Re-designing Science Courses for Non-majors using Hands-on

Learning Experiences

Harry Pylypiw1, Marshall Sternberg1, and Frances Rowe2

Quinnipiac University1Department of Chemistry and Physical

Sciences2QU-Online

Hamden, CT 06518

Course Design and Teaching

“Tell me and I forget,teach me and I remember,

involve me and I learn.”

Benjamin Franklin

The Learning Pyramid

Authentic assessment and the online student: Moving from information transmission to learner engagement. Brian Salerno http://www.digitalpedagog.org/?p=620

Traditional Learning

Classroom Lectures• Textbook

Chapter readings Problems Written assignments

Laboratory Experiments• Lab Manual

Observations & data collection Submission of results or written report

Alternative Learning

Online or Hybrid Course Delivery• No fixed or set meeting time

Short virtual lectures or demonstrations Assignments

• Problems and written assessments• Group presentations – VoiceThread

Formative and summative assessments• Hands-on activities

No laboratory or equipment• Virtual observations & data collection• Summative assessments

Online Course Delivery

Advantages• Student driven learning

Pace of learning geared to the student Activities are available for repetitive use

• Formative assessments reinforce activities

Disadvantages• Hands-on activities limited

Expensive equipment needed for testing• Virtual chemistry experiments have limited

availability when compared to other disciplines

Course Re-design

Emphasize problem solving and critical thinking

Explore learning through doing• Use of student controlled lab simulations

Topics must maintain student interest Virtual experiments must be interesting Formative assessments add to learning

• Reinforce concepts presented by the activity• Students receive feedback for all answers• Frustration with incorrect answers avoided• Students learn from their mistakes – multiple attempts

are possible

Our Choices of Activities

Courses for non-science majors SCI-162 Consumer Chemistry

• Focus on the environment The Ozone Layer Global Warming

SCI-102 Physical Sciences• Focus on Chemistry and Geology

Density & chemical reactions Earthquakes & the age of the Earth

Interactive Presentations

Useful for reinforcement of concepts• Precipitation Reactions

Ionic Equations Solubility Rules Formative Questions – Self-test

• Making an Aqueous Solution Molarity Calculations Laboratory Techniques Formative Questions – Self-test

Interactive Presentation

Screen shot of presentation. Follow the link below to activate the presentationhttp://breeze.quinnipiac.edu/p56636755/

Interactive Presentation

Screen shot of presentation. To activate the presentation, click here:http://breeze.quinnipiac.edu/p27943886/

Click here to activate presentation

Interactive Presentations

Useful for reinforcement of lecture concepts• Why is the Ozone Layer Important?

Protection against damaging Sun radiation• What are UV-A, UV-B, UV-C rays?• How does ozone help against radiation?

Ultraviolet Rays affect your skin• Are UV rays good or bad?• Do we need to protect ourselves from UV rays?

Interactive PresentationUV A, B, & C Rays

Screen shot of presentation. Follow the link below to activate the presentationhttp://breeze.quinnipiac.edu/p89251017/

Interactive PresentationUV and You

Screen shot of presentation. Follow the link below to activate the presentationhttp://breeze.quinnipiac.edu/p60567148/

Non-Interactive Tutorials

These tutorials serve as short lectures or as pre-lab assistance• Key Features

Usually short – 1 to 4 minutes Slides contain notable portions of either the

text or the lab exercise Navigation bar allows the viewer to advance

or rerun a slide or portion of the tutorial

Non-Interactive Tutorial

Screen shot of presentation. Follow the link below to activate the presentationhttp://breeze.quinnipiac.edu/p70478869/

Breeze Server Dashboard

Breeze Server Dashboard

Sources of Tutorials

Instructor created demonstrations• Institutional/individual licensed software

Captivate• http://www.acrobatprocx.com/products/captivate.

html Jing

• http://www.techsmith.com/Jing Camtasia Relay

• http://www.techsmith.com/CamtasiaRelay Narration in PowerPoint

Sources of Tutorials

Publisher provided materials• Licensed on publisher servers

McGraw-Hill• http://www.mharis.com

• Educational/institution servers Blackboard Macromedia Breeze Citrix

Sources of Tutorials

Freely available on the Internet• Nobelprize.org

http://nobelprize.org/educational/chemistry/chiral/

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/vlabs/

• HippoCampus http://www.hippocampus.org/

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Ke, Fengfeng, and Kui Xie. "Toward Deep Learning for Adult Students in Online Courses." The Internet and Higher Education 12.3-4 (2009): 136-45.

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Kim, Kyong-Jee, Shijuan Liu, and Curtis J. Bonk. "Online MBA Students' Perceptions of Online Learning: Benefits, Challenges, and Suggestions." The Internet and Higher Education 8.4 (2005): 335-44.

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Spannagel, Christian, et al. "Animated Demonstrations and Training Wheels Interfaces in a Complex Learning Environment." Interacting with Computers 20.1 (2008): 97-111.