Strengthening instruction in STEM fields can benefit student learning as well as foster positive attitudes towards the sciences. This project tries to answer the question whether there is a measureable difference in understanding of and attitudes towards chemistry of two groups: students who complete an online or a face-to-face inorganic chemistry course. Participants will have completed a 200-level, lecture-only inorganic chemistry course at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a large, Midwestern, public, undergraduate-only institution. The goal of this study is two-fold: to gather information about the impact of online or face-to-face teaching modes on student understanding of and attitudes towards the subject of chemistry. In this study, online and face-to-face student attitudes and understanding will be assessed by several quantitative measures. Before the start of the course (pre-) and after the course has been completed (post-), a published, validated and reliable attitude survey on the subject of chemistry will be given to student participants. To quantitatively assess student understanding of inorganic chemistry of all groups, several measures will be examined and statistically analyzed, such as exam and quiz questions. Our hypothesis is that students who are enrolled in an online or a traditional face-to-face course will have the same measurable outcomes in their understanding of and attitudes towards chemistry. Determining what the students gain from the online versus the face-to-face learning environment will help us to determine whether we should integrate similar types of online course offerings into other courses within STEM fields.

Investigation of student attitudes and understanding in inorganic chemistry

251st National Meeting (2016)

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