Biotech Students Experience Lab Learning Like Never Before

Published December 18, 2024

Johns Hopkins University biotechnology graduate students, and other students in the University’s Advanced Academic Programs division, are reaping the benefits of a visionary project that recently introduced a series of 360° virtual videos and high-resolution standard videos to enhance laboratory learning. The venture engages learners in a uniquely interactive way with a focus on identifying and improving laboratory skills needed for future success in the workforce.

Two-and-a-half years in the making, this collaborative project is the brainchild of computational biophysicist and Program Director of the MS in Biotechnology program Chris Skipwith and Maritza McMillan, a multimedia production specialist in the AAP Instructional Resource Center. Each video, from conceptualization to completion, required four-to-six months, with a great deal of troubleshooting, backend editing, and creative brainstorming to make the large files readily accessible. The resulting win-win is that onsite and virtual students, both domestic and international, can now embrace the videos as a powerful learning tool.

“During some of our exploratory work with members of our industry advisory committee a few years ago, they noted specific skills that employers wanted in candidates,” Skipwith said. “These included experiential design, understanding the application of technologies into the biotechnology industry, and understanding critical analysis and thinking in the laboratory environment. We were able to address all of these within the context of this work. There were a lot of people involved in bringing the project to fruition, including Program Coordinators, Assistant Program Directors, Biotechnology students, and of course, the IRC team. Numerous faculty members stepped in and recorded videos, despite the time commitment, and they are all really excited because of the impact that these videos can have on student learning and success.”

“Chris always has been forward-thinking when it comes to wanting to explore and incorporate new ways of delivering content to students,” McMillan said. “Every decision we made along the way was with the student-viewing experience in mind. We wanted to ensure that the access was unencumbered and that the videos would stream properly. We wanted to make sure that students could view the videos not only on a computer, but also on a tablet or mobile phone, that access was equitable and could be of benefit to all types of learners. With ADA compliance in mind, we took a multi-pronged approach. We included voice overs, and closed captioning, as well as downloadable protocols, so that students who learn in different ways were able to experience the technology. We are hopeful that this interactive project will play a part in their learning journey.”

Skipwith identified three main goals that the videos would need to address in showcasing the higher technical laboratory skills required of graduate students.

“We wanted the students to experience our laboratory space, especially if they are coming to campus at some point later in the curriculum,” he said. “We wanted them to have a very detailed protocol which is focused on the technical skills that are needed to perform those protocols, and finally, we wanted them to have a sense of how to troubleshoot based on the content that is in their courses.”

A Layered Approach

Though unable to completely replicate the in-person laboratory experience, the videos use three modules to engage students. First, is the 360° view, which allows students to look around a lab, get a sense of the spacing between the instruments, the spacing between elements of the experiment, and the overall workflow. Second, students can access high-resolution videos that go into very minute experimental details, and close-up views that show, for instance, the process of dispensing liquids and performing manipulations of the experimental parameters. Third, if students have access to virtual reality goggles, they can access the 360° view, turn on the VR mode and truly immerse themselves in the lab. The technology allows students to navigate the laboratory environment in a way that most virtual resources just can’t, and on their own time.

Painstaking Precision

The IRC team, which included multimedia production assistants Yutong Gao and Fang Ching (Serena) Liu, members of AAP’s film and media graduate program, found the ideal lab (the CBE Teaching Lab in Levi Hall on the Homewood Campus) for filming. They then began the painstakingly detailed video production process using the 360° camera, a side camera, and an overhead camera, repeatedly capturing each step of each of the specific protocols over and over again. Finally, they turned their attention to post-production, devoting hours to editing in Adobe Premiere and 3-D Vista.

“Chris and the faculty were very patient and devoted to the process as we spent 8-9 hours a day over the course of a few days in filming each protocol,” McMillan said. “We wanted the students to feel like they were in the driver’s seat of the experience, that it was their hands going through the protocols. Sometimes there are nuances in the experiments that you can’t quite see in a wide view shot, so we wanted students to be able to zoom in to see how to use certain instruments and how to perform certain techniques.”

Safety First

It was essential that the very first video that Skipwith and McMillan produced focused on laboratory safety protocols, including how to safely handle chemical and biologic products, and recombinant substances (DNA, proteins, cells, or organisms that are created by combining genetic material from two different sources.) The videos highlighted core skills necessary in maintaining the sterility of the lab environment, in general, emphasizing the importance of spotting safety measures within the lab, paying particular attention to the importance and detail of labeling, including chemical hazard notifications.

“We wanted to emphasize to students that if you don’t handle things properly, you could potentially be contaminating other environments,” Skipwith said. “For instance, if you are working with recombinant products, you want to ensure that you maintain an environment where you will not get contaminants from other genomes, other things that are in your fingernails, on the bench, or in the air.”

Start with the Basics

Considering that many students who went through their undergraduate program during the COVID pandemic saw little to no time in a laboratory, the immediate goal of the videos was to provide highly skilled resources to bolster students’ understanding of basic laboratory practices – things that every student should know how to do going into a lab.

“We found that there were a lot of students who would come into the lab, and they didn’t understand how to use a micropipette, or maybe they thought they did,” Skipwith said. “Then they found out that they were dispensing liquids inaccurately. Being able to do a procedure, and being able to repeatedly do it right, are two very separate and very important things.”

Then they focused on three other “buckets”- another set of skills around molecular biology lab techniques, the handling of cells, and working with proteins. Based on these four buckets, the team had 22 protocols. To date, they have completed 15 videos and embedded them into the lab curriculum.

“Providing an introduction to our own lab specifically is a huge benefit of the program,” Skipwith said. “We also are differentiating ourselves by producing videos that are master’s degree focused and address the core needs of graduate students in the laboratory environment.”

Refining the Work

Skipwith’s continuous engagement with the biotech industry, as a Program Director and as a key science officer for a company that focuses on unique product development, is advantageous in that it allows him to understand how the curriculum should shift in reaction to industry trends. In particular, he cites skills in four major areas – computational sciences, regenerative and stem technology, an engineering focus, and process development – that biotech graduates will need to master to remain relevant.

“Our industry advisory committee has noted that the availability of lab courses is what is going to drive the progression of the program,” he said. “So, as new technology and equipment is introduced, we will continue to produce videos and refine existing ones. Students want to be in the lab. It’s what they come here for and what they want to do. Anything that we can do to enhance that lab experience and adequately prepare our students is a win. We are focused on graduating students who are equipped with expertise in critical thinking, who take a troubleshooting approach to scientific protocols, and who are able to tackle large, multi-faceted projects. Our goal is to prepare students to secure the careers that they want and to develop their abilities to become future leaders in the industry.”