Instrumentation Use in Postsecondary Instructional Chemistry Laboratory Courses: Results from a National Survey

Abstract

Instrumentation plays a critical, ubiquitous role in modern chemistry. The undergraduate chemistry curriculum must therefore cultivate students’ ability to investigate chemical phenomena via relevant instruments. The instructional laboratory serves as the primary context in which undergraduates learn about instrumentation, where use of instruments in these settings is requisite to meaningful learning. However, little is known about what instruments are incorporated and students’ level of hands-on experience. Also, prior research points toward differences in instrumentation access, and in turn use in the instructional laboratory, across institutional contexts. This study investigates instrumentation use in postsecondary instructional chemistry laboratory courses via a national survey of chemistry faculty members (n = 574). Results suggest that courses incorporate a distinct set of instruments aligned with their respective curricula. These data provide an empirical foundation for relevant stakeholders (i.e., instructors, departments, curators of degree programs, and professional organizations authoring postsecondary chemistry education policy) to engage in evaluative discussions and possible curricular reform. Further, there was no evidence that incorporating instruments into the lab or students’ hands-on experience is associated with institutions’ terminal chemistry degree, receipt of NSF funding for improving undergraduate courses, or ACS approval of undergraduate degree programs. Findings collectively suggest similar instrumentation use across institutional contexts and possibly the elimination of previously reported disparities in access. However, students still obtain little hands-on experience with several instruments despite their incorporation into courses. Furthermore, instructors across institutional contexts report barriers to incorporating instrumentation beyond access. This work provides stakeholders with implications for improving undergraduate laboratory instruction.