Innovations in an Undergraduate Laboratory to Increase Engagement

Contribution: This full innovative practice paper presents a series of pedagogical interventions implemented to enhance student engagement, preparedness, and writing skills in a laboratory setting. It integrates Perusall assignments, peer reviews, peer mentoring, and a specification grading system into the curriculum, offering a structured but still flexible approach to laboratory education. Background: Many students struggle with scientific writing and find the lab work process challenging and disengaging. Previous works have utilized peer-assisted learning and digital tools, but there remains a need for the use of new strategies to address these challenges in a laboratory environment. Intended Outcomes: The primary goal is to improve students' readiness for lab sessions, increase engagement through collaborative learning, and enhance their scientific writing skills. The interventions are designed to create a supportive learning environment that encourages active participation. Application Design: The interventions were implemented over three academic quarters. Students were required to prepare for lab sessions by annotating lab manuals via the Perusall platform, which grades engagement automatically. Peer reviews were conducted with structured rubrics. Peer mentoring was incorporated into lab sessions, with initial guidance from the instructor followed by student-led training. To provide opportunities for report revision based on feedback, the specification grading system was used by categorizing lab reports as complete or incomplete. Findings: Student performance and a Likert scale survey were used to measure the outcome of the interventions. Over 80% of students reported that Perusall assignments enhanced their understanding of lab concepts, and more than 70% felt they learned effectively from their peers. Peer review was not received favorably with only 25% finding it helpful. The majority felt that peer mentoring significantly increased lab engagement. The specification grading approach resulted in a higher rate of reports meeting initial submission standards, particularly in later sessions, indicating improved writing quality. Overall, these methods demonstrated a positive impact on student learning and engagement in laboratory courses.