Reformed experimental activities
(REActivities) are an innovative
approach to the delivery of the traditional material in an undergraduate
organic chemistry laboratory. A description of the design and implementation
of REActivities at both a four- and two-year institution is discussed.
The results obtained using a reformed teaching observational protocol
are described and correlated to the transferability of REActivities
between different instructors and their transportability between different
institutions.
A novel SN1–SN2 studio-based
lab module that incorporates inquiry-based learning was designed and
implemented. The studio module was taught in a newly renovated lab
space designed with an integrated classroom. The students were divided
into two groups for the lesson with one group conducting a studio-module
lab and the second group running the experiments in an expository
lab format. The performance of each group is compared.
Historically, deaf and hard-of-hearing students (D/HH) who solely rely on an interpreter during organic chemistry lecture courses at the Rochester Institute of Technology consistently performed below the average in the class. A barrier attributed to this D/HH student performance is the lack of standardized methods in sign language to effectively communicate the organic chemistry terminology. As such, our group worked to address this challenge through a deliberate effort to develop a lexicon of insightful signs/classifiers that convey organic chemistry vocabulary as well as descriptive expansions to demonstrate challenging concepts. We will share our remarkable findings after the signs were developed and implemented, and the implications sign language incorporation in education could have on how we teach all students enrolled in STEM disciplines in the future.
A novel studio-based lab module that incorporates studentcentered activities was designed and implemented to introduce second-year undergraduate students to the first-semester organic chemistry laboratory. The "First Day" studio module incorporates learning objectives for the course, lab safety, and keeping a professional lab notebook.
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