Covid-19 School Disruptions as Drivers of Curriculum Change in the Forensic Science Chemistry Laboratory

Abstract

COVID-19 severely disrupted the way students, worldwide, are taught. Courses that rely on hands-on activities to achieve their educational goals have been particularly affected because not all practical skills can be taught effectively outside specialized spaces like laboratories. In spite of the unplanned shift to distance learning, instructors at UNAM’s Forensic Science Undergraduate Program seized this opportunity to engage in a careful examination of teaching practices in the Organic Chemistry laboratory and the role these practices play in realizing the goals of the curriculum. To assess laboratory teaching, we analyzed the laboratory activities completed before shutdown against the criteria of three assessment instruments. Overall, the tasks carried out in the laboratory appear to favor the development of conceptual understanding and the acquisition of technical proficiency in the use of materials and instruments. However, it seems that these aims overshadow other important ones and leave little time for reflection on aspects of the nature of science that could strengthen the research background of forensic scientists. Determining how to adapt laboratory teaching to distance learning must be preceded by a thorough appraisal, not only of the technical obstacles, but also of the aims of the curriculum—particularly when teaching chemistry to non-chemists.