An NMR-Smell Module for the First-Semester General Chemistry Laboratory

2003 ◽  
Vol 80 (12) ◽  
pp. 1368 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Michele Davis ◽  
Erich S. Uffelman ◽  
Elizabeth H. Cox ◽  
J. Brown Goehring ◽  
Tyler S. Lorig
Keyword(s):  
General Chemistry ◽  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
First Semester ◽  
General Chemistry Laboratory

scholarly journals General Chemistry: Expanding the Learning Outcomes and Promoting Interdisciplinary Connections through the Use of a Semester-long Project

2006 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Wenzel
Keyword(s):  
General Chemistry ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
First Semester ◽  
General Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Group Format ◽  
Laboratory Component ◽  
Working Groups ◽  
Small Group Format ◽  
Small Working

The laboratory component of a first-semester general chemistry course for science majors is described. The laboratory involves a semester-long project undertaken in a small-group format. Students are asked to examine whether plants grown in soil contaminated with lead take up more lead than those grown in uncontaminated soil. They are also asked to examine whether the acidity of the rainwater affects the amount of lead taken up by the plants. Groups are then given considerable independence in the design and implementation of the experiment. Once the seeds are planted, which takes about 4 wk into the term, several shorter experiments are integrated in before it is time to harvest and analyze the plants. The use of a project and small working groups allows for the development of a broader range of learning outcomes than occurs in a“ traditional” general chemistry laboratory. The nature of these outcomes and some of the student responses to the laboratory experience are described. This particular project also works well at demonstrating the connections among chemistry, biology, geology, and environmental studies.

Reform in a general chemistry laboratory: how do students experience change in the instructional approach?

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Chopra ◽  
J. O'Connor ◽  
R. Pancho ◽  
M. Chrzanowski ◽  
S. Sandi-Urena
Keyword(s):  
General Chemistry ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Instructional Style ◽  
General Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Outcome Space ◽  
Mindful Engagement ◽  
Laboratory Experiences ◽  
Style Preferences

This qualitative study investigated the experience of a cohort of students exposed consecutively to two substantially different environments in their General Chemistry Laboratory programme. To this end, the first semester in a traditional expository programme was followed by a semester in a cooperative, problem-based, multi-week format. The focus on the experience of a change in the laboratory format is complementary understanding to that from participants exposed to a single format. This work used a phenomenological approach for the reduction, analysis, and interpretation of data gathered from semi-structured student interviews. Through deep analysis, five researchers distilled an outcome space with three fundamental features: (1) ten vectors of change that served as lens to analyse the phenomenon; (2) participants' ability to accurately characterise and differentiate the two instructional environments; and (3) an overarching descriptor that argues that a transition from mindless behaviour to mindful engagement subsumed the experience of a change in the laboratory environment. This outcome space is independent of participants' instructional style preferences. Findings from this work inform the design of laboratory experiences furthering the potential realisation of experimental education at the same time when they extend understanding of learning in the chemistry laboratory.

Measuring the effectiveness of online preparation videos and questions in the second semester general chemistry laboratory

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Altowaiji ◽  
Rakahn Haddadin ◽  
Priscilla Campos ◽  
Shannon Sorn ◽  
Lizbeth Gonzalez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Chemistry ◽  
Cognitive Domain ◽  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
General Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Hispanic Serving Institution ◽  
Video Lectures ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Hispanic Serving ◽  
Laboratory Experiences ◽  
Stressful Environments

Chemistry laboratory experiences provide students the opportunity to engage all three domains of learning: psychomotor, cognitive and affective. However, they are often stressful environments where students are expected to quickly learn new laboratory techniques, and collect data in a short amount of time. In principle, providing additional preparation activities should help students be better prepared to successfully complete the lab. These activities should lead to more meaningful interactions with the lab instructor and better performance on lab outcomes. In this study, we report the usefulness and effectiveness of online preparation activities for students that include video lectures demonstrating the labs that the students will participate in, and preparation questions that mimic data analysis for the lab. These online prelab activities were implemented in the second semester general chemistry laboratory at a large Hispanic serving institution in the southwestern United States. Over three semesters, students enrolled in this course were surveyed using the Meaningful Learning in the Laboratory Instrument (MLLI) to assess their lab expectations as well as author generated post-lab surveys to assess the usefulness of the prelab activities. Additionally, lab instructors were surveyed on their perception of the efficacy of the additional preparation activities. Findings suggest that both students and instructors agree that having access to these materials as a part of a portfolio of resources, including the lab manual, help them better prepare for the lab. Although students’ expectations on the cognitive domain decreased after a semester of instruction, questions related to comfort with lab equipment show improvements in the affective domain for students with access to the additional preparation activities. Lastly we found that both students and instructors see a lot of value and benefits in having these types of prelab activities available as a way to help prepare students for the upcoming laboratory sessions. In general, the potential benefits that prelab activities had on students outweigh the modest effort to create these materials.

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