Proposal Title
Guiding students toward independent thought in chemistry undergraduate labs
Session Type
Presentation
Room
FNB 1200
Start Date
5-7-2019 11:30 AM
Keywords
Laboratory, Problem Solving, Organic Chemistry, Experimental Design, Undergraduate
Primary Threads
Teaching and Learning Science
Abstract
Undergraduate laboratories provide students with many unique opportunities for experience-based learning. Traditionally, many science labs follow the same format: a short pre-lab assignment or quiz, the in-lab experiment, and a lab report submitted after the lab. Recently, we have noticed a decline in both student preparedness and knowledge retention and have observed that many students mechanically follow a stepwise procedure with very little thought or insight into the key concepts being taught.
To address these concerns, we have implemented a new approach in our undergraduate organic chemistry laboratories. In this model, a significant portion of student work focuses on experimental design. Students are strategically guided to make decisions about a variety of experimental components, from equipment, to reagents, to design choices. Knowing the laboratory objective, students design their own “procedure plan” and receive feedback prior to the experiment. As students gain laboratory experience and skills, the design components become less guided, and more complex. This format allows us to move away from stepwise procedure manuals, providing students with opportunities to make informed decisions about their experimental approach and execution.
Our ultimate goals are to encourage students to focus on application and reflection; improve student preparedness, comprehension, and problem-solving skills; while providing students with a more realistic “research-like” experience in the undergraduate laboratories.
In this presentation, we will discuss this new approach that is being used in our undergraduate organic chemistry laboratories and share both the successes and challenges we have encountered in the implementation of this laboratory model.
Elements of Engagement
We will provide a lab-design worksheet and an opportunity for open discussion on how this model can be implemented in other hands-on learning courses.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Guiding students toward independent thought in chemistry undergraduate labs
FNB 1200
Undergraduate laboratories provide students with many unique opportunities for experience-based learning. Traditionally, many science labs follow the same format: a short pre-lab assignment or quiz, the in-lab experiment, and a lab report submitted after the lab. Recently, we have noticed a decline in both student preparedness and knowledge retention and have observed that many students mechanically follow a stepwise procedure with very little thought or insight into the key concepts being taught.
To address these concerns, we have implemented a new approach in our undergraduate organic chemistry laboratories. In this model, a significant portion of student work focuses on experimental design. Students are strategically guided to make decisions about a variety of experimental components, from equipment, to reagents, to design choices. Knowing the laboratory objective, students design their own “procedure plan” and receive feedback prior to the experiment. As students gain laboratory experience and skills, the design components become less guided, and more complex. This format allows us to move away from stepwise procedure manuals, providing students with opportunities to make informed decisions about their experimental approach and execution.
Our ultimate goals are to encourage students to focus on application and reflection; improve student preparedness, comprehension, and problem-solving skills; while providing students with a more realistic “research-like” experience in the undergraduate laboratories.
In this presentation, we will discuss this new approach that is being used in our undergraduate organic chemistry laboratories and share both the successes and challenges we have encountered in the implementation of this laboratory model.