Evolving Perspectives: Students' Perceptions and Preferences of Laboratory Practices in an Engineering Course

The implementation of online laboratory courses can be challenging as it involves intensive practical work. However, unprecedented events, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, can force the implementation. The current study was conducted to investigate the students' experience regarding their online laboratory experiences in an engineering course. Specifically, it compared the perceptions and preferences of 148 students from different levels of study with regards to the online laboratory environments. This quantitative study involved a questionnaire survey which was developed and aligned with the research objectives and based on a thorough literature review. The findings reveal that all the participants preferred physical laboratory environment for their learning activities to the online ones. They also preferred physical laboratory learning environment that can teach them to understand the theory better, and gain the practical, experimental and laboratory skills which cannot be fully captured in the online learning. These findings not only contribute to the valuable insights into the evolving landscape of online laboratory usage but also offer potential strategies in enhancing educational approaches and optimising the effectiveness of online laboratory resources for students across diverse academic levels.