Multimedia instruction has been shown to serve as an effective learning aid for chemistry students. In this study, the viability of student-generated video instruction for organic chemistry laboratory techniques and procedure was examined and its effectiveness compared to instruction provided by a teaching assistant (TA) was evaluated. After providing selected lab sections with either video or TA lab instruction, student participants were given an assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of each presentation. Videos were found to prepare students for lab more effectively, with an average of 17% more students answering questions correctly after watching the video than after receiving TA instruction. Additionally, according to direct observations, students were 37% less likely to require TA assistance during the lab when presented with video instruction. By providing students with short and concise student-generated video instructions, students in the observed courses were able to be more independent throughout the lab and perform better than students who had received TA instruction alone.

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of student-generated videos as a supplement to teaching assistant (TA) instruction in an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory. Three videos covering different aspects of lab instruction (experimental technique, use of instrumentation, and calculations) were produced using student-generated scripts. A laboratory classroom was outfitted with video cameras and sound recording equipment that allowed the research team to monitor all TA−student and student−student interactions. Six course sections led by three randomly assigned TAs were selected. Two sections from each TA were observed (control and treatment), each at the same time of day, 1 week apart. Students in the control group had their TA conduct the lab briefing and supervise the lab, but were given no access to the instructional videos. The treatment group had videos available to supplement the TA's lab briefing but was otherwise identical to the control group. Both groups were given a questionnaire that contained two comprehension questions per category to be completed during the lab before performing the experiment. Statistical analysis of the responses to this pre-experimental questionnaire showed that students who watched the videos had a better understanding of the methods than the students in sections that only received the TA lab briefing. Effect size calculations using Cohen's d indicate that the Instrumentation video had a large positive effect on the number of correct responses in the treatment groups, while small effects were found for the Technique and Calculation videos. Content analysis of the lab transcripts supports these findings. In addition to these effects, treatment groups invariably completed the lab in less time than the control groups. Results from a follow-up survey e-mailed to students the week after their lab session show that most students found the videos to be valuable when completing the lab, with the Technique video being generally ranked as most helpful.

Recognizing teachable moments and transforming them into occasions of learning can be a useful strategy in developing a culture of safety in an academic department. Responding with recognition of the vulnerability of those experiencing undesired outcomes can open communication and support the inquiry necessary to develop and sustain safety changes. In this vulnerable state of momentary failing, people can experience intense interest in specific information that they are prepared to apply immediately. They are hungry to learn and thus teachable, meaning ready to actively construct new understanding. In addition, we discovered that once a teachable moment is met with support, people tend to initiate other inquiries rather than wait for their safety shortcomings to be discovered. Therefore, learning how to recognize and respond to teachable moments is an essential skill for safety officers to develop in pursuit of a selfregulating environment of good safety norms. Here, we present four short teachable moment case studies in order to demonstrate what qualities they have, how to utilize the opportunities provided by a userdriven approach, and what benefits can be anticipated from a partnership between students and the safety organization within an academic department.

The extraction of eugenol from cloves is a frequent experiment in organic chemistry labs at the sophomore level. In this paper, the commonly used steam distillation procedure has been modified to use microwave extraction. This change resulted in a simplified procedure, a reduction in the amount of sample required, and an increase in the efficiency of the extraction of eugenol from dried cloves. These modifications led to reduction of waste and energy use. Variations of the solvent composition, solvent volume, and amount of cloves were tested. It was found that a 50/50 v/v mixture of ethanol and water with whole cloves produced satisfactory results at the undergraduate laboratory level for the selective extraction of eugenol with 1g of whole cloves in less time than steam distillation.

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