills useful for my future aspirations and reading a protocol along with a video of a member of staff conducting the experiment is not enabling me to build my skill set in the lab. I am so demotivated and unenthusiastic about my studies to learn about this because I am unable to get in the lab and actually work on skills towards my degree. Instead I am given readings to do which is no where near the equivalent of actually being able to perform these skills myself, nor does it drive my passions for the subject. I worry for my future career when I will not possess the invaluable lab experience.

Our response:

All teaching at present is online as mandated by the University in response to Welsh Government advice. We cannot therefore do laboratory practicals. We appreciate students will be disappointed, as are staff, but this is due to the pandemic and not within our control. If students are allowed to resume in-person teaching then some socially-distanced practicals may be possible later in the semester but we cannot rely on that in our planning to deliver the module learning outcomes. However, the module is more than just about doing experiments. The module culminates with students devising their own experimental protocols and this is what they will be working towards. There are Teams sessions booked for Q&A feedback sessions to help the students develop their protocols so it is not just material to read and watch on Blackboard. The ability to interpret someone else's experimental method and results is an important skill for research scientists, who often have to work from other people's descriptions of their research - so the replacement to the physical labs is still important. We are confident that in the absence of being able to actually do an experiment the students will still be developing authentic research skills. They will also still be developing the usual skills related to the interpretation and analysis of data.

Update: In-person labs were offered as soon as we were allowed to do so - i.e. last 3 weeks of the semester.