Experimentation Skills Away from the Chemistry Laboratory: Emergency Remote Teaching of Multimodal Laboratories
Santiago Sandí-Ureña
Abstract
Three days into the academic year, the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly led to emergency remote teaching, ERT, of Chemical Experimentation—a revised alternative to the majors’ General Chemistry Laboratory at the University of Costa Rica. The course was reoriented to support students’ development of nontechnical experimentation skills and scientific practices relevant to the conventional course. Assignments ranged from problem-based projects to prescriptive online simulations, included team and individual work, lasted one or several weeks, and were hands-on or relied on computer-based animations, simulations, and demonstrations. Assignments were completed asynchronously and supported by synchronous weekly discussion sessions, extended office hours, and online forums. Online modules on topics pertinent to the course were available for perusal at students’ convenience. Instruction of technical skills was deferred until public health conditions allow. End-of-course survey data suggest the ERT course effectively supported development of nontechnical experimental skills and scientific practices, e.g., asking scientific questions, planning and executing investigations, collecting, analyzing, and constructing explanations, creating arguments from evidence, and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating scientific information. Ongoing phenomenological work will advance the understanding of the nature and extent of learning during ERT and how it occurred. Although in-laboratory experiences are not completely substitutable, course designs may incorporate meaningful activities away from the lab to fulfill some of the objectives of experimental instruction. Current concerns over academic laboratory costs make optimization of instructional resources compelling. This communication describes the context, the course model, and basics of the ERT design.