Insights Gained from an Inquiry-Driven Biochemistry Laboratory during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic required us to implement innovative ideas, especially in upper-level chemistry laboratory courses that train students to implement critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Due to the pandemic-enforced close down of the campus in the spring of 2020, many students lacked laboratory skills. At the same time our university, like many others, adopted the HyFlex model to accommodate multiple waves of COVID-19 and to provide flexibility for the students to learn materials from home. In accordance with these changes, the senior-level biochemistry laboratory course was restructured into a hybrid course focusing on the study of a SARS coronavirus protein. To establish inquiry-driven learning, this hybrid course included two modules: Module I included computer-based studies that allowed students to propose a hypothesis, and Module II included in-person laboratory sessions that allowed students to verify the hypothesis. The computer-based module was offered in synchronous hybrid (virtual and in-person) mode, while the hands-on activities were run in a synchronous in-person mode. This computer-based module could be adapted in any biochemistry lecture or laboratory course as a separate module or as a semester-long project to study the structure-function relationship of a protein of interest. In this communication, I present the activities and the key lessons learned from the inquiry-driven biochemistry laboratory course. Based on this experience, several adjustments are made for future courses to offer flexibility to students. © 2023 The Author. Published by American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.

Virtualization of Laboratory Practices Using Visual Basic Excel

The COVID-19 pandemic and its related restrictions forced the reorganization of learning methodology and gave a central role to remote learning. Laboratory experiments are the most affected activity, and several alternatives were described. This work proposes to create calculation tools by simply programming in Visual Basic of Excel to emulate the data acquisition of specific laboratory experiments. The approach appears useful in experiments with a simple setup followed by data analysis. The experiment of gas volumetric properties allows fixing pressure and temperature conditions and measuring the occupied volume. The developed program emulates such operations and reports a computed volume. Further data reduction is the same in both procedures. Such a virtual experience was successfully used with groups of over 100 students. The results obtained were satisfactory compared with those obtained in the laboratory. Detailed analysis of the grades shows that acquired skills are comparable in both methodologies. Consequently, the virtual approach is a flexible option for remote laboratory teaching to complement traditional experimentation. Published 2022 by American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.

How Partial Anonymity May Reduce Students' Anxiety During Remote Active Learning─A Case Study Using Clubhouse

Active learning, a common practice in higher education, has been shown to promote higher order thinking and skills. Class discussions have been chosen to be the medium to incorporate active learning in schools‘ curriculum. However, the rate of class participation could be low for certain courses. Literature has shown that the fear of negative evaluation from peers is the most common reason as to why students choose not to partake in class discussions. Anonymity via clickers or applications such as Kahoot! has shown to be useful in reducing students' anxiety and increasing class participations. However, this is not a viable method to employ if vocal discussion is required for the course. Here, partial anonymity (voice only), Speak Your Mind, was applied into an environmental chemistry course with 20 students in the National University of Singapore (NUS) to study its correlation with students‘ anxiety and class participation. Participants survey results suggested that a reason for not participating in class discussions was the fear of being judged by their peers. Remote learning was conducted due to COVID-19 and partial anonymity was obtained by a proxy application: Clubhouse. This application allowed students to partake in a podium discussion while maintaining psychological safety via partial anonymity. Participants survey responses indicated that partial anonymity reduced their anxiety (Cohen's d = 0.58) and slightly increased their self-reported class participation rate (Cohen's d = 0.21);it was noted that partial anonymity did not have much effect on their fears of being judged if they provided the wrong answer (Cohen's d = 0.11). © 2023 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.

Interactive Python Notebooks for Physical Chemistry

Chemistry simulations using interactive graphic user interfaces (GUIs) represent uniquely effective and safe tools to support multidimensional learning. Computer literacy and coding skills have become increasingly important in the chemical sciences. In response to both of these facts, a series of Jupyter notebooks hosted on Google Colaboratory were developed for undergraduate students enrolled in physical chemistry. These modules were developed for use during the COVID-19 pandemic when Millsaps College courses were virtual and only virtual or online laboratories could be used. These interactive exercises employ the Python programming language to explore a variety of chemical problems related to kinetics, the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, numerical versus analytical solutions, and real-world application of concepts. All of the modules are available for download from GitHub (https://github.com/Abravene/Python-Notebooks-for-Physical-Chemistry). Accessibility was prioritized, and students were assumed to have no prior programming experience;the notebooks are cost-free and browser-based. Students were guided to use widgets to build interactive GUIs that provide dynamic representations, immediate access to multiple investigations, and interaction with key variables. To evaluate the perceived effectiveness of this introduction to Python programming, participants were surveyed at the beginning and end of the course to gauge their interest in pursuing programming and data analysis skills and how they viewed the importance of programming and data analysis for their future careers. Student reactions were generally positive and showed increased interest in programming and its importance in their futures, so these notebooks will be incorporated into the in-person laboratory in the future.

A Web-Based Metallographic Atlas for Teaching Materials Science

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many higher education institutions to offer their courses online, which is quite challenging when implementing laboratory sessions. Here we describe a web-based teaching resource consisting of a metallographic atlas with more than 200 micrographs corresponding to pure metals, binary alloys, steels, cast irons, and light alloys. The atlas is designed for majors and graduate level students in materials science disciplines, and it focuses on the interpretation of optical micrographs. The web page metrics, the impact on academic scores, and the results of an anonymous and voluntary survey indicate a very positive response to this online teaching resource material.

Moving Forward: Resilience of a Chemistry for Health Professions 2D Virtual Lab Program During COVID

Chemical education laboratory practices have not been exempted from the present healthcare crisis. Learning environments have shifted from face-to-face exercises to virtual and video conferencing platforms. Here, we discuss a chemistry for health sciences course which (i) adapted the previous face-to-face laboratory exercises to 100% online using online platforms two years preceding COVID only to shift to completely remote learning and back again and (ii) highlight correlations between chemistry concepts (e.g., pH, solubility, and serial dilutions) and medical practices. Additionally, course pass/fail trends pre-COVID and during COVID are identified and discussed by the author. Regarding example laboratory teaching and learning, this article further examines the responses for two groups of students and their perspectives on 2D virtual chemistry lab experiences and parallel discussions in healthcare: (1) For group 1, students (n = 135) completed an anonymous and voluntary Likert-type questionnaire for a pH and serial dilution online lab experience with over 92% recommending the lab experience for future enrollees, and (2) for group 2, student (n = 107) results indicated 93% of the survey participants were providing the same recommendation.

Basic Cheminformatics Course for First-Year Chemistry Students

Cheminformatics is a widely used interdisciplinary field that is important for many chemistry areas. Cheminformatics skills are necessary for dealing with a large amount of chemical information and are considered essential for various tasks such as data analysis, visualization, storage, etc. This paper presents the basic cheminformatics chemistry semester-length course for first-year chemistry students, organized at the Novosibirsk State University. Students in the course learn literature and structural databases, search engines, chemical structure drawing and representation, graphing software, text formatting, scientific writing, and report representation. The course could be replicated as an entire course in chemical informatics or could be used as separate modules in other courses. We describe the face-to-face course and the adaptation to an online teaching model during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The students' and lecturers' feedback about the course program and results are also presented. We hope that this work can assist faculty members in teaching cheminformatics.

User Experience of Universal School-Based e-Mental Health Solutions: Exploring the Expectations and Desires of Adolescent Users

Due to lack of in-person social interactions and stressful conditions resulting from schools’ closures, major lockdowns, and other restrictions imposed for preventing the further spread of COVID-19, there has been a great concern regarding adolescents’ mental well-being and their access to mental health resources. Now, e-mental health resources that schools can develop and offer to all their students could play a much more important role: as a valuable, accessible, and affordable means for educating and empowering adolescents to maintain a balanced mental and emotional well-being. In this paper, we aim to explore the expectations and desires of adolescent students from the user experience of universally delivered school-based e-mental health solutions. Through conducting qualitative exploratory interviews with adolescent students and performing contextual analysis, we have identified the core needs, expectations and desires that were shared between high school students pertaining to e-mental health resources. By reporting our findings via diagrams and tables, we offer HCI/UX designers and developers a means to help them create a better strategy for their universal e-mental health solutions and put a more focused effort into addressing the core needs, expectations, and desires of adolescent students from said solutions: first, by providing them the solutions’ must-haves (the identified user expectations from the UX of e-mental health solutions), and then, by targeting to include the solutions’ nice-to-haves (the identified factors that can make the experience of e-mental health solutions more desirable for the students). © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Reassessing Undergraduate Polymer Chemistry LaboratoryExperiments for Virtual Learning Environments br

Chemistry laboratory experiments are invaluable tostudents'acquisition of necessary synthetic, analytical, andinstrumental skills during their undergraduate studies. However,the COVID-19 pandemic rendered face-to-face (f2f), in-personteaching laboratory experiences impossible from late 2019-2020and forced educators to rapidly develop new solutions to deliverchemistry laboratory education remotely. Unfortunately, achievinglearning and teaching objectives to the same caliber of in-personexperiments is very difficult through distance learning. Toovercome these hurdles, educators have generated many virtual and remote learning options for not only foundational chemistrycourses but also laboratory experiments. Although the pandemic challenged high-level chemistry education, it has also created anopportunity for both students and educators to be more cognizant of virtual learning opportunities and their potential benefits withinchemistry curriculum. Irrespective of COVID-19, virtual learning techniques, especially virtual lab experiments, can complement f2flaboratories and offer a cost-efficient, safe, and environmentally sustainable alternative to their in-person counterparts.Implementation of virtual and distance learning techniques???including kitchen chemistry and at-home laboratories, prerecordedvideos, live-stream video conferencing, digital lab environment, virtual and augmented reality, and others???can provide a wide-ranging venue to teach chemistry laboratories effectively and encourage diversity and inclusivity in thefield. Despite their relevanceto real-world applications and potential to expand upon fundamental chemical principles, polymer lab experiments areunderrepresented in the virtual platform. Polymer chemistry education can help prepare students for industrial and academicpositions. The impacts of polymers in our daily life can also promote students'interests in science and scientific research. Hence, thetranslation of polymer lab experiments into virtual settings improves the accessibility of polymer chemistry education. Herein, weassess polymer experiments in the emergence of virtual learning environments and provide suggestions for further incorporation ofeffective polymer teaching and learning techniques into virtual settings

Cybersecurity educational games: a theoretical framework

Purpose>Computer games that teach cybersecurity concepts have been developed to help both individuals and organizations shore up their defence against cybercrimes. Evidence of the effectiveness of these games has been rather weak, however. This paper aims to guide the design and testing of more effective cybersecurity educational games by developing a theoretical framework.Design/methodology/approach>A review of the literature is conducted to explore the dependent variable of this research stream, learning outcomes and its relationship with four independent variables, game characteristics, game context, learning theory and user characteristics.Findings>The dependent variable can be measured by five learning outcomes: information, content, strategic knowledge, eagerness to learn/time spent and behavioral change. Game characteristics refer to features that contribute to a game’s usefulness, interactivity, playfulness or attractiveness. Game context pertains to factors that determine how a game is used, including the target audience, the skill involved and the story. Learning theory explains how learning takes place and can be classified as behaviorism, cognitivism, humanism, social learning or constructivism. User characteristics including gender, age, computer experience, knowledge and perception, are attributes that can impact users’ susceptibility to cybercrimes and hence learning outcomes.Originality/value>The framework facilitates taking stock of past research and guiding future research. The use of the framework is illustrated in a critique of two research streams. Multiple research directions are discussed for continued research into the design and testing of next-generation cybersecurity computer games.

Does Team Teaching Improve Student Engagement in an Age of Digital Learning

The shift to digital classrooms due to the COVID-19 pandemic has raised many challenges for educators regarding student participation, engagement and social interactions, and our CM1121 introductory organic chemistry course was no exception to these disruptions. As a solution for these challenges amid social distancing measures, we adopted a form of technology-augmented team teaching to model discourse, encourage student-faculty interactions and make lessons more engaging. With our choice of an undergraduate student co-teacher, we overcame many traditional key challenges that team teaching faces in its implementation in STEM classrooms, and our experiences and approach for both face-to-face and recorded tutorial lectures have significant potential in socially distanced STEM classrooms. © 2021 IEEE.

Prelaboratory Technique-Based Simulations: Exploring Student Perceptions of Their Impact on In-Class Ability, Preparedness, and Emotional State

Teaching laboratories are a highly complex environment that require students to master the following: technical skills, application of theory, safe working conditions, and teamwork. Often, students have had very little prior experience to prepare them for this alien and pressured environment. Prelaboratory tasks are typically considered key to mitigating this issue, with simulations being developed to help students prepare for class and also to help improve their technical abilities. Building on a prior initial study, this contribution evaluates student perceptions toward dynamic laboratory simulations as part of their freshman chemistry course. Our data shows that the majority of students found the simulations to have a positive impact on their learning experience, especially during the enforced online learning experiences that resulted from COVID-19. Students were generally found to be less anxious and more excited to attend the laboratories, and they frequently utilized their experiences with the simulations during the in-laboratory class time. © 2022 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.

Does Virtual Titration Experiment Meet Students' Expectation? Inside Out from Indian Context

The sudden COVID-19 outbreak has obstructed the conventional method of teaching causing a mandated shift to virtual platforms. A developing country like India which predominantly depended on conventional methods of teaching and learning in the pre-COVID era is gradually gaining success in effectively transitioning into virtual classrooms with the aid of digital programs and online platforms to resume theoretical education. However, chemistry education, in particular, which involves the physical approach to experimentation in conventional laboratories, requires a practical and effective alternative in the virtual arena. Though the country's digital progress has provided virtual experiments that can be helpful in laboratory learning, only very few instructors/teachers are aware of such opportunities. The adaptability and accessibility to virtual laboratories in the Indian context also remain unclear due to various factors that influence the transition from conventional laboratories to virtual laboratories. Therefore, we attempted to evaluate the learning prospects of students by taking up the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) screen experiments for virtual titration as an example. This article aims to reflect information from the feedback of students on their first virtual laboratory experience and after completing an academic year to record learning outcomes in comparison to their prior experience on conventionally carrying out titration experiments and to highlight the features of the virtual laboratories that were preferred by students. Among the various components of the virtual laboratory, students state that the quiz is a component that is engaging and ensures knowledge progression. Conclusively, the students perceive that virtual laboratory experiments should be an integrated part of the laboratory curriculum for enhanced learning. In summary, our work throws light on the need for virtual laboratories in chemistry education in India and its prospect in the postpandemic period. © 2022 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.

Gamified Virtual Laboratory Experience for In-Person and Distance Students

This study explores the design and delivery of two gamified, virtual laboratories, created to replace or compliment the compulsory third-semester university chemistry laboratories. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, laboratory experiments needed to be adapted to suit both on- and off-campus students. Here, we include detailed guidelines on how to produce and embed interactive videos into a 360° virtual tour, while also reflecting on the student feedback. This resource was used by both student groups, acting as a complete replacement for off campus students and as a complementary resource to those on-campus. All surveyed students agreed that the virtual laboratory was an effective learning aid, with both on- and off-campus students appreciating the slow-pace and theory focus. This delivery method shows promise as a beneficial tool for academics and students when adapting subject delivery in the age of open universities and distance learning. © 2022 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.

Digital Tool for the Analysis of UV-Vis Spectra of Olive Oils and Educational Activities with High School and Undergraduate Students

UV-vis absorption spectroscopy is one of the most accessible spectroscopic techniques at the high school educational level, and it is usually introduced in analytical chemistry courses due to its high versatility and to the wide range of applications in many fields of chemistry. Within this framework, we have developed an easy-to-use "simulation tool" to identify and quantify the main pigments in a relatively complex food matrix, such as olive oil and seeds' oils. This digital software, freely available, can be used by high school students and first-year undergraduate students to analyze the UV-vis absorption spectrum of olive oils recorded in the bulk without any chemical treatment. In this paper, we are reporting the basic principles of the spectroscopic method and the way to use the "simulation tool" with several examples and explanations that are useful for students and teachers. In the second part of the paper, several examples of activities about the chemistry of olive oil, realized with the fifth classes' students of a high school technical institute (K-12 level) and undergraduate students of an introductory course in spectroscopy in the second year of the Chemistry Degree Course, are reported. These activities were performed partially face-to-face and partially in distance learning mode during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main learning outcomes, methodological issues, and students' feedback resulting from these experiences are reported and commented on, showing the potential of the simulation tool for educational purposes.

The Thalidomide Mystery: A Digital Escape Room Using Genially and WhatsApp for High School Students

This paper reports the development of a digital escape room for high school students using Genially, a web-based media platform. The escape room was used to aid understanding of basic concepts in chemistry and mostly enhance students' classes participation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The activity entitled "The thalidomide mystery" covered the concepts of chemical bonding, pH, acid and base, and laboratory glassware. The narrative of the game revolves around the drug named thalidomide;this drug was developed in the 1960s and its use caused several cases of phocomelia. WhatsApp chat groups were formed to stimulate an active engagement of the participants and maintain a collaborative and cooperative learning experience among them. Students were required to solve four chemistry puzzles to obtain the final password to reach the end of the game. The results obtained showed that the game was very useful for students mainly because it presented an innovative way of teaching chemistry, different from the traditional way in which the students are usually taught in their classrooms. The game helped the students to review the contents covered and was able to stimulate the active participation of both the students who like to study chemistry and those who do not.

Supporting Social and Learning Presence in the Revised Community of Inquiry Framework for Hybrid Learning

Teaching and learning became more challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic as classes moved online for both remote and hybrid learning. For hybrid learning, instructors harnessed various technologies to facilitate student-teacher engagement. Here we explored the use of an online collaborative platform, Miro Board, to aid teaching of organic chemistry for hybrid learning. We applied the revised Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework in our teaching exploration to support student- student and student-teacher interactions. Our experiences indicated that the use of Miro Board raises the social and learning presence in the revised CoI.

Investigating Meaningful Learning in Virtual Reality Organic Chemistry Laboratories

Virtual reality (VR) lab experiences for organic chemistry were developed at NC State University as an accessibility tool for students who are unable to attend in-person laboratories due to disabilities, attendance challenges such as pregnancy or military deployment, or safety concerns. The resulting first-person VR experiences are immersive and realistic, with a virtual teaching assistant guiding the user along the steps required to complete the experiment, including feedback as needed. During the COVID pandemic, these laboratories replaced traditional face-to-face laboratories at NC State and several other universities. During the summer of 2020, we used the Meaningful Learning in the Laboratory Instrument (MLLI) to measure both the cognitive and affective dimensions of students' expectations of the virtual lab before the course and their experiences with virtual reality after completing the course. Students who completed virtual reality laboratories reported more positive affective experiences than they anticipated, including little frustration or confusion in the laboratory. © 2021 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.