Undergraduate laboratory experiences are important for STEM majors that will help them thrive in graduate school and their future careers. Studies have shown that undergraduate students who completed research and gained laboratory techniques have had substantial gain when pursuing careers in science. The success of the lab competencies can be determined through elaborate surveys that focus on key points of collaboration, discovery, relevance, repetition, and use of scientific skills. In this study, we surveyed students in Organic Chemistry I and II courses over the course of two semesters. The surveys included questions to determine how students felt about different aspects of the laboratory experiments. The surveys were anonymous, and the questions were answered on a 1 through 5 scale, 1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree. The initial results showed that the overall ratings of the laboratory experiments were exceptional, with just a few minor concerns. The averages of the survey questions for the Organic Chemistry I course revealed that Experiment 6 – Polymer Chemistry had the highest average rating than the other experiments surveyed. This higher approval rating for Experiment 6 is most likely due to greater student engagement due to a direct link to real-world objects. Comments from Experiment 6 included a majority of the students stating that they enjoyed the lab experiment because they were able to synthesize an acrylate polymer film and Orbeez using polymerization techniques. Other students enjoyed the lab because they were exposed to a new technique, IR spectroscopy. Our study clearly demonstrates that the students surveyed in Organic Chemistry enjoy the hands-on learning environment that helps them acquire the laboratory skills that they will use to further their education in chemistry. The results of these surveys can be used to adjust the laboratory experiments to be better suited for future students.

Organic chemistry laboratory course assessment survey: A tool to measure student engagement in the laboratory

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.