CHED 1541 |
| Verification laboratory instruction does not develop skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, and data evaluation. One alternative to this paradigm is the cooperative problem based project laboratory program. This work describes the effect of this approach on student's strategy, ability, and solve rate of ill-structured problems. Studies using a control and treatment group design were conducted in which a general chemistry qualitative inorganic analysis project was used as the treatment. For the assessment, participants solved an online IMMEX problem. Modeling of data allowed the evaluation of students' strategy and ability. Results consistently showed that students in the treatment significantly outperformed their control peers for these on-line problems. The effect of the laboratory program on self reported use of metacognition was probed using the Metacognitive Activities Inventory. These studies contribute evidence of the potential of cooperative open ended project based instruction to develop students' general and transferable problem solving skills. |
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Laboratory Pedagogy: Research-Based Evaluation of Existing Models
1:30 PM-4:10 PM, Wednesday, April 9, 2008 Hilton New Orleans Riverside -- HEC B, Oral
Division of Chemical Education |