Development, Implementation, and Analysis of a National Survey of Faculty Goals for Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory

Bruck, Aaron D.; Towns, Marcy H.

doi:10.1021/ed300371n

Cited by 87 publications

(143 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Survey questions were developed by the authors and reviewed by university curriculum personnel in order to verify the clarity of the questions and answers. The survey questions emerged from those aspects of a science laboratory experience that have been found to be important (American Association of Physics Teachers 1998; Bruck and Towns 2013;Dikmenli 2007;Woodfield et al 2005). Generally, the questions explored the usability of the online laboratory and the extent of the connection between the lab and the lecture.…”

Section: Survey Development and Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Goals for laboratory experiences have been published for the disciplines of biology, chemistry, and physics (American Association of Physics Teachers 1998; American Chemical Society 2011; Dikmenli 2007;Woodfield et al 2005), and there is agreement among these groups that faceto-face laboratory experiences reinforce the topics and concepts introduced in the lecture and foster critical thinking skills. Bruck and Towns (2013), in their national survey of undergraduate chemistry faculty, reported that both general and organic chemistry teachers believe that laboratory activities support the lecture content. Students concurrently enrolled in lecture and laboratory sections tend to have better learning outcomes and retention when compared to their lecture-only peers (Matz et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Efficacy of Online Laboratory Science Courses

et al. 2017

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The overall goal of this study was to evaluate student experiences in online laboratory courses in order to inform the design and improvement of lab activities in a distance education program. Students were surveyed about their satisfaction and perceptions of usability and learning in both hands-on (at home) and computer-based simulation (virtual) labs in a variety of natural science courses. We also attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of several online chemistry courses taught with either hands-on kits or virtual laboratory activities, and examined the performance of students concurrently enrolled in lecture and laboratory chemistry courses versus those enrolled in a lecture only courses. The majority of survey respondents felt their online laboratory experience was the same as or better than their prior experiences in the traditional setting. Survey data also show that students believe their laboratory experiences reinforced and improved their understanding of concepts presented in lectures and the textbook, and thus may have helped them perform better on course assessments. Our data on performance suggest that students enrolled in online science courses do as well or better than their peers enrolled in traditional courses. The data also suggest that students who take lecture and laboratory concurrently outperform their lecture-only peers, independent of course (i.e., general or organic chemistry) or delivery method (i.e., online or traditional).

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Section: Survey Development and Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficacy of Online Laboratory Science Courses

et al. 2017

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“…[7][8][9] Our results indicate that faculty have two broad goals for the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. They want students to learn hands-on techniques (and know when it is appropriate to use them) and to improve their critical thinking skills.…”

Section: Faculty Goals For Laboratorymentioning

confidence: 71%

“…6 To address the gaps in the research that has been carried out in laboratory in 2005 we embarked with our collaborators on a research trajectory that would help us understand the goals that faculty and students have for laboratory. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] The ultimate goal has been to describe the correspondence between the two and to shape and guide the laboratory curriculum in ways that would bring about a better correspondence.…”

Section: Role Of Laboratorymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Faculty and student goals for undergraduate laboratory

Towns¹

2017

Quim. Nova

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Laboratory is a part of most undergraduate chemistry curricula, however the goals that faculty and students hold have received scant attention. Our research has revealed two broad goals for laboratory learning held by faculty. Students however, hold entirely different goals that may pose obstacles for faculty achieving the goals they have set out. Herein we describe our research and propose methods of bringing these goals into better alignment.

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Staff goals, challenges, and use of student inquiry in undergraduate bioscience teaching laboratories

Coyte

2023

FEBS Open Bio

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Teaching laboratory practical sessions are major components of undergraduate bioscience curricula, but research into staff perceptions and intentions across institutions in this context is lacking. This study describes a mixed‐methods study using questionnaires and follow‐up interviews to explore staff perceptions of their goals for UK bioscience teaching labs, the extent to which they incorporate student inquiry, and challenges encountered with these sessions.The findings show that staff aim for strong lecture connections, applying taught theory to actively develop students’ technical and data handling skills. They value teaching labs as opportunities for authentic contact through hands‐on learning with scientific equipment and human connection with staff and other students.Student inquiry (e.g. experimental design decisions) was present in individual elements of teaching labs but not deeply embedded. Staff participants saw teaching labs as first steps to scientific inquiry, often intending to adopt more inquiry activities, but were concerned about time investment and student readiness, especially for early‐year students. Staff who used more inquiry showed stronger goal focus on scientific reasoning, research experience and collaboration.Staff enjoy teaching labs and consider them meaningful learning experiences. Time and budget limitations were more constraining than sense of agency, but overriding challenges were student lab anxieties, and finding ways to increase their confidence and preparation for these sessions.These findings construct a picture of teaching labs perceptions across UK institutions, and could facilitate reflection, discussion and further research on the goals and impact of these prevalent but resource‐intensive sessions on training the next generation.

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Development, Implementation, and Analysis of a National Survey of Faculty Goals for Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory

Cited by 87 publications

References 12 publications

Efficacy of Online Laboratory Science Courses

Efficacy of Online Laboratory Science Courses

Faculty and student goals for undergraduate laboratory

Staff goals, challenges, and use of student inquiry in undergraduate bioscience teaching laboratories

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