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022 _a0021-9584
100 _aZhao, Aaron Y.
245 _aA Virtual Reality Assessment of Teamwork in Laboratory Safety (Journal Article)
260 _aWashington DC
_b:American Chemical Society
_c,2023
300 _a2320-2328p.
440 _aJournal of Chemical Society
_v, Volume 100: Number 6, June 2023
505 _a***______{For Hard Copy, Please visit Library.}________***
520 _a Abstract: A variety of strategies have been introduced to tackle the issue of laboratory safety in academic settings. These strategies include innovative educational tools as students transition from the classroom into the laboratory, the introduction of policies designed to protect the researchers in the laboratory environment, and the creation of teams of peers at the departmental level that focus on creating a culture of safety. We recently developed, as a training exercise, virtual reality (VR) modules that replicate the visual and auditory complexities of authentic research laboratories ( J. Chem. Educ. 2022, 99, 1982−1989). We have now used the VR environments to compare the relative abilities of individuals and of teams to identify laboratory hazards by quantifying several variables: time spent in the virtual environment, percentage of total hazards identified, percentage of hazards correctly characterized, number of attempts to identify hazards, and number of requests for assistance. In addition, an online survey was used to assess the perceptions of individual and team performances by the participants. Quantitative measures demonstrated the superior performances of teams versus that of individuals. Intriguingly, the smaller coefficient of variance associated with these metrics for teams (versus individuals) implies a group dynamic that suppresses outliers. Finally, results from the online survey reveal that the team format is perceived to be more effective than individuals in identifying hazards. However, team leaders were more subdued in their enthusiasm for the group format than were the members of their teams, which appears to be associated with subtle group dynamics.
650 _aGraduate Education| Research| Laboratory Instruction| Laboratory Management |Virtual Reality
700 _aCollins, Joseph | Floyd Jr., Joel B. | Tan, Xianming | Lawrence, David S.
856 _uhttps://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c00191
942 _cPER
999 _c44615
_d44614