Implementing an online student laboratory data repository in a first year undergraduate health science course

In many large first year undergraduate courses in the health sciences, students participate in practical sessions (pracs) in which they are taught about and provided with opportunities to practice basic skills and techniques for measuring biophysical and psychological variables. We have successfully developed and implemented an Online Student Laboratory Data Repository in an introductory health science course which provides rich opportunities for using a large, student centric dataset in lecture components of the course to explore and evaluate underlying principles, models and theories within the discipline or profession. In future work we will examine its effectiveness in improving collaboration between undergraduate students from different health science programs.