Digital Learning Objects for the Introductory Chemistry Classroom Amanda Musgrove, Chris Addison, Gülnur Birol, Hailan Chen, Mark Gammon, Anka Lekhi, José Rodriguez Nuñez, Parisa Mehrkhodavandi*

Project Goal Create a series of weekly modules to support CHEM 121, with both pre– and post-class as-

signments. These modules include:

Pre-reading assignments

Instructional videos

Practice questions

Pre-class quiz

Worksheets for in-class activities

Homework assignments

CHEM 121 Chemistry 121— “Structural Chemistry, with Application to Chemistry of the Elements” — is

an introductory general chemistry course offered by the Department of Chemistry.

Enrolment: approx. 1900 students (~1850 in fall, 150 in summer)

9 sections (+1 for Vantage College beginning 2014)

Offered only in Fall and Summer Term 1

Has lab and lecture components—administered separately

Students mainly from Faculty of Science, but also from Applied Science, Arts,

Commerce, Dentistry, Education, Forestry, Land and Food Systems

Implementation The first CHEM 121 sections integrating the weekly modules will run in Fall 2014.

One section in Chemistry and one section in Vantage College will assign the modules.

All students in CHEM 121 will have access to the videos and practice materials

through the common Connect course site.

Through Summer 2014, work continues on a chapter-by-chapter basis, identifying

and creating online resources and preparing them for implementation on Connect.

Intended Outcomes By incorporating the weekly modules, students are expected to:

Be more engaged with material during class time

Have more exposure to applications and complex problem solving during class

Develop regular study habits early in their university career

Gain a better understanding of chemical concepts

Avoid common misconceptions encountered historically in CHEM 121

After Class

Before Class

During Class

Since students have reviewed introductory material, class can move on to

more complex topics

Modules create time for group problem-solving and

discussion activities during class

Handouts and supplementary material for activities

included in modules

Photo credit: UBC Library Communications. CC-BY-NC-ND

Pre-Reading Assignments Video Reviews Practice Questions & Quiz

Students read sections of the course workbook to prepare

for upcoming topics each week

Approx. 15 pages each week, split into 2 or 3 sections

Readings targeted to the information most needed to pre-

pare for class

2-6 videos per week, 4-6 minutes per topic

Pencast and live-action style

Learning objectives for each video

Available for the remainder of term for review and study

Also linking to high-quality videos from other institutions

through YouTube, etc

Graded quizzes create accountability for completing exer-

cises

Quiz: ~5 questions based on the reading objectives

Practice questions similar to the quiz available for self-

testing before attempting the quiz

Photo credit: UBC Library Communications. CC-BY-NC-ND

Photo credit: Don Earhardt (UBC). CC-BY

Short (5-6 questions) homework assignments each week (except midterm

weeks)

Graded to provide feedback to students and help them stay current in their

coursework

Project Evaluation

During the pilot semester and moving forward, the project will be evaluated to inform future iterations and ensure a positive contribution to student success.

Attitudinal effects of the instructional changes (such as engage-

ment) will be evaluated by surveys and student interviews.

Academic success will be measured by comparing performance on

exams and controlled concept questions. Special attention will be

given to misconceptions and level of understanding in answers.

Study journals and surveys will be used to ensure the stu-

dents’ overall workload does not increase unacceptably.

Preliminary results of the project evaluation are expected to be available in early 2015.

This project is supported by the UBC FL Initiative and the Faculty of Science Dean’s Office.