Ever felt like a lab session dragged on forever, or that you were just another face in a crowded room? A new study by Stephen Beck, Panos Lazari, and Matteo Di Benedetti from the University of Sheffield's Faculty of Engineering has been exploring exactly that. Their research, published in the International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, sheds light on what truly enhances lab experiences for both students and staff. Their findings offer valuable insights worth considering.
What Do Students Really Want from Labs?
The team set out to understand how to make lab sessions more effective. They collected extensive feedback through questionnaires, focusing on two key aspects: the ideal duration of lab sessions and the optimal group size for collaboration. Their findings highlight a few crucial ways to improve lab organisation.
One of the most striking results was that students prefer shorter lab sessions. Just like attention drifts in
.jpg "Students taking measurements in a lab class") |
| Labs don't always require a lab coat |
When it comes to group size, smaller is better. Both students and staff favour working in pairs. While some staff members find groups of three acceptable, students are less enthusiastic. The study found that groups of three tend to be less effective, possibly because one person may be left out. Groups of two or four seem to work best, likely depending on the experiment and equipment required. Notably, students who enjoy labs prefer smaller groups, while those who don’t tend to prefer larger groups. This highlights the importance of ensuring all students are actively engaged in the work.
The Number of Labs: Quality Over Quantity?
.jpg "Students learning in the Analytics lab") |
| Some labs do require lab coats- learning in Analytics |
The study also highlights that group size should be flexible depending on the experiment and the level of the course. A one-size-fits-all approach may not be the best solution.
What Does This Mean for Educators?
It’s time to rethink how labs are structured. The key takeaways for educators are:
- Consider shorter lab durations, aiming for a maximum of two hours. Favour smaller groups, ideally pairs, but be flexible depending on the experiment.
- Ensure all students are actively engaged, avoiding group sizes where one person might be left out.
- Avoid reducing learning when reducing lab time or group sizes. Since lab duration and group size are resource-dependent, shortening sessions should be carefully managed to maintain educational value.
Beck, Lazari, and Di Benedetti also examined ways to make lab time more efficient. One key recommendation is effective pre-lab activities to maximise hands-on time. Educators should also consider whether repetitive tasks are necessary and explore alternative methods like data pooling, allowing all students to fully participate. When expensive equipment is involved, a rotation system might be beneficial—letting one group use the resources while another discusses results with staff.
The researchers even provide a practical equation explaining the relationship between lab duration,
.jpg "Students learning in the EA lab") |
| Peer interaction is encouraged |
group size, and resource availability. The bottom line? Shorter labs with smaller groups can be just as effective as longer labs with larger groups while providing a better student experience.
This study is a call to action for educators to rethink lab sessions, ensuring they are structured for maximum impact and engagement.
You can check out the full paper by Beck, Lazari, and Di Benedetti here:
Beck SB, Lazari P, Di Benedetti M. Lab group size and laboratory duration. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education. 2025;0(0). doi:10.1177/03064190251315693