Looking to Move Away from Expository General Chemistry Laboratories? We May Have a Cure for What “Ales” You

Abstract

The two-semester General Chemistry laboratory sequence for nonchemistry majors at James Madison University has recently made the transition from expository, confirmation experiments to project-based (first semester) and research-based (second semester) curricula; this narrative will describe the development and current state of the Brewing Science (BrewSci) second-semester course. This high-enrollment service course with typically ∼25 sections (maximum enrollment of 24 students per section) offered during the regular two-semester school year was designed to leverage the skills obtained in a research-based environment: problem-solving, creativity, teamwork, communication, etc. The synthesis (brewing) and analysis of beer was selected as a vehicle for the learning goals due to the range of variables that can be manipulated, the wealth of relevant chemistry/biochemistry content suitable for a second-semester General Chemistry course, and the relative safety of the brewing process. Teaching supports, including trained undergraduate Learning Assistants, have been developed and employed to ensure the course can be taught by any of the rotating cohort of full-time or part-time faculty members. Analysis of course success rates (students earning a C– or higher) and DFW rates indicates improved student outcomes. Further, preliminary analysis of student survey data indicates improved student perceptions of their own abilities to think and act as scientists. Instructors corroborated these findings in a separate survey. Following the successful establishment of the BrewSci version of the General Chemistry 2 lab, the same curriculum development model is now being leveraged to expand offerings to other areas of faculty and student interest.

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