Faculty Goals, Inquiry, and Meaningful Learning in the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory

Bretz, Stacey Lowery; Galloway, Kelli R.; Orzeł, Joanna; Gross, Elizabeth

doi:10.1021/bk-2016-1235.ch006

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The laboratories at Spelman College are undergoing revisions to become more inquiry-based. − Those efforts have allowed us to revisit the dehydration of methycyclohexanols experiment. The points offered here are a result of these efforts. Give students an unknown methylcyclohexanol .…”

Section: Reflections On Teaching Strategies and Lessons Learnedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating iSpartan into a Classic Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiment

2021

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The dehydration of 2- or 4-methylcyclohexanol to obtain isomers of methylcyclohexene is a classic organic chemistry experiment. Students perform a distillation, collecting samples to analyze the progress of the reaction. The reaction produces a major product that can be explained on the basis of the regiochemistry of the π bond formation for the α–β elimination process. Minor products can be attributed to the possible rearrangement of the carbocation through a hydride shift. We have added computational analysis to this classic experiment to help students understand alkene stability. The experiment was performed early in the sophomore organic chemistry laboratory, before students were introduced to the mechanistic perspectives that govern the reaction. The iSpartan analysis of the possible methylcyclohexene products combined with gas chromatography data provides students with an inquiry-based laboratory experience. A novice student can analyze the computational information about the products to determine the trend in product stability and determine if a double-bond is formed at an unexpected location in the molecule. The integration of computational tools provides more information to students than performing the experiment in isolation.

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Section: Reflections On Teaching Strategies and Lessons Learnedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating iSpartan into a Classic Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiment

2021

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“…In addition, many lab courses still rely on recipe-like or expository experiments where the results are both known and unsurprising . One challenge associated with introductory laboratory courses is the wide range of learning goals that faculty aim to achieve, which are often misaligned with how students learn . In addition, the lab period itself can be hectic with students managing multiple tasks and goals: Students are learning new techniques while simultaneously trying to connect abstract concepts to the hands-on experiments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5 One challenge associated with introductory laboratory courses is the wide range of learning goals that faculty aim to achieve, 6 which are often misaligned with how students learn. 7 In addition, the lab period itself can be hectic with students managing multiple tasks and goals: Students are learning new techniques while simultaneously trying to connect abstract concepts to the hands-on experiments. Students are also learning to adhere to safe practices and proper chemical handling.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adapting Meaningful Learning Strategies for an Introductory Laboratory Course: Using Thin-Layer Chromatography to Monitor Reaction Progress

Hall

Phadke

et al. 2019

J. Chem. Educ.

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Introductory-level laboratory courses provide students with hands-on experience using the discipline's tools and theories. These courses often rely on recipebased experiments due to the constraints of large enrollments, short lab periods, and the desire to minimize complexity. In addition, covering a breadth of topics can lead to a fragmented curriculum with little carryover in learning from week to week. Herein, we describe an overhaul of an introductory organic chemistry laboratory curriculum, informed by the strategies of meaningful learning and a desire to make the course experience mimic a research lab. This new course, primarily taught to first-year undergraduate students at the University of Michigan, is framed with three interconnected modules. We present herein the first module, which focuses on thinlayer chromatography (TLC). In the first week, students learn how to perform TLC using a variety of compounds and solvent mixtures, gaining an understanding of how intermolecular interactions affect their retention. In the second week, they practice using TLC to distinguish reagents and reaction byproducts and in the third week apply TLC to monitor reaction progress and test their hypothesis. We assessed student learning through a writing assignment at the end of the three-week module. We also assessed how the overall course affects student comprehension of TLC concepts and confidence. Our findings suggest that this learn, practice, apply approach toward teaching introductory organic chemistry laboratory concepts leads to learning gains and increased confidence.

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“…Additionally, we demonstrated the feasibility of integrating novice university students in the course-based discovery approach by highlighting the student-led research and the corresponding data generated in the process. In the future, it would be beneficial to investigate systematically and objectively whether the CURE CHEM111 would improve student learning according to the Meaningful Learning in the Laboratory Instrument (MLLI). − Finally, it is noteworthy that the structure of this course allows for great flexibility. It has the potential for further development and application in diverse educational fields, providing research opportunities for students with interest in all areas of life science.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Design and Implementation of an Interdisciplinary CURE as an Alternative Option for the General Chemistry Laboratory Course

et al. 2022

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Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) incorporate research opportunities into the existing curriculum often by providing alternatives or replacing the traditional cookbook-based laboratory courses. Over the past 50 years, CURE courses have been shown to benefit both students and faculty members alike. Despite the large number of available publications on CUREs, few focus on their implementation at the first-year level. This article reports the design and implementation of a new interdisciplinary CURE based on antibiotic discovery that combines General Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Microbiology concepts allowing self-enrolled first-year students to satisfy the requirements for General Chemistry Laboratory I. The applicability and success of this CURE course is demonstrated through the significance of student-generated experimental results, improvement in competence tests, and affective surveys.

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Faculty Goals, Inquiry, and Meaningful Learning in the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory

Cited by 8 publications

References 15 publications

Integrating iSpartan into a Classic Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiment

Integrating iSpartan into a Classic Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiment

Adapting Meaningful Learning Strategies for an Introductory Laboratory Course: Using Thin-Layer Chromatography to Monitor Reaction Progress

The Design and Implementation of an Interdisciplinary CURE as an Alternative Option for the General Chemistry Laboratory Course

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