ERIC Number: EJ1278014
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Sep
Pages: 4
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Repurposing Best Teaching Practices for Remote Learning Environments: Chemistry in the News and Oral Examinations during COVID-19
Giordano, Andrea N.; Christopher, Casey R.
Journal of Chemical Education, v97 n9 p2815-2818 Sep 2020
The Spring 2020 semester will be marked in our history as one of the most challenging semesters for higher education, although through the adversity, we were presented with opportunities for classroom innovation. A reflective account of the teaching insights gained from implementing a COVID-19 miniunit and utilizing remote oral examinations is presented. In Physical Chemistry II, the best practices of context-based learning and oral examinations were repurposed to match our current pandemic and remote learning environments. A context-based unit inspired by Chemistry in the News projects was designed from open-source ACS COVID-19 resources, which addressed chemists' role in the pandemic response, the efficiency of face masks, and treatment avenues. The teaching insight gained was that students truly appreciated discussing the relevance of science to current events. This miniunit will be improved by making explicit connections between course topics and the pandemic response in future semesters. Also, in Physical Chemistry II, individual and team remote oral exams were conducted over Microsoft Teams video conferencing software. The benefits from observing students' thought processes and problem-solving strategies make up for the significant instructor time commitment, and oral exams will be utilized in future semesters. Last, a remote oral final exam was also utilized for General Chemistry II pass/fail students.
Descriptors: Best Practices, Teaching Methods, COVID-19, Pandemics, Chemistry, Science Instruction, Computer Software, Oral Language, Science Tests, Videoconferencing, Distance Education, Scientists, Role, News Reporting, Open Source Technology, Information Sources, Correlation, Course Content, Problem Solving, Cognitive Processes, Grading, Undergraduate Students, Independent Study, Current Events
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A