Teaching Analytical Instrumentation Through Remote Access – A Gas Chromatography Perspective

Abstract

An approach to online laboratory exercises for analytical chemistry students with demonstrated practical exercises through the use of remote-controlled gas chromatography (GC) instrumentation is discussed. The approach allows for a practical-based learning activity to be carried out by students who are unable to attend in-person laboratory exercises and was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning activities focused on the operation of GC instrumentation were completed prior to a research-based analysis activity being conducted by students. At the end of this experiment, the students are expected to understand, independently operate, and learn how to achieve better separation through the manipulation of GC settings, such as split/splitless injections, carrier gas flow rate, and oven temperature, and apply principles of GC to a practical application. Additional flexibility from this approach could also be beneficial during postpandemic and/or in the circumstance where students cannot physically attend the class.

Modes of technology integration in chemistry teaching: theory and practice

“…Connecting chemistry studies to authentic research practices was demonstrated by using professional databases or software. However, this connection could also be created by using sophisticated scientific equipment such as NMR and UV-vis spectroscopy (Hancock et al, 2023), mass spectrograph (Cheng et al, 2023), gas chromatography (Nolvachai et al, 2023), and SEM . SEM was also shown to be operated in a remote-operating mode as students ''take over'' SEM located hundreds of kilometers away and examine samples they sent to the SEM operators (Childers and Jones, 2017;.…”