Laboratory practices in contingency contexts: An academic strategy in higher education

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22458/caes.v17i1.6584

Keywords:

practice, active learning, educational strategy, food processing, agro-industrial, education, pandemic, distance learning

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Agroindustrial Engineering program at the Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED) implemented an academic strategy to ensure educational continuity and the development of student abilities. In response to health restrictions, the laboratory practices of engineering courses, which are normally conducted in person at an educational pilot plant, were adapted to a home-based format. The instructional design was grounded in the flipped classroom model, providing students with materials to facilitate prior understanding, followed by the execution of experiments at home using raw materials available in their geographic area, as well as household equipment and utensils. The completion of the practices was verified through photographic evidence and laboratory reports, which were evaluated using specific rubrics.

 

Author Biographies

Blanca Selva - Urbina, Universidad Estatal a Distancia

Máster en Administración de Empresas y Licenciatura en Administración de Empresas con Énfasis en Recursos Humanos.

Evelyn - J. Céspedes - Barrantes, Universidad Estatal a Distancia

Bachiller en Administración de Empresas con Énfasis en Mercadeo.

Fiorella González - Solorzano, Universidad Estatal a Distancia

Máster en Administración Educativa y Licenciatura en Tecnología de Alimentos.

Kana Cheng - Lo, Universidad Estatal a Distancia

Licenciatura en Tecnología de Alimentos.

María - G. Villalobos - Gutiérrez, Universidad Estatal a Distancia

Máster en Ciencias de los Alimentos y Licenciatura en Tecnología de Alimentos.

References

Ausubel, D. P. (2002). Psicología educativa: Un punto de vista cognoscitivo (2.ª ed.). Trillas.

Border, K., & Mocny, L. (2021). Implementing a higher education food science laboratory course during the Covid-19 pandemic. Journal of Food Science and Nutrition, 7(1), Article 089. https://doi.org/10.24966/FSN-1076/100089

CODEX ALIMENTARIUS. (2022). Principios generales de higiene de los alimentos (CXC 1-1969): Adoptados en 1969, enmendados en 1999 y revisados en 1997, 2003, 2020 y 2022. https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/sh-proxy/en/?lnk=1&url=https%253A%252F%252Fworkspace.fao.org%252Fsites%252Fcodex%252FStandards%252FCXC%2B1-1969%252FCXC_001s.pdf

Divjak, B., Rienties, B., Iniesto, F., Vondra, P., & Žižak, M. (2022). Flipped classrooms in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings and future research recommendations. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 19(1), 9. https://educationaltechnologyjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s412 39 -021-00316-4

Fernández-Ferrer, M., & Espinoza-Pizarro, D. (2022). A flipped classroom experience in the context of a pandemic: Cooperative learning as a strategy for meaningful student learning. Journal of Technology and Science Education, 12(3), 644-658. https://www.jotse.org/index.php/jotse/article/view/1701/657

Novais, C., & Antunes, P. (2023). Inverted classes as a successful tool to overcome teaching and learning challenges imposed by COVID-19 lockdown to food microbiology laboratory classes. Socio Humanities Open, 7(1), 100488. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10027958/

Programa de Apoyo Curricular y Evaluación de los Aprendizajes (PACE). (2021). Guía para el diseño curricular o modificación de planes de estudio de pregrado, grado y posgrado de la Universidad Estatal a Distancia

Rico-Santos, M., & Quintana-Montesdeoca, M. D. P. (2024). Implantación del aula invertida en las prácticas de laboratorio de una asignatura básica de química. Revista de Estudios y Experiencias en Educación, 23(51), 313-331.

Silva Solís, A. D., Saucedo Rodríguez, P., & Tapia, C. (2022). Plan de continuidad académica ante la contingencia del COVID-19: Estudio comparado entre México y España. Revista Española de Educación Comparada. https://doi.org/10.5944/ reec.42.2023.31318

Surya, R. (2020). Research at home: Being creative in running an undergraduate final research project in Food Science amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Journal of Food Science Education, 19(4), 97–99. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4329.12205

Tecnológico de Costa Rica. (2020, octubre 1). Estudiantes arman sus laboratorios en casa con apoyo de docentes de Biotecnología. Hoy en el TEC. https://www.tec.ac.cr/hoyeneltec/2020/10/01/estudiantes-arman-sus-laboratorios-casa-apoyo-docentes-biotecnologia

Toledo, R. T., Simpson, R. C., & Son, Y. J. (2021). Fundamentals of food process engineering (4th ed.). Springer.

Universidad Estatal a Distancia. (2004). Modelo pedagógico y áreas sustantivas de la UNED (Unidad 2). UNED Costa Rica. https://multimedia.uned. ac.cr/pem/pedagogia_universitaria/paginas_unidad2/modelo_pedagogico.html

Published

2026-05-30

How to Cite

Selva - Urbina, B., Céspedes - Barrantes, E. .-. J., González - Solorzano, F., Cheng - Lo, K., & Villalobos - Gutiérrez, M. .-. G. (2026). Laboratory practices in contingency contexts: An academic strategy in higher education. Revista Electrónica Calidad En La Educación Superior, 17(1), 355–379. https://doi.org/10.22458/caes.v17i1.6584

Issue

Section

Edición Especial Revista CAES y la Red Innovación Simple y Fructífera (RISYF) del Consejo Superior Universitario Centroamericano (CSUCA)