Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: During COVID-19 remote instruction, instructors were tasked with providing students with authentic laboratory experiences in an out-of-classroom environment. One solution developed for our introductory general chemistry laboratory involved students critiquing readily available technique videos to distinguish between correct and incorrect laboratory technique. After returning to in-person labs in Fall 2021, we incorporated this assessment into the pre-lab assignments in an effort to reduce the cognitive load of learning a new technique. Here we explore whether this critical-review exercise translates into improved technique as measured by precision and accuracy when using a 10 mL volumetric pipet. Additionally, we consider the impact of the pre-lab assignment given the involvement level of the TA, as some TAs are more willing to provide feedback on student technique during the lab period. We found that while students self-report the exercise as useful towards their learning, there are no significant changes in performance for most students. We did, however, find a reduction in the overall outliers and saw improvements when additional feedback (through a TA) was provided as well. These findings indicate that the exercise may be most useful for students who make large errors and who receive little individualized feedback.
DOI: 10.1039/d4rp00036f
Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
Language: English
Subfield: Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
Field: Chemistry
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
Award: G7271251596
OpenAlex ID: W4395000640