Lab with report (laboratory practical)

A laboratory practical is a form of hands-on learning in which students apply the theory they have learned in practice. Students can conduct experiments, synthesize materials, do measurements, perform interventions, draw conclusions etc.

In a report, students record their experiences, findings, and results of the practical. You can have them do this (individually or in groups), for example, in the form of a report, a presentation, a portfolio or some other form of documentation. This gives you insight into the students' skills and knowledge and allows you to give targeted feedback on the performance of the practical and the reporting. It also helps students work on skills such as practical application, problem solving, collaboration, written communication and presentation.

Some examples:

• Chemistry: students conduct experiments in the laboratory to test and analyse materials or synthesise materials. They describe the purpose of the experiments, implementation, results and conclusions.
• Biology: students perform an experiment to investigate the growth of fungi under different conditions and make a report describing how the experiment was carried out, they describe the results and draw conclusions.
• Business administration: the students visit a company and make a report describing the observed supply chain processes, analysing interviews with employees and recommending improvements.
• Computer Science: students develop a software application and produce a report describing how the app was designed, the challenges they encountered, the technologies used and the results of testing.
• Psychology: students conduct a study on the relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership style and produce a report describing how the study was conducted, analysing the results and drawing conclusions.
• Environmental Science: students conduct a field study to investigate the water quality of a river and make a report describing how the field study was conducted, what parameters were measured, analyse the results and make recommendations for improvements.
• Communication Sciences: students conduct a campaign for a social problem and produce a report describing how the campaign was designed, what strategies were used and what results were achieved.

Want to know more?

• Tekstsoorten: practicumverslag - Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

See also: Labster.