A semester-long Analytical Chemistry II laboratory pilot study was conducted with a Community Service Learning (CSL) component in a mid-sized undergraduate institution. According to the Canadian Alliance of Community Service-Learning, CSL is an educational approach that integrates community service with intentional learning activities. Research students previously developed two in-house methods to determine the amount of Total Dissolved Solids in drinking water. The community partner for the pilot study was chosen to be a local middle school based on the Alberta Education grade 8 science curriculum. Drinking water samples were collected by the community partner and were tested by undergraduate researchers. The findings were collaboratively analyzed between the two parties via video conferencing and compared to Canadian water quality guidelines. The undergraduate researchers later visited the community partner to disseminate the final results of the analysis. The effectiveness of undergraduate learning, community partner learning and overall attitudes toward chemistry could be determined by implementing post-instructional surveys targeting undergraduate students, grade 8 students and their educators.

Analyzing the effectiveness of a pilot community service learning project in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory

2019 Spring National Meeting

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