Online in No Time: Design and Implementation of a Remote Learning First Quarter General Chemistry Laboratory and Second Quarter Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Abstract

<jats:p>The instruction of high enrollment general and organic chemistry laboratories at a large public 10 university always have curricular, administrative, and logistical challenges. Herein, we describe how we met these challenges in the transition to remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss the reasoning behind our approach, the utilization of our existing web-based course content, the additions and alterations to our curriculum, replacement of experimental work with videos, the results of both student and TA surveys, and lessons learned for iterations of these courses in the near 15 future.</jats:p>

LAB Theory, HLAB Pedagogy, and Review of Laboratory Learning in Chemistry during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“… 115 A University of California–Irvine (Irvine, CA) general and organic chemistry team provided students with videos and sample data to analyze but then suddenly had to pivot the large end-of-semester organic exam to offer a choice of lower-stakes creative reflection assignments in response to national social upheaval. 86 These variations in curricular adjustments serve as reminders of the diversity of contexts in which education occurs.…”

“…A convincing number of authors who assigned videos/worksheets/simulations to students remotely, distributed sample data, or required some form of data/procedural analysis reported that the students evidenced lower comprehension of data and procedures, greater discomfort, or poorerquality of interpretation than prior cohorts ( Box 1 ). 34 , 47 , 49 , 50 , 64 , 71 , 74 , 77 , 80 , 82 , 86 , 88 , 90 − 92 , 97 , 106 , 111 , 125 − 127 For example, physical chemistry students at Pennsylvania State University (University Park, PA) who watched videos and analyzed data were noticed by the instructor to copy out mistakes from the lab manual into their reports, despite the experimental video showing a different procedure. 82 Analytical chemistry students who watched videos and analyzed sample data for two laboratories and then did simulations and recorded simulated data for two more laboratories at Lander University (Greenwood, SC) appeared confused about the data, where it came from, what it meant, and how to analyze it, although the students did not appear as confused for the simulated data they recorded themselves.…”

“…However, many authors reported that, despite a positive environment, students either appeared less engaged by the end of remote learning or that the students themselves reported a preference for hands-on work over virtual and/or a preference for f2f learning over remote, even if they hadpositive experiences with ERL ( Figure 6 ). 34 , 45 , 48 , 49 , 53 , 67 , 68 , 71 , 76 − 78 , 80 , 83 , 84 , 86 , 92 , 93 , 97 , 106 , 110 , 121 , 125 , 127 For example, the majority of respondents on a survey (38% response rate) about general chemistry at St. John’s University (Staten Island, NY), where students watched videos and did simulations, reported that doing laboratories via videos and simulations produced greater anxiety whereas f2f laboratories produced greater emotional satisfaction and educational growth, despite also rating the remote activities as somewhat effective for learning. 78 For an honors general chemistry course in the fall at Duke University (Durham, NC), responses to a post-lab survey implied that students felt that watching a pre-recorded video of a polymer chemistry experiment increased their excitement about doing similar hands-on work in the future.…”