TIP: Teaching Science Remotely

Resources for science teaching - lots of interactive activities like virtual labs, simulations, and field trips, plus OER text-based case studies, lessons & quizzes.

Image by Harish Sharma from Pixabay

In a prior newsletter, I shared some ideas for teaching math remotely, including different whiteboard tools and online graphs/simulations. I have collected here some resources for science teaching - lots of interactive activities like virtual labs, simulations, and field trips, in addition to more static OER text-based activities.

All sciences

• Spreadsheet of online science resources collected by the POD network members - includes annotated links to 200+ labs, simulations, data sets, case studies, OER resources, and image/video media. The spreadsheet is sortable by type of resource and subject area.

• Harvard’s LabXchange online labs includes various lesson modules with pre- and post-quizzes, videos, and interactive activities

• MERLOT’s OER resources include free labs, lesson modules, and individual activities

• Journal of Visualized Experiments (JOVE) collection of videos

• National Science Foundation offers classroom resources organized by subject area

• PBS’s NOVA labs are complete modules on different subjects

• Concord Consortium collection of STEM resources - you can filter by discipline and age (higher education)

• There are lots of free interactive science simulations from PhET Project at the Univ. of Colorado-Boulder

• How to Rethink Science Lab Classes offers five objectives for online labs

Biology

• Here’s an article discussing various virtual dissection options

• American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) article about shifting biology classes online - addressing both different science tools and broader pedagogy concerns

• University of Utah’s Genetic Science Learning Center has a student-facing site, Learn Genetics, and a teaching-facing site, Teach Genetics, that offer complementary online lessons and teacher materials for teaching genetics and health

Chemistry

• Chemistry Labs YouTube channel created by NC State

• Chemistry & chemical engineering webinars sponsored by the Chemical Institute of Candada (CIC)

• Really neat interactive periodic table that works on mobile devices as well as computers

Earth Sciences (Ecology, Environmental Science, Geology…)

• Massanutten Synclinorium Virtual Field Trip via GigaPan

• Geology: 2-D and 3-D fossils University of Michigan Online Repository of Fossils (UMORF) is a project of the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology to increase the accessibility of fossil specimens through online 3D and 2D representations.

• Arizona State University's Virtual Field Trips: Exploring biomes online

• UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences has virtual tours of a wide variety of ecological sites, along with supporting materials

• Tyto Online's Ecology ModuleVideo game with ecology storylines & simulation ecosystem builder

• Virginia Tech’s dendrology resource site has tree identification facts sheets & videos

Engineering

• Xplorelabs modules offers videos, interactive activities, simulations - designed for a middle & high school audience, but very engaging

• NC State’s engineering department has offered some strategies for teaching engineering online and has a list of recorded class sessions that might be useful

Psychology

• You might find it useful to start with this article - Teaching Psychology: Where Can I Find Help? is a practical Q&A list with links to more resources

• Online Psychology Laboratory has a collection of demonstrations, experiments, and data sets available for students/instructors

• APA’s Society for the Teaching of Psychology has curated teaching resources and provides annotations for each - resources collected include classroom activities, annotated bibliographies, film guides, lab manuals, OER textbooks, syllabi, and more

More resources:

• Free webinar from the NSF to help grant seekers with proposals for the Improving Undergraduate Education program: “The program supports proposals interested in improving undergraduate education, developing faculty expertise, preparing K-12 teachers, and providing all undergraduate students with STEM competencies and a basic understanding of STEM concepts and principles.”

• An older article, but with some helpful thoughts about the practical/logistical concerns with teaching science online

• Online Teaching Strategies to Promote Career Management Skills in STEM Disciplines describes some online instructional strategies to help students in thinking about STEM careers (behind a paywall, but most likely available through your institution’s library)

Thanks for reading & I hope you have found this list of resources helpful! Please let me know if there’s another resource you’d recommend.