A Constructively Aligned First-Year Laboratory Course

The first-year undergraduate laboratory course in chemistry at the University of Bristol has been changed in an attempt to have students focus on learning practical skills, rather than on their experimental results. Analysis revealed a misalignment between the stated aims of the coursedeveloping ba...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of chemical education Vol. 97; no. 7; pp. 1863 - 1873
Main Author Adams, Christopher J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Easton American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc 14.07.2020
Division of Chemical Education, Inc
American Chemical Society
Subjects
Alignment (Education)
Chemistry
College students
Colleges & universities
Computer Assisted Testing
Dialogs (Language)
Feedback
Feedback (Response)
Foreign Countries
Formative Evaluation
Introductory Courses
Laboratory Experiments
Learner Engagement
Learning
Misalignment
Science Instruction
Skill Development
Skills
Undergraduate Students
Universities
United Kingdom (Bristol)
First-Year Undergraduate/General
Hands-On Learning/Manipulatives
Laboratory Instruction
Testing/Assessment
Learning Theories
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Summary:The first-year undergraduate laboratory course in chemistry at the University of Bristol has been changed in an attempt to have students focus on learning practical skills, rather than on their experimental results. Analysis revealed a misalignment between the stated aims of the coursedeveloping basic practical skills and developing laboratory awarenessand its assessment, which awarded marks for online quizzes and experimental outcomes. Redesigning the course to allow a great deal of formative assessment, dialogic feedback, and the assessment of actual practical skills has produced good levels of learning, engagement, and student satisfaction.
ISSN:0021-9584
1938-1328
DOI:10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00166