Combating the Negative Exam Score Impact of Online Human Physiology Laboratories via Cognitive and Structural Strategies: A Preliminary Analysis

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed higher education to design effective online strategies for undergraduate Biology laboratory learning, especially in health-sciences contexts. A study of 71 students at Minnesota State University, Mankato examined how hybrid lab participation affected exam outcomes. Students who attended 2+ Zoom labs before Exam I showed lower Exam I scores than peers attending 0–1 Zoom labs. After three targeted strategies were introduced before Exam II, Multi-Zoom students closed early gaps overall, and those using the strategies significantly outperformed Multi-Zoom peers who did not.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background of online and hybrid lab instruction during COVID-19

Human Physiology lab learning outcomes and challenges

Materials and Methods

Study setting and hybrid lab structure

Participants and lab scheduling

Exam score assessment

Results and Discussion

Effects on Exam I and Exam II performance

Impact of targeted class strategies

Implications for future online lab design

Combating the Negative Exam Score Impact of Online Human Physiology Laboratories via Cognitive and Structural Strategies: A Preliminary Analysis Keenan T. Hartert Department of Biological Sciences, Minnesota State University Mankato, Mankato, MN ORCID ID: 0000-0002-5367-6640 Correspondence Keenan T. Hartert, PhD Department of Biological Sciences, Minnesota State University Mankato 236 Wigley Administration, Mankato, MN 56001, USA. E-mail: [keenan.hartert@mnsu.edu](keenan.hartert@mnsu.edu) Phone: 1-970-368-0959 Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic forced higher education to develop new strategies to meet the needs of students. One of the most critical issues was delivering an online experience in undergraduate Biology laboratories aimed at meeting hands-on outcomes, specifically within the health sciences. Hybrid lab group models in which students rotated between in-person and online attendance represented one such option. A student population of 71 at Minnesota State University, Mankato was studied to observe the effects on student exam scores. Negative student perceptions were made clear in course feedback surveys, and students that attended 2+ labs via Zoom preceding an exam were associated with a lower Exam I score compared to peers that only attended 0-1 labs via Zoom. Three class strategies were introduced before Exam II, meant to improve online learning. The Exam II scores saw no overall significant difference between groups, with Multi-Zoom students closing the gap from Exam I. Importantly, Multi-Zoom students that utilized the class strategies significantly outperformed Multi-Zoom students that that did not use them. Although any classroom results represent a mix of variables, the risks of online labs intended to assess hands-on and data interpretation outcomes of Human Physiology can be detrimental when targeted strategies are absent. Keywords: Hybrid, Online, Physiology, Lab, Students, Pre-health Introduction The emergence of COVID-19 in 2020 demanded new strategies for a return to higher education institutions (“COVID-19: 20 Countries’ Higher Education Intra-Period Digital Pedagogy Responses” 2020) . While many educators favored a fully online approach, others adapted a hybrid (FlexSync, HyFlex) method. This challenge was felt particularly hard by the life sciences, as most laboratory sections require students to demonstrate hands-on outcomes to succeed. This is extremely true for the health sciences. Classes such as Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology are especially important for success as a healthcare professional since they represent students’ first opportunity to collect and analyze physiological data. Human Physiology courses are typically enriched for student pursuing a career in the health sciences, although a more diverse array continues to join the population (Griff 2016) . The key conceptual outcomes from lab include Homeostasis, Cellular Physiology (Diffusion and Osmosis), Action Potential, Skeletal Muscle, Cardiac Muscle, White and Red Blood Cells, Lung Physiology, and Kidney Physiology. Moreover, these classes are typically some of the largest on a campus with 10,000+ enrolled students. Meeting the demands of a large student population and COVID-19 space guidelines represents a unique challenge. Another downfall of hybridized, online learning is that the majority of students do not prefer this classroom approach (Adnan 2020) . Students cite the lack of hands-on experience and classroom connection as factors. The typical challenges of teaching were exacerbated by a slew of new factors. However, these poor perspectives are not reflected in other primary literature documenting the success of virtual laboratories (Mahaffey 2018; Brinson 2015; Lombardi et al. 2014) . Specifically, students cite that the use of structured, asynchronous modules helped keep them on track and improved their experience (Lima et al. 2020) . It would appear that exchanging in-person opportunities for a hybri

FAQs

How was online participation in the hybrid Human Physiology labs structured?

Students were organized into lab partner groups, with each week one designated member attending via Zoom and two attending in person. The Zoom member rotated weekly, and groups cycled every three weeks.

What was the effect of attending more Zoom labs before Exam I?

Students who attended 2+ labs via Zoom before Exam I had lower Exam I scores than peers who attended only 0–1 Zoom labs.

Did the targeted strategies improve Exam II outcomes for high Zoom participants?

Overall Exam II scores showed no significant difference between groups, but Multi-Zoom students closed the Exam I gap. Multi-Zoom students who used the introduced class strategies significantly outperformed Multi-Zoom students who did not.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr