Students often report feeling anxious about organic chemistry laboratory, and they fail to see how the laboratory content is linked to lecture content. Additionally, it is often difficult to ensure that students are adequately prepared to complete their experiment. To address these issues, online pre-laboratory videos and quizzes were prepared for all experiments in CHEM 231, Organic Chemistry I Laboratory. The videos consisted of voice-over Powerpoints with photographs of laboratory glassware set up, explanation/description of laboratory techniques (e.g. distillation, extraction, recrystallization, etc.), and important safety considerations and waste disposal instructions. Students watched the videos at home before coming to the lab to conduct their experiment. Following their implementation, students completed a post-lab survey to evaluate the effectiveness of the videos on their preparation for lab and understanding of the concepts and theories of the experiments. Students reported that the videos helped them to feel better prepared to conduct their laboratory experiment and helped them to better learn and understand the concepts presented in the experiment. Watching the videos also assisted the students in recognizing how the laboratory themes and reactions were related to the Organic Chemistry I lecture topics. Finally, the implementation of the videos increased the consistency of content delivery across all sections of the course. The development of the videos and results of student surveys will be presented.

Development of online pre-laboratory activities in organic chemistry to improve students’ preparation for laboratory

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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