Traditional Laboratory Course Research Articles

A General Chemistry Laboratory Course Designed for Student Discussion

We report a study of the general chemistry laboratory course at one university over four years. We found that when taught as a traditional laboratory course, lab experiences do not encourage students to deepen their understanding of chemical concepts. Although the lab instructor emphasized that the lab experiences were designed to enhance understanding of chemistry, both survey and interview data show that students instead feel that the lab is primarily useful in learning laboratory procedures. As a result of these studies, the laboratory course was reconfigured to include weekly, separately scheduled times for teaching assistant-moderated student discussion of concepts, analysis of data, and reflection on the laboratory. With the inclusion of required discussion, students did report that the lab was a place for learning chemistry and visualizing the chemical phenomena discussed in class.

Owning the Experience

Education An essential component of a successful undergraduate research experience is project ownership. Currently, measurements of project ownership take place on a project-based level at individual institutions, with no real protocol for standardization or the integration of data into a larger database. Hanauer and Dolan address this issue with the development of the Project Ownership survey (POS). Three main components—specification of the undergraduate research experience, assessment of degrees of project ownership, and emotive scales—form the basis of the Web-based POS. Fully analyzed to determine its dimensionality, reliability, and validity, the 16-item POS showed high internal consistency and was able to differentiate between students who studied in traditional versus research-based laboratory courses, making it a valuable tool that can be used to further assess the features of an undergraduate research experience that may encourage students to pursue a degree in science. Furthermore, wide use of the POS may enable the scientific community to characterize the broad range of research experiences taking place across institutions, allowing for the identification and proliferation of successful features of undergraduate research experiences that enhance project ownership. CBE Life Sci. Educ. 13 , 149 (2014).

The Project Ownership Survey: Measuring Differences in Scientific Inquiry Experiences

A growing body of research documents the positive outcomes of research experiences for undergraduates, including increased persistence in science. Study of undergraduate lab learning experiences has demonstrated that the design of the experience influences the extent to which students report ownership of the project and that project ownership is one of the psychosocial factors involved in student retention in the sciences. To date, methods for measuring project ownership have not been suitable for the collection of larger data sets. The current study aims to rectify this by developing, presenting, and evaluating a new instrument for measuring project ownership. Eighteen scaled items were generated based on prior research and theory related to project ownership and combined with 30 items shown to measure respondents' emotions about an experience, resulting in the Project Ownership survey (POS). The POS was analyzed to determine its dimensionality, reliability, and validity. The POS had a coefficient alpha of 0.92 and thus has high internal consistency. Known-groups validity was analyzed through the ability of the instrument to differentiate between students who studied in traditional versus research-based laboratory courses. The POS scales as differentiated between the groups and findings paralleled previous results in relation to the characteristics of project ownership.

Project-Based Learning and Agile Methodologies in Electronic Courses: Effect of Student Population and Open Issues

Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Agile methodologieshave proven to be very interesting instructional strategiesin Electronics and Engineering education, because they providepractical learning skills that help students understand the basisof electronics. In this paper we analyze two courses, onebelonging to a Master in Electronic Engineering and one to aBachelor in Telecommunication Engineering that apply Agile-PBL methodologies, and compare the results obtained in bothcourses with a traditional laboratory course. Our results supportprevious work stating that Agile-PBL methodologies increasestudent satisfaction. However, we also highlight some open issuesthat negatively affect the implementation of these methodologies,such as planning overhead or accidental complexity. Moreover,we show how differences in the student population, mostly relatedto the time spent on-campus, their commitment to the course orpart-time dedication, have an impact on the benefits of Agile-PBLmethods. In these cases, Agile-PBL methodologies by themselvesare not enough and need to be combined with other techniquesto increase student motivation.

Outcomes Assessment of Case-Based Writing Exercises in a Veterinary Clinical Pathology Course

Our second-year core clinical pathology course uses free-response case-based learning exercises in an otherwise traditional lecture or laboratory course format to augment the development of skills in application of knowledge and critical thinking and clinical reasoning. We previously reported increased learner confidence accompanied by perceived improvements in understanding and ability to apply information, along with enhanced feelings of preparedness for examinations that students attributed to the case-based exercises. The current study prospectively follows a cohort of students to determine the ability of traditional multiple-choice versus free-response case-based assessments to predict future academic performance and to determine if the perceived value of the case-based exercises persists through the curriculum. Our data show that after holding multiple-choice scores constant, better performance on case-based free-response exercises led to higher GPA and better class rank in the second and third years and better class rank in the fourth year. Students in clinical rotations reported that the case-based approach was superior to traditional lecture or multiple-choice exam format for learning clinical reasoning, retaining factual information, organizing information, communicating medical information clearly to colleagues in clinical situations, and preparing high quality medical records. In summary, this longitudinal study shows that case-based free-response writing assignments are efficacious above and beyond standard measures in determining students' GPAs and class rank and in students' acquisition of knowledge, skills, and clinical reasoning. Students value these assignments and overwhelmingly find them an efficient use of their time, and these opinions are maintained even two years following the course.

Transition of a Dental Histology Course from Light to Virtual Microscopy

The transition of the dental histology course at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Dental School was completed gradually over a five-year period. A pilot project was initially conducted to study the feasibility of integrating virtual microscopy into a traditional light microscopic lecture and laboratory course. Because of the difficulty of procuring quality calcified and decalcified sections of teeth, slides from the student loan collection in the oral histology block of the course were outsourced for conversion to digital images and placed on DVDs along with a slide viewer. The slide viewer mimicked the light microscope, allowing horizontal and vertical movement and changing of magnification, and, in addition, a feature to capture static images. In a survey, students rated the ease of use of the software, quality of the images, maneuverability of the images, and questions regarding use of the software, effective use of laboratory, and faculty time. Because of the positive support from the students, our entire student loan collection of 153 glass slides was subsequently converted to virtual images and distributed on an Apricorn pocket external hard drive. Students were asked to assess the virtual microscope over a four-year period. As a result of the surveys, light microscopes have been totally eliminated, and microscope exams have been replaced with project slide examinations. In the future, we plan to expand our virtual slides and incorporate computer testing.

Developing team‐centered independent research skills in an advanced biochemistry laboratory course

Traditional biochemistry laboratory courses emphasize exercises designed to reinforce concepts presented in lecture courses and to expose students to common techniques in biochemical studies. However, other skills required for biochemistry graduates (particularly those starting careers in industry) include experimental design, ability to work independently and the ability to work in teams to achieve scientific goals. Thus, we modified an advanced biochemistry laboratory course to allow students to design and execute independent experiments in a team setting centered on heterologous expression and purification of his‐tagged proteins. Each semester, the class as a whole has a goal to express and purify protein for structural or kinetic studies. The class is organized into teams, and each team is responsible for developing a protocol for a different variant of the protein of interest, and each individual student project focuses on optimizing a specific secondary purification column. Students work in their teams to explicitly define their team and individual goals and to write progress reports throughout the semester. Attitudinal surveys completed before and after implementing the team‐centered approach indicate students value the team experience while appreciating learning fundamental protein purification skills.

A New Paradigm for Mentored Undergraduate Research in Molecular Microbiology

Science educators agree that an undergraduate research experience is critical for students who are considering graduate school or research careers. The process of researching a topic in the primary literature, designing experiments, implementing those experiments, and analyzing the results is essential in developing the analytical skills necessary to become a true scientist. Because training undergraduates who will only be in the laboratory for a short period is time consuming for faculty mentors, many students are unable to find appropriate research opportunities. We hypothesized that we could effectively mentor several students simultaneously, using a method that is a hybrid of traditional undergraduate research and a traditional laboratory course. This article describes a paradigm for mentored undergraduate research in molecular microbiology where students have ownership of their individual projects, but the projects are done in parallel, enabling the faculty mentor to guide multiple students efficiently.

Developing a new interdisciplinary lab course for undergraduate and graduate students: Plant cells and proteins

Studies of protein function increasingly use multifaceted approaches that span disciplines including recombinant DNA technology, cell biology, and analytical biochemistry. These studies rely on sophisticated equipment and methodologies including confocal fluorescence microscopy, mass spectrometry, and X-ray crystallography that are beyond the scope of traditional laboratory courses. To equip the advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students with an enabling base of knowledge and initial experience with advanced protein research methodologies, a laboratory course entitled Plant Cells and Proteins was developed in a partnership between Washington University and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis. In this one semester course, 10-12 students obtain hands-on experience with plant tissue culture, gene transformation, subcellular localization of fluorescent recombinant proteins using confocal microscopy, purification of affinity-tagged recombinant proteins, isolation of total protein extracts, enzymatic assays, one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, MALDI-TOF and ESI-Q-TOF mass spectrometry, protein crystallization, and X-ray diffraction. The course is taught as a series of modules, each led by an expert researcher. Students are evaluated based on a series of graded written reports and tests of their mastery of key concepts, interpretations, and the limitations of the experimental methods.

Isolation and characterization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants defective in chromosome transmission in an undergraduate genetics research course.

An upper-level genetics research course was developed to expose undergraduates to investigative science. Students are immersed in a research project with the ultimate goal of identifying proteins important for chromosome transmission in mitosis. After mutagenizing yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells, students implement a genetic screen that allows for visual detection of mutants with an increased loss of an ADE2-marked yeast artificial chromosome (YAC). Students then genetically characterize the mutants and begin efforts to identify the defective genes in these mutants. While engaged in this research project, students practice a variety of technical skills in both classical and molecular genetics. Furthermore, students learn to collaborate and gain experience in sharing scientific findings with others in the form of written papers, poster presentations, and oral presentations. Previous students indicated that, relative to a traditional laboratory course, this research course improved their understanding of scientific concepts and technical skills and helped them make connections between concepts. Moreover, this course allowed students to experience scientific inquiry and was influential for students as they considered future endeavors.

Integrated Laboratories: Crossing Traditional Boundaries

A new, integrated laboratory curriculum was recently developed at the U.S. Naval Academy in response to the 1999 ACS Committee on Professional Training guidelines that required inclusion of biochemistry and a stronger emphasis on student research. To meet these ACS requirements and to introduce more student choice in the major, we embarked on a complete redesign of the laboratory program, reducing eleven credit hours of traditional laboratory courses into a cohesive, eight-credit, four-semester sequence of integrated laboratory courses covering the core areas of chemistry. These courses are designed along broader themes with many experiments simultaneously exploring concepts from two or more subdisciplines of chemistry. Although the integrated laboratory concept has been applied at other institutions, this curriculum is unique in its design and scope. The program begins in the sophomore year and is completed in the junior year, allowing students to pursue research and advanced courses in their senior year...

Providing solutions through problem-based learning for the undergraduate 1st year chemistry laboratory

A PBL laboratory-based module for first year undergraduate chemistry has been developed and successfully implemented. Its aim was to develop the students’ practical and transferable skills, as well as their content knowledge and scientific understanding, and also to address the concern expressed in the literature over the effectiveness of the traditional laboratory courses to achieve these aims. The PBL module also encouraged students to prepare for their laboratory session in an active and collaborative manner through pre-lab exercises. By combining elements of group work, discussion, hands-on activities and alternative assessment methods, the students were provided with an environment conducive to meaningful, deep learning. We describe how the PBL module was developed by adapting the experience for the students rather than changing the experiments. Specific examples from analytical, physical and organic chemistry are given with a focus on the pre-laboratory exercises, associated group work, and the assessment methods, as well as on the actual practical work. [Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 2007, 8 (3), 347-361.]

A Research-Based Laboratory Course in Organic Chemistry

The development, implementation, evolution, and evaluation of a unique approach to laboratory instruction in organic chemistry is described. The new course involves a multistep synthesis of group 14 metalloles. The program employs a combinatorial strategy to offer every student a different group 14 metallole as their personal synthetic target. Evaluation by faculty, students, and external evaluators indicates that this approach is superior to the more traditional laboratory course it replaced. Using this combinatorial approach as a model, any research project that involves a synthetic component can be incorporated into an undergraduate laboratory curriculum.

Teaching and learning distillation in chemistry laboratory courses

AbstractThis study investigates the problems chemistry majors have with learning distillation in traditional chemistry laboratory courses. Using an interpretive cyclic research design, we collected and interpreted data, mainly in the form of observation notes and transcriptions of the discourse that takes place during laboratory courses. It was found that students experience numerous problems; these are described and interpreted. We summarize students' problems in four categories: (a) students use an independent component conception; (b) they have insufficient understanding of the properties of vapor; (c) they regard distillation from a physical point of view; and (d) they do not have a practical understanding of thermodynamics. The main origin of these problems was found to lie with the traditional curriculum structure. Lecture courses and textbooks treat distillation in a generalized and decontextualized way, whereas decisions in actual distillations are always based on contextual features. It was found that textbooks and teachers often do not discriminate carefully and explicitly among five different contexts for distillation: organic synthesis, chemical analysis, analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, and preparation of products. Students take the generalized concepts at face value and apply them to all distillations regardless of context. They cannot interpret their observations or make reasoned decisions based on the theoretical framework of a specific context.

The Use of Animals in Behavioural Science Education in the USA: Finding Alternatives that Address Personal Concerns and Ethical Dilemmas

In this paper, we describe our efforts to develop a humanitarian approach to the teaching of behavioural science using animals. Reduction, replacement and refinement of animal use in education are most useful if they help reconnect students and teachers with their underlying feelings, attitudes and ethical values related to animal usage. In order to initiate this reconnection process, we established the Northeastern University Center for Science Education (NUCASE) to encourage the dissemination of information and the development of projects that address ethical issues in college science curricula. Two directions that NUCASE has piloted using a humanitarian approach are outlined: an alternative to the traditional animal laboratory course in learning that uses student-run field experiments with feral pigeons in a park; and a conference designed to promote open interchange about personal concerns and ethical dilemmas in the use of animals in education.

A DENTAL CURRICULUM WITH CONCERN FOR AGING ADULTS‐PART II: COMPLETE DENTURE THERAPY

This article discusses the present and projected need for complete denture treatment by the senior citizens of the United States and the State of Florida. It describes innovative aspects of the complete denture curriculum at the University of Florida College of Dentistry. Students accomplish all necessary procedures for patients in need of complete dentures without exposure to a traditional preclinical laboratory course simulating these same procedures. This permits more efficient use of curriculum time and affords more opportunities for student interaction with the aged edentulous (toothless) patient. The college's self‐paced modular curriculum is discussed as is the use of competency‐based clinical behavioral objectives. An interdisciplinary approach is used in both didactic instruction and Clinical evaluation of patient management skills for the aging complete denture patient.

The guided design strategy in the biochemistry laboratory

This article describes a nontraditional biochemistry laboratory course for first-year dental students. The course consisted of two laboratory exercises adapted to the guided design strategy and a short research project. The major advantage of the guided design laboratories was subjectively determined to be the development of problem-solving skills, which students previously enrolled in a traditional laboratory course seemed to lack. Students exposed to the guided design approach successfully applied these skills when performing their research projects. These students also reflected a better understanding of the biochemical principles encountered. The major disadvantages were the great amount of faculty time required to prepare the guided design materials and the reduced amount of subject matter covered. Student evaluation scores of the new laboratory program showed dramatic improvement over those for the traditional laboratories. In addition, students' attitudes toward the new biochemistry laboratories were more positive than those exhibited in the traditional course.