Learning Beyond the Laboratory: A Web Application Framework for Development of Interactive Postlaboratory Exercises

• Kimia Moozeh ^[1] ; Jennifer Farmer ^[1] ; Deborah Tihanyi ^[1] ; Greg J. Evans ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Toronto

     University of Toronto

     Canadá

     
• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 97, Nº 5, 2020, págs. 1481-1486
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Information overload and limited laboratory time usually result in students focusing mostly on procedural tasks to get the results, rather than being engaged with what they are doing. Moreover, traditional laboratory curricula rarely provide students opportunities to repeat experiments. This study presents the design of a web-based application framework for the development of interactive postlaboratory exercises that complement and extend the hands-on laboratories. The framework has four main modules: (1) a video module to present information and concepts through embedded videos, (2) a virtual lab module to perform experiments, (3) a reaction mechanism module to practice drawing reaction mechanisms, and (4) a formative assessment module including questions and explanatory feedback to guide students and to encourage reflection. On the basis of this framework, postlaboratory exercises have been developed for two experiments in an undergraduate chemistry laboratory course. The exercises allowed students to reinforce and extend the laboratory-gained knowledge in a new virtual context by comparing two different chemical reactions related to the experiments they had performed. A survey conducted at the end of the exercises revealed that a majority of students found the postlaboratory exercises helpful and thought they provided an opportunity for application and helped with reinforcing theory and integrating concepts.