A one-semester, advanced, integrated laboratory course

Abstract

The driving forces for these integrated courses are the convictions that instrumental techniques are better learned by students when introduced as a tool needed to characterize the products of a synthesis, and that experimental and preparative techniques are better learned when all needed modern instrumental techniques are employed in the investigation.

Transitioning an Upper-Level, Integrated Laboratory Course to Remote and Online Instruction During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…This upper-level, solely laboratory-based course was particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to the lack of access to laboratory spaces and instrumentation, as well as limited options for students to withdraw or retake the course. Considering that similar courses can be found at other institutions, − it is important to acknowledge the logistical and pedagogical efforts to transition IL-1 to an online format.…”

Implementation of a Student-Customized Integrated Upper-Level Chemistry Laboratory Course

“…Various delivery models for laboratory instruction in chemistry involving some form of 'integration' have been reported for more than 40 years. 4 This term is used to describe both entire courses 8,[11][12][13][14][15] and individual experiments. 8,[16][17] In terms of courses, a range of implementations of integration have been reported.…”

“…Various delivery models for laboratory instruction in chemistry involving some form of “integration” have been reported for more than 40 years . This term is used to describe both entire courses ,− and individual experiments. ,, In terms of courses, a range of implementations of integration have been reported. The term “integrated” itself has been used to describe the combining of a number of laboratory courses in the same physical space, a program of study combining traditional subdisciplines of chemistry into a single laboratory sequence extending over the first two years of a degree program, , a one-term course combining four areas of chemistry and focusing upon advanced techniques, an upper-level course in which students work in groups to complete an extended experimental task, a course combining key skills into a “core” laboratory sequence, and a course which integrates laboratory work in four subdisciplines of chemistry within student-led research projects to which successive cohorts progressively contribute .…”

“…This term is used to describe both entire courses ,− and individual experiments. ,, In terms of courses, a range of implementations of integration have been reported. The term “integrated” itself has been used to describe the combining of a number of laboratory courses in the same physical space, a program of study combining traditional subdisciplines of chemistry into a single laboratory sequence extending over the first two years of a degree program, , a one-term course combining four areas of chemistry and focusing upon advanced techniques, an upper-level course in which students work in groups to complete an extended experimental task, a course combining key skills into a “core” laboratory sequence, and a course which integrates laboratory work in four subdisciplines of chemistry within student-led research projects to which successive cohorts progressively contribute . The term “unified” has been used essentially synonymously and in places interchangeably with “integrated” to refer to laboratory courses at various institutions. − In some contexts most or all of the component laboratory experiments involved some element of integration. , In other contexts, as is the case here, experiments specific to a single subdiscipline are retained alongside those combining distinct disciplinary approaches .…”

“…4 An educator suggested that an increase in student numbers may have been the result of their integrated delivery model for laboratories. 12 While several accounts of initiatives mention advantages and/or disadvantages for students, 8,11,15,17 and one includes direct quotes from students, 20 detailed explorations of student experiences do not appear to be available in the published literature.…”