Tailored Blended Learning for Foundation Year Chemistry Students

Abstract

The chemistry foundation year at the University of East Anglia is a diverse cohort with a wide range of prior educational experience and confidence levels. A flexible learning program combining extensive online materials intended for asynchronous study and face to face peer instruction is provided. Study is divided into weekly topics. Students are directed to take a short introductory quiz at the beginning of the week, feedback on which allows them to tailor the extent of asynchronous learning to their own needs. All students attend a highly interactive synchronous teaching session which utilises active learning to develop their conceptual understanding. The week concludes with a reflective formative test. Measures of student activity on the online platform and audience response technology in the lecture theatre provide a quantitative picture of engagement with tailored blended learning, while semi-structured interviews provide qualitative insight into the student perception.

Implementing an interactive online platform in a large undergraduate general chemistry course and its impact on student learning and perceptions

“…1; red ovals). These findings are consistent with prepandemic observations by Chamberlain et al (2021) who reported that a general decline in student engagement occurred over the semester in a large general chemistry course.…”

“…Other students indicated that they were seeking more resources and support to understand content or identified the need for more practice questions. In another study, a similar observation was reported, where some of the students expressed their desire to see additional resources, seemingly contradicting the picture of declining engagement over the course of the semester (Chamberlain et al, 2021).…”

Practical Guidelines to Redesign Introductory Chemistry Courses Using a Flexible and Adaptive Blended Format

“…This is especially a problem for freshmen, who generally have not learned how to achieve such self-regulation. A solution for this problem can be found in blended learning, which facilitates student engagement in active learning. − Moreover, blended learning approaches enable students to adapt a course to their learning needs provided that enough opportunities for flexibility, feedback, and self-assessment are available. , Despite this, blended learning, and other recommended teaching approaches in general, hardly reach higher education practice. The problem is that a teacher’s teaching practice is typically set against an ideal change proposal which is generally unattainable due to practical constraints that emerge from the work context.…”

“…Finally, blended learning is more attuned to current and future generations of students, as it employs online educational technologies and might thereby enhance student motivation and participation . Indeed, multiple efforts have been or are underway in the chemistry community to implement blended and flipped learning approaches. − Based on the literature we conclude that blended learning may provide an appropriate basis for engaging students in active learning, supporting self-directed learning and developing the desired academic study skills and attitudes. , …”

“…An increasing body of evidence shows that blended learning can have beneficial effects for student learning, motivation, and learning outcomes. − Accordingly, blended learning is increasingly accepted as a sustainable model for academic education . However, in practice its implementation lags behind, as is often seen for new educational approaches .…”