This communication reports the curriculum
changes and how they
worked when an upper-level experimental physical chemistry course
had to switch from face-to-face to online teaching within a matter
of days. Although several of the learning goals of the laboratory-based
course could still be met in the online environment, others required
modifications in order to reduce the educational losses. The use of
videos, icebreakers, homework, prelab quizzes, in-lab questions, and
synchronous meetings helped to keep the students engaged and maximize
the achievement of learning goals. The technology challenge when internet
connections were poor was swiftly addressed by the students switching
to cell phone data plans. Academic integrity was managed through the
use of an open-book exam using original problems that required critical
thinking and problem-solving skills rather than only regurgitation
of knowledge that could be copied from textbooks or found online.
Although gains were obtained through writing lab reports, solving
the homework, prelab quizzes, and in-lab questions as well as generating
questions about the laboratory experiments, the development of problem
solving skills to address challenges during the actual instrument
operation and planning and conducting an authentic research experiment
were lost because instruction was not face-to-face.