It is well known that students are often challenged to form connections between content delivered in a classroom lecture and laboratory exercises. This challenge is especially evident in upper-level laboratory courses which require transfer of student’s theoretical understanding into purposeful actions. To address this, we have previously created a series of laboratory practical activities within a senior-level instrumental analysis course in which students are asked to solve an analytical measurement problem independently by designing an experiment, collecting data, and providing analysis. Here, we have updated the laboratory practical activities to include thoughtful preparation to solidify the connection between students’ theoretical understanding of chemical concepts and their implementation in the laboratory. Alongside the reiteration of fundamental ideas, students work with TAs to justify how their experimental design choices affect the overall success of their laboratory work. We ask students to identify procedural differences from experiments conducted previously in the course asking them to assess variability in results and to identify possible pitfalls in their proposed procedures. Student success is based on their understanding and argumentation of experimental details in combination with experimental proficiency. By guiding students in a dissection of their choices and identifying pitfalls, we aim to positively influence their learning and critical thinking skills that are valuable as professional chemists.

Probing students’ understanding of experimental design and process through laboratory practical experiences

2019 Fall National Meeting

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