The chemistry laboratory is considered an essential component of chemistry education of undergraduates. The benefits of laboratory instruction for students include: 1) increasing cognitive skills, 2) enhancing practical skills, and 3) increasing interest and attitude towards chemistry. However, recent reviews of the laboratory curriculum have questioned the usefulness of laboratory experiences to students’ chemistry education. There is a need for diverse and quality studies that investigate impact of chemistry labs on student outcomes. Given the high cost of laboratory instruction, examination of student and teaching assistant (TA) perspectives of learning outcomes from different styles of laboratory instruction is of keen interest to the chemistry education community.<br/><br/>In the first phase of our study, we are investigating the perceptions of students and teaching assistants regarding a project-based (guided-inquiry) undergraduate chemistry laboratory. A phenomenographic approach was used to examine student and TA experiences in the course. Therefore, we conducted pre- and post-course semi-structured interviews with 18 students enrolled in a project-based organic chemistry laboratory course. We also interviewed teaching assistants about their perceptions of the laboratory course and of the undergraduate laboratory, in general. Around a framework of meaningful learning, we identified skill outcomes, affective outcomes, knowledge outcomes and learned abilities that students and TAs describe for this laboratory. In addition, we compared the perspectives of undergraduate students to that of the TAs. The emerging themes from these interviews will be presented and discussed.

Perceptions of students and teaching assistants regarding a project-based undergraduate laboratory

249th National Meeting (2015)

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