A Web-Based Chemistry Course as a Means To Foster Freshmen Learning

Yehudit Judy Dori and Miri Barak
Department of Education in Technology and Science, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
Noam Adir
Department of Chemistry, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
J. Chem. Educ., 2003, 80 (9), p 1084
DOI: 10.1021/ed080p1084
Publication Date (Web): September 1, 2003

Abstract

Chemistry courses in higher education have traditionally been composed of lectures, problem solving sessions, and laboratories. This study describes a Web-based chemistry course and the learning outcomes of freshmen that used it. Chemistry faculty and teaching assistants were interviewed regarding their views about Web-based teaching and learning. Students who took part in a Web-based general chemistry course were divided into two groups based on their preference of participating in a Computerized Molecular Modeling (CMM) project. The experimental group students carried out an individualized project using CMM software to represent a complex molecule in three model types, compute its molecular weight, and construct hybridization and electrical charge distribution for each of the carbon atoms in the molecule. Pre- and post-tests along with final examination grades served for assessing the students' achievements. The 95 experimental students achieved significantly higher grades than their 120 control-group peers in both the post-test and the final examination. The experimental students were able to switch from 1-D to 2- and 3-D molecular representations, argue for selecting an appropriate substance for a particular purpose, and transfer between the four levels of understanding in chemistry better than their control counterparts.

Keywords (Audience):

High School / Introductory Chemistry

Keywords (Domain):

Chemical Education Research

Keywords (Feature):

Chemical Education Research

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Internet / Web-Based Learning
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  • Received: August 03, 2009

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