Chemistry At A Distance: Instructional Strategies And The Internet Component Of The Courses- A Chronological Review of the Literature (original) (raw)
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The already developed learning profiles of distance education students could be a determining factor in whether or not electronic forms of instruction will be successful. Several groups of distance education chemistry students were interviewed to discover the strategies they use when studying from their present printed material. A number of strategies were identified and grouped into two major categories and several subcategories, depending on the content of the material being studied and time available for study. It was found that the students used a cognitive linear style of learning, using three distinct types of learning strategies revolving around the core strategy of taking, summarising and rewriting of notes. They then used a separate, but similar, set of strategies to validate their knowledge. A computer based learning program would have some advantages over print, but would need to support the present style of learning adopted by the students. Suggestions are made for an integrated program that may encourage students to adopt alternative strategies. [Chem.
Journal of Chemical Education, 2020
The instruction of high enrollment general and organic chemistry laboratories at a large public 10 university always have curricular, administrative, and logistical challenges. Herein, we describe how we met these challenges in the transition to remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss the reasoning behind our approach, the utilization of our existing web-based course content, the additions and alterations to our curriculum, replacement of experimental work with videos, the results of both student and TA surveys, and lessons learned for iterations of these courses in the near 15 future. File list (3) download file view on ChemRxiv CHEMRXIV-Online in No Time.pdf (1.57 MiB) download file view on ChemRxiv Online in No Time Supporting Information.pdf (181.10 KiB) download file view on ChemRxiv bigbrother_python_code.py (3.15 KiB)
Challenges in Teaching Organic Chemistry Remotely
Journal of Chemical Education, 2020
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has changed not only people's daily lives but also the education system. The rise of e-learning all across the world has challenged both students and teachers to adapt to digital technologies and a novel learning experience on both sides. As if COVID-19 was not enough, many students were facing the alien territory of organic chemistry for the first time. There is no denying that organic chemistry is a tough subject, and several students may also have preconceived misconceptions. In addition, organic chemistry can be challenging to teach remotely. It is very abstract in nature; it involves many concepts, and the teacher typically uses molecular models of one kind or another to depict molecules in three dimensions. Nonetheless, challenges provide an opportunity to implement new strategies to increase students' interest, motivation, and understanding. However, most educators only had a few days to put everything they do in class onto an online platform. In this study, we evaluated the effect of these changes in the teaching and learning of organic chemistry at a first year undergraduate level. Our results show that student success depends on the digital resources used for the different subjects. Students that received weekly quizzes performed better than those who did not, and a positive correlation exists between quiz score and final exam marks. Based on the students' feedback, the implementation of quizzes was a successful didactic tool that helped them review the topics. In addition, the incorporation of open-access web-based tools led to a dynamic online classroom experience.
Teaching Chemistry by a Creative Approach: Adapting a Teachers' Course for Active Remote Learning
Journal of Chemical Education, 2021
Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, all teachers' training courses scheduled for summer 2020 had to transition to online formats. For the arts-integrating course "Teaching Chemistry by a Creative Approach", this shift jeopardized the course's essence, since learning by this approach is based on creative, hands-on, and active learning. Here we describe how the course format and contents evolved from a planned face-to-face format to an adapted, successful online learning experience. Two main goals were considered during the adaptation process: (1) making available to teachers the theoretical and practical backgrounds necessary to internalize the arts-integrating approach through creative, active learning strategies, and (2) providing teachers with actual tools through which they can rethink and develop their own teaching materials to suit remote teaching by incorporating supporting neuropedagogical aspects. Evaluating the immediate and follow-up questionnaires, as well as the assessment of teachers' course assignments, suggests that the online course successfully preserved the essence and the main objectives of the original course, that the course was useful for remote teaching, and that it seems to have had an impact on teachers' practices. We attribute this impact to the well-thought-out process of adapting the course to promote creative, active online teaching and learning. In addition to modifying the course's format, this process expanded the arts-integrating approach to acknowledge the inherent difficulties in learning chemistry, existing also while learning online. We propose this process as a model to be used by educators to rethink and adapt their own practices to improve distance chemistry teaching and learning.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), 2023
This research study addressed the impact of distance education of laboratory-based skills on student preparation and performance in the chemical sciences. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to examine the efficacy of distance education of laboratory technique in general chemistry at two Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) community colleges in Southern California. Student performance data (success rates and grade points) and both student and instructor interviews were used to develop an assessment of this instructional modality. Although an improvement in student performance was observed upon transition from face-to-face instruction to distance education, the students and instructors had negative impressions of this modality for the instruction of laboratory technique. Additionally, the transition from face-to-face instruction to distance education resulted in minimal gains for Hispanic (Latina/o/x) students and, therefore, did not improve the equity gap. The implications of this research study and recommendations for distance education of laboratory instruction in the chemical sciences are discussed. iii Research Methods .
Designing a Remote, Synchronous, Hands-On General Chemistry Lab Course
The development of a remote, synchronous general chemistry lab course, which was offered to 800 students in the fall semester of 2020, is described. The course was designed with similar curricular goals as our in-person lab course and featured chemistry kits developed by a team of faculty, staff, and graduate TAs. The kits, which were distributed via a rental program through the university bookstore, provided students the opportunity to conduct hands-on experiments at home or in their dorm room. To create the remote lab course, the team negotiated logistical and curricular issues such as finding alternatives to costly precision glassware and instrumentation, adding strategies for engaging students online, decreasing chemical hazards of experiments, and encouraging a safety culture for students working remotely. A professional development graduate course for TA instructors, associated with the general chemistry lab program, was also enhanced by including topics that were relevant for understanding remote learning environments. In redesigning the lab course for remote delivery, we developed new experiments (e.g., calibration), introduced new engagement strategies (e.g., badging), revised several experiments (e.g., heats of reaction), included an Arduinobased spectrometer (e.g., visible spectroscopy and pulse oximetry), and provided new student supports (e.g., TAs on-call). Survey data was gathered to assess student evaluation of the hands-on activities, the presence of synchronous TA help, the badging experience, the value of the lab course, and challenges faced in taking the lab course during a pandemic.
The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 2013
In delivering chemistry courses by distance, a key challenge is to offer the learner an authentic and meaningful laboratory experience that still provides the rigour required to continue on in science. To satisfy this need, two distance general chemistry laboratory courses appropriate for Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) students, including chemistry majors, have been recently developed at Thompson Rivers University. A constructive alignment process was employed which clearly mapped learning outcomes and activities to appropriate assessment tools. These blended laboratory courses feature custom home experimental kits and combine elements of online and hands-on learning. The courses were designed for flexible continuous enrollment and provide online resources including tutor support, instructional videos, lab report submission, and student evaluation. The assessment of students includes laboratory reports, safety quizzes, reflective journaling, digital photo documentation, and invigilated written and online practical exams. Emphasizing the quality and rigour in these distance laboratory learning experiences allowed both courses to be accepted for B.Sc. transfer credit by other institutions, an important criterion for students. This paper will outline the design and development process of these new blended laboratory courses, their course structures and assessments, and initial student results.
The use of the Internet for teaching Chemistry
Analytica Chimica Acta, 2000
Over the past 20 years there have been astounding advances in computer hardware and software. Many recent developments have focused on the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW). The Internet has made a huge impact on the way chemists work, but as yet far less on the way they teach.
A Web-Based Chemistry Course as a Means To Foster Freshmen Learning
Journal of Chemical Education, 2003
Simulations, graphing, and microcomputer-based laboratories have been used in the last two decades as effective teaching methods in science education at both college and high school levels (1-5). Scientists, engineers, and science educators use models to concretize, simplify, and clarify abstract concepts, as well as to develop and explain theories, phenomena, and rules. Researchers underscored the need for models as enablers of students' mental transformation from two-dimensional to three-dimensional representations (6-8). Virtual models enhance teaching and learning of various topics in chemistry. Studies have shown that when teaching topics such as chemical bonding and organic compounds aided by three-dimensional computerized models, students' understanding improves (9-11).