Using Project-Based Learning to Assess the Effectiveness of Water Filtration Devices in Removing Chemical Analytes in an Undergraduate Analytical Chemistry Laboratory
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Ashley R. Gouger [1] ; Jaime E. Mirowsky [1]
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[1] State University of New York
State University of New York
City of Albany, Estados Unidos
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- Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 99, Nº 12, 2022, págs. 4016-4023
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
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Resumen
Traditional laboratory courses involve students following detailed weekly experimental procedures, culminating in either a laboratory report or handout at the end of each experiment. While this setup teaches basic laboratory skills, it usually does not encourage students to think critically or independently. Therefore, many laboratory instructors have begun incorporating project-based learning (PBL) in their courses instead, which involves instructors assigning short-term projects to their students to complete over several weeks. In fall 2021, a PBL experience was implemented in an upper-division Analytical Chemistry course to compare how efficiently different water filtration devices remove three analytes (fluoride, chloride, and hardness). This was accomplished using a two-tiered approach─in the first tier, students learned, practiced, and gained extensive experience using several hands-on laboratory skills, and in the second tier, the students were asked to use those skills and apply them to complete their research projects. For the PBL, each group had to select and justify their filter types and the type of water they wanted to test; however, each student was responsible for their own data analysis and weekly handouts. At the conclusion of the course, the students wrote a group research report and gave a group presentation. The students reported a increase in confidence in their laboratory, research, report writing, and presentation skills after completing the PBL. However, only half the students would recommend doing this exercise or a similar one again next year, suggesting that more student buy-in was needed when conducting this PBL.
