First-year Laboratory Research Articles

Steps in the Right Direction: A Quasi-experimental Comparison of an Inquiry-Based and a Traditional First-Year Laboratory

Steps in the Right Direction: A Quasi-experimental Comparison of an Inquiry-Based and a Traditional First-Year Laboratory

EMBRACING THE UNEXPECTED: USING TROUBLESHOOTING TO MODULATE STRUCTURED- TO OPEN-INQUIRY AND SELF-REGULATED LEARNING IN A FIRST-YEAR VIRTUAL LAB

The implementation of inquiry-based learning in the first-year laboratory curriculum is asignificant challenge, due to students’ limited exposure to unstructured learning. In this course, troubleshooting activities were used to modulate student progression from structured- to guided-, and finally to open-inquiry in a virtual first-year laboratory course. The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of modulating student progression from structured- to open-inquiry on student development of self-regulated learning skills. The study presents preliminary survey results regarding student engagement in structured-inquiry activities. Analysis of survey results from guided- and open-inquiry activities, as well as qualitative analysis of student reflection assignments are currently ongoing.

Apparatus Named After Our Academic Ancestors – V

In the museum wing of the Greenslade house is a clock with a two-second pendulum about one meter long (Fig. 1). This ticks once per second, and every time it passes through dead center it completes an electrical circuit. When I came to Kenyon in 1964, this system was used to send signals to a series of telegraph relays, which ticked once per second. Students in the first-year laboratory used beats between the ticking sec-onds and the oscillation of the pendula they were studying in an era when stopwatches were expensive. This clock inspired me to write this article about physicists who have pendula named after them: Christiaan Huygens, Lionel Wilberforce, Henry Kater, Benjamin Robins, Leon Foucault, and Hugh Blackburn.

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 exp...

Hands-On Spectroscopy: Inside and Outside the First-Year Laboratory

This article reports on the introduction of a simple, portable, low-cost, and hands-on spectral tool for first-year chemistry students to use inside the laboratory and its spontaneous dissemination outside of the laboratory. The Mini Spec is a refinement of the Schwabacher minispectroscope in terms of simplicity and language load on the students. Inside the laboratory, students were supported with construction references resulting in reduced construction time and improved student engagement and performance. Two months after the laboratory session, a voluntary Qualtrics survey was used to explore spontaneous outreach. The dissemination of the Mini Spec was mapped across South Africa; the variety of languages used was documented, and data on the value of spontaneous outreach for the students and for their audience was gathered. Evidence of student enjoyment, of student learning, and of students developing into scientists was collected along with audience enjoyment, audience learning, and interest in science.

Design and students' perceptions of a virtually facilitated outpatient pharmacy practice laboratory course

Background and PurposeWeb conferencing, interactive video conferencing, and classroom and lecture capture are widely used in pharmacy education. This study aimed to determine student pharmacists' receptiveness to a virtually facilitated outpatient pharmacy practice laboratory course. Educational Activity and SettingA new course design was implemented for a first-year (P1) laboratory course utilizing Zoom, an internet-based “cloud” video and chat conference room, for communication across two campuses. Physical campus attendance and Zoom connection were required for each laboratory session. Students voluntarily and anonymously completed a survey at course start and conclusion to evaluate course design and impact on student learning. FindingsThe pre-survey was completed by 77 students (82%) and 82 students completed the post-survey (87%). Students agreed or strongly agreed that virtual facilitation did not hinder learning and disagreed or strongly disagreed that a facilitator needs to be physically present to simplify learning. Students concluded there is no difference in virtual or in person facilitator communication. While students agreed the experience enabled development of problem-solving skills and fostered self-awareness and responsibility for self-learning, this was not statistically significant. SummaryThese results provide insight into students' perceptions of a virtually facilitated laboratory course design. This may be an alternative to live facilitation without impacting student development in the areas of problem solving, self-awareness, and responsibility for self-learning. Schools and colleges of pharmacy might consider virtual laboratory facilitation as an innovative course design.

Open-Source Laser-Cut-Model Kits for the Teaching of Molecular Geometry

Comprehension of the 3D structure of objects usually represented in 2D is a critical part of understanding molecular geometries. The frequency with which students actually get hands-on with 3D molecular structures is often limited to a singular laboratory session. We sought to develop a set of molecular shapes that were inexpensive enough not only to deploy in a first-year laboratory setting but also to allow the students to take the set home with them to study at their leisure. Laser-cut acrylic parts in five colors were used, and each set could be quickly assembled into the 13 different molecular shapes commonly encountered at the first-year level. The set of shapes was attractive, useful, and easy and fast to fabricate, and they were appreciated by our students. All files have been released in an open-source format, so any interested parties can deploy these models as soon as they secure access to a suitable laser cutter.

Investigating the viability of a competency-based, qualitative laboratory assessment model in first-year undergraduate chemistry

In chemistry curricula, both the role of the laboratory program and the method of assessment used are subject to scrutiny and debate. The ability to identify clearly defined competencies for the chemistry laboratory program is crucial, given the numerous other disciplines that rely on foundation-level chemistry knowledge and practical skills. In this report, we describe the design, implementation, results, and feedback obtained on a competency-based assessment model recently introduced into the first-year laboratory program at an Australian university. Previously, this laboratory program was assessed via a quantitative, criterion-referenced assessment model. At the core of this new model was a set of competency criteria relating to skills-acquisition, chemical knowledge and application of principles, safety in the laboratory, as well as professionalism and teamwork. By design, these criteria were aligned with the learning outcomes of the course and the degree itself, as well as local accrediting bodies. Qualitative and quantitative feedback from students (and staff) obtained before and after the implementation of this new model suggested this approach provided an enhanced learning experience enabling a greater focus on the acquisition of fundamental laboratory skills and techniques.

Measurement of Chlorophyll Loss Due to Phytoremediation of Ag Nanoparticles in the First-Year Laboratory

A two-week experiment is presented in which students can observe the impact of nanoparticles on the concentration of chlorophyll in plants. First-year students in an introductory nanotechnology laboratory course and a general chemistry laboratory course synthesized silver nanoparticles and then exposed stalks of Egeria densa (E. densa), a common waterweed, to the nanoparticle solution for 1 week. In the following session, students extracted chlorophyll from the plants and measured its concentration using a visible spectrometer. Compared to other, similar lab activities, this experiment generates a lower amount of waste, requires a shorter duration of plant growth, and involves the measurement of chemical species in order to determine the toxicological effects of nanomaterials. Additional ideas are discussed for implementing the experiment in high school, general chemistry, and other courses.

An Interdisciplinary Guided Inquiry Laboratory for First Year Undergraduate Forensic Science Students

An effective guided inquiry forensic case study (a pharmacy break-in) is described for first-year students. Four robust introductory forensic chemistry and biology experiments are used to analyze potential drug samples and determine the identity of a possible suspect. Students perform presumptive tests for blood on a “point of entry stain” sample; perform chemical presumptive tests on the “suspected drug” alongside known standards of codeine, morphine, and amphetamine; and carry out thin-layer chromatography analysis of the drug samples. They examine the specificity of the Kastle–Meyer and tetramethylbenzidine tests, prepare polymerase chain reaction samples from the suspects’ DNA samples, and perform gel electrophoresis to analyze the results. Students are required to analyze and integrate the results and to apply their acquired knowledge within the context of an engaging forensic case study. This first-year laboratory is part of a forensic case study vertically integrated into the curriculum.

The butterfly effect for physics laboratories

A low-cost chaos dynamics lab is developed for quantitative demonstration of the butterfly effect using a magnetic pendulum. Chaotic motion is explored by recording magnetic time series. Students analyze the data in Excel® to investigate the butterfly effect as well as the reconstruction of the strange attractor using time delay plots. The lab exercise is suitable for junior-level modern physics laboratories, or as an extension to traditional first-year laboratories exploring pendulum motion.

Video reports as a novel alternate assessment in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory

The increased use of video capable cellular phones to document everyday life presents educators with an exciting opportunity to extend this capability into the introductory laboratory. The study assessed whether students enrolled in a southeastern U.S. university's first-year laboratory course retained technical information at a higher rate after creating a technique video. These videos were created on hand-held video capable devices that students owned prior to enrolling in the course, eliminating additional cost to students. Pre-/post-test analysis (N = 509) was performed to determine short- and long-term learning gains regarding reporting the volume of graduated glassware to the proper number of significant figures. Though both groups used various graduated glassware throughout the term, chi-square analysis showed that students who created a video detailing use of a Mohr pipet reported the volume of graduated glassware correctly on the final exam and laboratory practical at a significantly higher rate than those students who received only verbal instruction on the technique.

Synthesis of Copper Pigments, Malachite and Verdigris: Making Tempera Paint

Malachite and verdigris, two copper-based pigments, are synthesized in this experiment intended for use in a general chemistry laboratory. The preparation of egg tempera paint from malachite is also described. All procedures can be done with a magnetic stir plate, standard glassware present in any first-year laboratory, and household chemicals. Yields for the synthesis of malachite are about 95% making this an ideal activity for courses emphasizing green chemistry. Typical results from students enrolled in a general chemistry course are reported. While introducing the students to the composition of artists’ paints, performing this experiment provides students an opportunity to apply concepts in topics such as stoichiometry (excess reactants and yields), solubility, precipitation, and properties of emulsions. The importance of reading the experiment before coming to the laboratory is emphasized as students must come up with timesaving strategies to finish both pigment syntheses in the time allotted.

Synthesis of Silver Nanoprisms with Variable Size and Investigation of Their Optical Properties: A First-Year Undergraduate Experiment Exploring Plasmonic Nanoparticles

A robust and reasonably simple experiment is described that introduces students to the visualization of nanoscale properties and is intended for a first-year laboratory. Silver nanoprisms (NPs) that display different colors due to variation of their plasmonic absorption with respect to size are prepared. Control over the size of the silver nanoprisms is achieved using a novel approach, where bromide is added to the reaction as a size-determining agent, and silver ions are reduced by borohydride in the presence of citrate and peroxide as stabilizing and shape-directing agents, respectively. In a typical experiment, four dispersions of silver nanoprisms with different sizes are produced that are colored from blue (largest) to yellow (smallest). The colors attainable in between are violet, purple, red, and orange. The synthesis of these colored silver NPs is described for the first time as an undergraduate experiment. Once synthesized, the nanoprisms are characterized using UV−vis spectroscopy, and a Beer’s ...

Preparation of Chemically Etched Tips for Ambient Instructional Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

A first-year laboratory experiment that utilizes concepts of electrochemical tip etching for scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is described. This experiment can be used in conjunction with any STM experiment. Students electrochemically etch gold STM tips using a time-efficient method, which can then be used in an instructional grade STM that operates under ambient conditions. Electrochemical etching is one method used by researchers to prepare tips for high-quality STM imaging. Whereas the most common materials used to fabricate electrochemically etched tips cannot be used in ambient STMs, this experiment is a way to integrate the importance of tip etching (as opposed to mechanically prepared tips) into an STM laboratory experiment. The students are able to make Au tips with a reasonably small radius of curvature (<100 nm). First-year undergraduate students with almost no previous experience using an STM instrument were routinely able to achieve atomic resolution on a graphite surface.

The Synthesis and Characterization of Rouaite, a Copper Hydroxy Nitrate. An Integrated First-Year Laboratory Project

The synthesis and analysis of a copper hydroxy nitrate provides an exposure to a simple ionic synthesis, qualitative analysis of copper and nitrate, two gravimetric analyses (copper and nitrate), one volumetric analysis (hydroxide), and a colorimetric analysis (copper). The results allow the student to determine the identity of the double salt and to observe the importance of careful analytical data in establishing composition. The use of two different methods for the analysis of copper also permits a comparison of two different analytical techniques. The project is ideally suited for groups of four students and can be completed in about three 3-hour lab periods. Alternatively, the compound can be prepared and analyzed by only one or two procedures in two laboratory periods

An Introduction to the Design of Filters and Sinusoidal Oscillators

After making a review of existing first-year laboratory work at Manchester Metropolitan University dealing with active filters, the authors describe an alternative set of first-year experiments which cover the three first-order filters whose transfer functions are controlled by a single time constant (first-order STC filters), namely, lowpass, highpass and allpass. The allpass filter can be regarded as an elementary parallel-path circuit with zero-order feedforward and this technique is extended to develop lowpass-to-highpass and highpass-to-lowpass converters which as well as allpass filters can be employed in the design of sinusoidal oscillators whose oscillation frequency can be adjusted using two similar grounded elements. Two approaches to the design of one such oscillator are given and experimental results are provided.

Assessing core manipulative skills in a large, first-year laboratory

Responding to the concern from our faculty that undergraduate students do not have robust laboratory skills, we designed and implemented a strategy to individually teach and assess the manipulative skills of students in first-year laboratories. Five core laboratory skills were selected for the course entitled Human Biology, a large, first-year class of students, most of whom were enrolled in Bachelor of Pharmacy and Human Movement Studies. Here, we report details for the 365 students enrolled primarily in Pharmacy and Human Movement Studies bachelor degree programs in semester 1 of 2006. We designed a specific strategy to assess five core laboratory skills: 1) accurate and precise use of a micropipette, 2) calculation of dilutions and preparation of diluted samples of saline, 3) accurate representation of data using a graph, 4) use of a light microscope, and 5) acquisition of digital data by measuring the latent period for the Achilles reflex. Graduate tutors were trained to teach and assess each student on each skill. The development of competency was tracked for all students across all five skills. Most students demonstrated proficiency on their first attempt. The development of proficiency across the core skills depended on both the skill and degree program. In semester 2 of 2006, 854 students mostly enrolled in the Bachelor of Science degree program and were similarly taught and assessed on the same five core skills. This approach was an effective teaching and assessment strategy that, when applied beyond first year, should increase the level of laboratory skills across undergraduate programs in physiology.

Preparation and Analysis of Libethenite: A Project for the First-Year Laboratory

This first-year chemistry project involves the preparation and analysis of the naturally-occurring double salt Cu2PO4OH. The compound is prepared by addition of ammonium hydrogen phosphate to a solution of copper(II) sulfate. The percent copper is determined by colorimetric analysis of the ammine complex; the phosphate is determined by precipitation of lead(II) hydroxy phosphate. Students prepare (or are supplied with) a list of possible products and use the results of their analyses to determine which compound was actually prepared.

A Simple Method for Determination of Solubility in the First-Year Laboratory

A method for determining solubility that is fast and requires only a Büchner-type filter funnel, a 500-mL round-bottom flask, and an analytical balance is described. The loss in weight of a compound after suction extraction with one liter of water produces the solubility in grams per liter of water. Because the method involves only two weighings and no transfer of precipitate it is also potentially quite accurate. The method can be used for both very soluble compounds and for compounds with solubilities as low as several mg per liter of water.