Teaching and learning distillation in chemistry laboratory courses

1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 715-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanno Van Keulen ◽  
Theo H. M. Mulder ◽  
Martin J. Goedhart ◽  
Adri H. Verdonk
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Laboratory Courses

Developing and Implementing a Specifications Grading System in an Organic Chemistry Laboratory Course

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Howitz ◽  
Kate J. McKnelly ◽  
Renee Link
Keyword(s):  
Organic Chemistry ◽  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Grading System ◽  
Traditional Grading ◽  
Final Grade ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Lower Division ◽  
Collaborative Learning Environment ◽  
Organic Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Grade Uncertainty

<p>Large, multi-section laboratory courses are particularly challenging when managing grading with as many as 35 teaching assistants (TAs). Traditional grading systems using point-based rubrics lead to significant variations in how individual TAs grade, which necessitates the use of curving across laboratory sections. Final grade uncertainty perpetuates student anxieties and disincentivizes a collaborative learning environment, so we adopted an alternative grading system, called specifications grading. In this system each student knows exactly what level of proficiency they must demonstrate to earn their desired course grade. Higher grades require demonstrating mastery of skills and content at defined higher levels. Each students’ grade is solely dependent on the work they produce rather than the performance of other students. We piloted specifications grading in the smaller, third quarter course of the lower division organic chemistry laboratory series held during a summer term. Open-ended questions were chosen to gather student and TA perceptions of the new grading system. TAs felt that the new grading system reduced the weekly grading time because it was less ambiguous. Responses from students about the nature of the grading system were mixed. Their perceptions indicate that initial buy-in and multiple reminders about the bigger picture of the grading system will be essential to the success of this grading system on a larger scale.</p>

Adoption of online multimedia resources in a general chemistry laboratory course context: A case study

2020 ◽  
pp. 204275302095496
Author(s):  
Secil Tisoglu ◽  
Kursat Cagiltay ◽  
Engin Kursun
Keyword(s):  
Classroom Practices ◽  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Online Resources ◽  
General Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Multimedia Resources ◽  
Multimedia Features ◽  
Multimedia Resource

Pre-laboratory practices and online pre-laboratory resources have been implemented in laboratory courses through various instructional approaches. This study seeks to elicit information about how online multimedia resources are embraced and used in the course system and which factors might affect the adoption of the resources in this context. This research was designed as a case study in order to explore the enablers and barriers of online multimedia resource adoption and associated problems in the system through two resources developed in video and simulation formats. Interviews, observations, and documents were applied so as to provide a detailed perspective of the course and the phenomenon. The findings of the study revealed that the multimedia components of the resources attracted the students’ interest and engagement, and affected the users’ preparation routines; however, attitude toward the course and resources, lack of policy practices and support, quality of the resources, problems in classroom practices, and administration were found to be prominent issues that challenged the adoption of online resources. The study offers suggestions concerning how to adopt the online resources into laboratory courses, and insights about the implications of online resources and their different multimedia features are also presented.

Chemistry laboratory courses in the universities of the U.S.S.R.

1978 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 579-586
Author(s):  
I. V. Beresin ◽  
E. M. Sokolovskaya
Keyword(s):  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Laboratory Courses

The Nature and State of General Chemistry Laboratory Courses Offered by Colleges and Universities in the United States

1997 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R. Abraham ◽  
Mark S. Craolice ◽  
A. Palmer Graves ◽  
Abdulwali H. Aldhamash ◽  
Joann G. Kihega ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
General Chemistry ◽  
The United States ◽  
Colleges And Universities ◽  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
General Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Laboratory Courses

Assessing TA buy-in to expectations and alignment of actual teaching practices in a transformed general chemistry laboratory course

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin M. Duffy ◽  
Melanie M. Cooper
Keyword(s):  
General Chemistry ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Undergraduate Level ◽  
General Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Video Observations ◽  
Actual Teaching

Inquiry-style laboratory courses, in which students engage in open-ended projects rather than a prescribed set of experimental steps (“cookbooks”), are becoming increasingly popular at the undergraduate level. Reformed curricula require reforms in training teachers; in the case of large universities, laboratory instructors are typically graduate teaching assistants (TAs). The General Chemistry Laboratory courses at a large, public, research-intensive university in the Midwestern region of the United States recently underwent a transformation from a “cookbook” to a project-based lab, and despite efforts to improve training, TAs continue to express difficulty teaching the course. To determine the source of these difficulties, we conducted multiple video observations and semi-structured interviews with seven TAs throughout one semester. We report TAs’ beliefs about what is expected of them, their philosophical alignment to perceived expectations, and a comparison of the Lab Coordinator's expectations to TAs’ actual teaching practices. We found that the TAs generally agreed with behaviors they were expected to perform, but responses to actions they were not supposed to do indicated that they were unsure of what the Lab Coordinator expected and personally believed that an ideal TA would perform those actions. This work highlights a need to clearly communicate the aims and expectations in a course and the rationale for those choices.

scholarly journals Taking laboratory chemistry to China: A personal view

2014 ◽  
pp. 32-35
Author(s):  
Julie Hyde
Keyword(s):  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Personal View ◽  
Laboratory Courses

The opportunity to prepare and deliver a three-year practical university Chemistry course in China was a very exciting and challenging prospect. I have written an account of my experiences in the hope that it will inspire colleagues to consider delivering practical chemistry laboratory courses in other countries.

scholarly journals Integrating case studies into graduate teaching assistant training to improve instruction in biology laboratory courses

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Kraft ◽  
Elise Walck-Shannon ◽  
Colleen Reilly ◽  
Ann E Stapleton
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Lesson Plans ◽  
Graduate Teaching Assistant ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Science Field ◽  
Graduate Degrees ◽  
Graduate Teaching ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Improve Instruction ◽  
Biology Laboratory

AbstractToday’s biology laboratory courses are primarily instructed by graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) working toward their own graduate degrees in a science field. Even though GTAs are the driving instructional force in biology laboratories, they receive little to no training in pedagogical principles and applications. Here, we present the GTAs’ self-reported unmet training needs with respect to teaching biology laboratory courses. To address these needs, we developed three training cases along with instructions for implementation in online and in-person GTA trainings. We piloted our training materials for GTA training in person at Iowa State University and in a Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning three-part online workshop. Upon completion of these training sessions, GTAs reported an increase in both their confidence and knowledge of student-centered instructional approaches. Furthermore, examination of the online workshop participants’ lesson plans demonstrated that GTAs were able to implement effective teaching practices in their own lesson plans. For brief training sessions, these are positive outcomes suggesting these cases are effective tools that could be incorporated into a variety of GTA training programs to improve instruction in biology laboratory courses.

Design and implementation of instructional videos for upper-division undergraduate laboratory courses

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 749-762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Schmidt-McCormack ◽  
Marc N. Muniz ◽  
Ellie C. Keuter ◽  
Scott K. Shaw ◽  
Renée S. Cole
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Instructional Videos ◽  
Science Practices ◽  
Student Autonomy ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Physical Measurements ◽  
Undergraduate Laboratory ◽  
The Impact

Well-designed laboratories can help students master content and science practices by successfully completing the laboratory experiments. Upper-division chemistry laboratory courses often present special challenges for instruction due to the instrument intensive nature of the experiments. To address these challenges, particularly those associated with rotation style course structures, pre-laboratory videos were generated for two upper-division laboratory courses, Analytical Measurements and Physical Measurements. Sets of videos were developed for each experiment: a pre-laboratory lecture, an experimental, and a data analysis video. We describe the theoretical principles that guided the design of the instructional videos as well as the process. To assess the impact of the videos on students' successful completion of the experiments, a mixed-methods approach to data collection was used, which included video-recorded laboratory observations, student one-on-one interviews, and the Meaningful Learning in the Laboratory Inventory (MLLI) survey. Our findings indicate that video-based resources can help alleviate some challenges associated with rotation-style labs, particularly the temporal disconnect between pre-laboratory lectures and experiment completion as well as the need for more student autonomy in upper-division laboratory courses.

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