ERIC Number: EJ1444837
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jun
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: EISSN-1938-1328
A Virtual Reality Assessment of Teamwork in Laboratory Safety
Aaron Y. Zhao; Joseph Collins; Joel B. Floyd Jr.; Xianming Tan; David S. Lawrence
Journal of Chemical Education, v100 n6 p2320-2328 2023
A variety of strategies have been introduced to tackle the issue of laboratory safety in academic settings. These strategies include innovative educational tools as students transition from the classroom into the laboratory, the introduction of policies designed to protect the researchers in the laboratory environment, and the creation of teams of peers at the departmental level that focus on creating a culture of safety. We recently developed, as a training exercise, virtual reality (VR) modules that replicate the visual and auditory complexities of authentic research laboratories ( J. Chem. Educ. 2022, 99, 1982-1989). We have now used the VR environments to compare the relative abilities of individuals and of teams to identify laboratory hazards by quantifying several variables: time spent in the virtual environment, percentage of total hazards identified, percentage of hazards correctly characterized, number of attempts to identify hazards, and number of requests for assistance. In addition, an online survey was used to assess the perceptions of individual and team performances by the participants. Quantitative measures demonstrated the superior performances of teams versus that of individuals. Intriguingly, the smaller coefficient of variance associated with these metrics for teams (versus individuals) implies a group dynamic that suppresses outliers. Finally, results from the online survey reveal that the team format is perceived to be more effective than individuals in identifying hazards. However, team leaders were more subdued in their enthusiasm for the group format than were the members of their teams, which appears to be associated with subtle group dynamics.
Descriptors: Teamwork, Cooperative Learning, Chemistry, Science Laboratories, Laboratory Safety, Laboratory Training, Computer Simulation, Hazardous Materials, Identification, Science Process Skills
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A