Integration of Video-Based Demonstrations to Prepare Students for the Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Abstract

Consistent, high-quality introductions to organic chemistry laboratory techniques effectively and efficiently support student learning in the organic chemistry laboratory. In this work, we developed and deployed a series of instructional videos to communicate core laboratory techniques and concepts. Using a quasi-experimental design, we tested the videos in five traditional laboratory experiments by integrating them with the standard pre-laboratory student preparation presentations and instructor demonstrations. We assessed the influence of the videos on student laboratory knowledge and performance, using sections of students who did not view the videos as the control. Our analysis of pre-quizzes revealed the control group had equivalent scores to the treatment group, while the post-quiz results show consistently greater learning gains for the treatment group. Additionally, the students who watched the videos as part of their pre-laboratory instruction completed their experiments in less time

Reasserting the role of pre-laboratory activities in chemistry education: a proposed framework for their design

“…While video has a long history, its use in the last two decades has expanded dramatically and some recent examples representing current approaches are summarised here. Echoing Kempa's early work, use of videos in organic chemistry were found to increase the post-test laboratory quiz scores of students who had watched videos compared to those who didn't, and these students also completed the practical work more quickly (Nadelson, Scaggs, Sheffield, & McDougal, 2015). These authors observed a pre-/post-test quiz score increase of over 10% for students who had watched videos, compared to 4% for those who hadn't.…”

Assessing student process skills and providing feedback to enhance learning in analytical chemistry

“…Findings indicated that the video and interactive computer-assisted activities increased the amount of time students spent completing the pre-lab activities and decreased the number of errors and total time spent on the experiment. This increased efficiency in the laboratory has also been seen in other studies 34,172 . Pre-laboratory instructional videos can also decrease the number of questions students ask about procedural issues, while increasing the number of questions related to calculations or theory 31,38,[172][173] .…”

“…vii Table 3: Laboratory manual prompts that were used to evaluate evidence of students' problem solving skills in 2015 59 Table 4: Laboratory question prompts that were evaluated using the problem solving rubric in 2016 63 Table 5: An example of a student's CV laboratory report along with the rubric scores 65 Table 6: An example of a student's HPLC laboratory report along with the rubric scores 70 Table 7: Summary of semesters and exam topics for which student test responses were collected 94 Table 8: Summary of number of student responses coded for the six exam topics 94 Table 9: Operationalized definitions of the process skills used for analysis 96 potential to become more autonomous and self-directed in their learning. 2,[31][32][33][34] Laboratory resources, such as videos, can also aid students in becoming more independent and increase their positive perceptions of the laboratory environment. [35][36][37][38] Investigating students' experiences in the upper-level analytical chemistry laboratory can provide insights as to what students' behaviors are in this environment and how students' own expectations for their learning are supported or hindered by the laboratory environment.…”

“…A number of different approaches have been used to create pre-laboratory videos. The most common approach is for instructors to create the resources 2,32,34,165,173,[175][176][177] although some instructors had undergraduate students who had completed the course create the videos 166,172 .…”

“…Most of the video resources used a third-person perspective 2, 34, 165-166, 172-173, 177 , but there have been cases where a first-person perspective was used [175][176] . Published descriptions of the content of pre-laboratory videos have included calculations 165,[172][173]177 , safety 34 , physical demonstration of the laboratory techniques 2,32,34,165,172,[175][176][177] , demonstrations of how to setup software 2, 165-166, 172, 175-177 , and the use of time lapses to illustrate the experimental progress in a short period of time 166 . However, there is often a lack of description as to how the video production was carried out.…”