What’s next for Kitchen Chemistry?

What’s next for Kitchen Chemistry? : What’s next for Kitchen Chemistry? Jimmy Reeves Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Wilmington; & Jen Civelli Department of Physical Science Cape Fear Community College

Chemistry & Biochemistry at UNCW : Chemistry & Biochemistry at UNCW Comprehensive Master’s L (MS, certified BS & BA) Approximately 170 undergraduates, 35 graduate students and two Post-docs. 24 faculty (3 new faculty this year) $1.5 million in funding awarded in 2004-05 Significant numbers of undergraduates involved in research.

Distance Leaning Chemistry at UNCW : Distance Leaning Chemistry at UNCW Because chemistry is an experimental science, most key courses don’t lend themselves to distance learning. Exceptions include: Introductory chemistry. Specialty Courses (by leading scientists and educators) Graduate programs with participating companies (Wyeth, Eaisi, Pharmaceutical Product Development)

Distance Leaning Chemistry at UNCW : Distance Leaning Chemistry at UNCW On-line Master of Science Degree: A complete, web-based graduate curriculum is being offered to employees of participating companies. Research is done on site under the supervision of senior scientists and UNCW faculty. Introductory Chemistry Course for science majors (first semester) includes hands-on laboratories, in kitchens using “chemicals and equipment” available from grocery and hardware stores. Heterocyclic Chemistry by Louis Quinn & John Tyrel. Collaborators will develop a distance learning course preserving material developed by leading scientist.

Distance Leaning Gen Chem at UNCW : Distance Leaning Gen Chem at UNCW UNCW (Fall 2001, Fall 2006): Distance learning students take introductory chemistry course for science majors with both lecture and laboratory at home, no scheduled on-site meetings except the final exam. Classes offered every semester to approximately 80 students at UNCW and Cape Fear Community College. Classes taught by faculty at CFCC; materials developed at UNCW

The UNCW Distance Learning Experiment : The UNCW Distance Learning Experiment Distance learning lectures delivered over the internet anytime anywhere. Course parallels traditional lecture provided at UNCW Lab/homework/quizzes worth 30% of grade Three exams and final worth 70% of grade Final exam (72 questions) features grade replacement for any/all of the exams Thus, comparing final exam scores is a reasonable means of assessing student achievement.

Slide7 : A t-test (two sample assuming equal variances) shows the difference in mean scores to be statistically significant (p = 0.021) between the two populations.

Learning Chemistry at a Distance : Learning Chemistry at a Distance Chemistry Learning Modules (Laboratories) have been developed to provide flexibility in depth of coverage. Hands-on experiments provide qualitative and quantitative demonstrations of important chemistry principles covered in the course. Modules include media such as videos of important lab procedures carried out by students. Students use Excel to tabulate and manipulate data and create lab reports in Word. Laboratories emphasize proportional reasoning and include interactive questions.

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Assessment of Kitchen Laboratories: Laboratory Practical : Assessment of Kitchen Laboratories: Laboratory Practical ACS Small-Scale Laboratory Assessment Activities provided a set of field tested procedures and scoring rubrics. Three labs that involved skills and procedures completed by both groups were chosen: Qualitative Analysis, Paper Chromatography, and Density. The areas evaluated were lab procedure, data presentation, and data analysis/conclusions. The procedures were scored using a checklist and multiple observers. The data presentation and analysis were scored from hardcopies of submitted work. At UNCW, 2 lab sections completed the paper chromatography, 2 completed the qualitative analysis, and 1 completed the density experiment. The CFCC students completed all three parts of the lab practical.

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Future Work : Future Work Link laboratory experiments and experimental data to instructor database. Course Management Systems Learning Object Repository Add three labs to the sequence: Molecular shapes (JMOL) Deconstructing Milk Acid/Base Implement web-based simulations. Supply “kits” for student including: Data acquisition equipment Balance Unknowns for lab practicals

Acknowledgments : Acknowledgments Barbara Heath Doris Kimbrough Ruby Casanova Charles Ward US Department of Education FIPSE (LAAP) Grant: P339B990138 www.kitchenchem.org; reeves@uncw.edu