Design and Delivery of Virtual Inquiry-Based Organic Chemistry Experiments

Abstract

Guided-inquiry experiments are an important tool for helping students develop scientific practices such as hypothesizing and problem solving. In organic chemistry, these types of experiments can help students learn how to connect the theory of the reaction to the observation and data to decide how the reaction is proceeding or if it needs adapting. Due to a reduction of in person teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed a set of virtual inquiry-based organic chemistry experiments where students make the same decisions as they would do with a hands-on inquiry experiment. Thus, these simulations allow students to learn similar problem-solving skills. In this paper, we provide details of the simulations and the educational outcomes when they were used to replace hands-on inquiry experiments. We also include suggestions for its use postpandemic.

Design and Evaluation of the BeArS@home and Slugs@home Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-Style Online Laboratory Experiments

“…Other reports about online laboratory courses have mentioned that students appreciated that the online format saved time 21 and allowed for a greater emphasis on theory. 15,29 Some participants also reported fewer feelings of stress associated with completing online experiments. This is likely because students were able to explore possible mistakes in a low-stakes manner using the choose-your-own-adventure feature and were able to revisit pages of the website, removing the stress of accidentally missing a crucial observation point.…”

“…Receiving feedback allows students to monitor their progress and determine what they do and do not understand, which can help them self-regulate their learning . Several virtual experiments created during the pandemic include student decision-making as a feature, including a text-based choose-your-own-adventure-style click-through story and photo- or video-based experiments in which students choose different paths that mimic actions students would perform during experiments related to titrations, electrochemistry, or organic reactions …”

“…12 Several virtual experiments created during the pandemic include student decision-making as a feature, including a text-based choose-your-own-adventure-style click-through story 13 and photo-or video-based experiments in which students choose different paths that mimic actions students would perform during experiments related to titrations, 9 electrochemistry, 14 or organic reactions. 15 In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, instructors and staff at the University of California, Berkeley, and University of California, Santa Cruz, created choose-your-own-adventurestyle virtual laboratory exercises referred to as the BeArS@ home and Slugs@home online experiments. The names of these online experiments were chosen based on the universities' mascots, Oski the Bear and Sammy the Slug.…”

Inter-Twine-d: Combining Organic Chemistry Laboratory and Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Games

“…Mistry and Shahid developed a virtual inquiry organic chemistry laboratory activity through the use of Google Forms. 21 The main advantages of a Google forms format were ease of access for students enrolled in the class and people outside of the institution, ease of use for both creator and user, and ability to track students' choices.…”

Unique Data Sets and Bespoke Laboratory Videos: Teaching and Assessing of Experimental Methods and Data Analysis in a Pandemic

“…A range of solutions have been proposed for moving in-person laboratories online in response to the pandemic (reviewed recently by Kelley). Videos, − live online streaming, , simulations, − and virtual or augmented reality have been used as interactive lab replacements. Alternatively, students have conducted experiments at home using bespoke or commercial kits. − To teach data processing skills, students have been supplied with historical data sets, ,,, with data generated by teaching assistants or instructors, , or have generated data themselves using simulations .…”