This is something that paves the way for both teacher and student success and beyond. Set high expectations for your students (and yourself) but make sure to support them with clear directives on what you expect for them. Don't allow students to do the 'bare minimum'.

Spend some time in the beginning of the program to model how to complete lab techniques safely and properly. If you get out the kinks at the beginning, labs become more about critical thinking and application than practice. 

There are several things that students can learn about themselves when they present to their classmates. This requires students to prepare materials and truly understand topics that they may have only had a basic understanding before the program.  Students  can also give feedback to each other and learn from effective presentations. 

Students come into the program with all different reading and writing abilities. I believe that students will improve with practice. I include reading and writing technical documents and research papers that are related to the current topic or lab. 

It is advantageous to find connections in the area for advisory board members, guest speakers, field trips and potential capstone project collaborations. I would recommend attending career fairs and joining groups in the area. 

A note about pandemic distance learning