Collaborative Learning in Chemistry: Impact of COVID-19

Author ORCID Identifier

Nicole James:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6971-3792

Publication Title

Journal of Chemical Education

ISSN

00219584

E-ISSN

44050

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Student learning and course performance are often improved when students actively engage with content. However, pedagogical practices that foster active engagement often rely on student-student and student-instructor interactions that may be difficult to adapt to an online environment. Here we describe a Collaborative Learning program that provides such a learning opportunity to self-selecting General and Organic Chemistry students, describe how this program suddenly transitioned to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and reflect on the benefits and challenges that we observed. We believe this online adaptation impacted students' content preparation, slowed content coverage, and influenced student use of resources. Students appeared more accepting of the role system within each team, which was modified for the remote workspace. In some circumstances, we found students to be more process-oriented in their problem solving, which we attribute to students being reluctant to "guess and check"given the cumbersomeness of the shared, online annotation space. We observed that seeing faces during collaborative work enhances group cohesion, but we did not require students to use their cameras out of respect for their privacy. While we are engaged in a forthcoming study to assess student outcomes and facilitator experiences, our aim for this reflection is to aid others in the community, as decisions are being made for the upcoming term.

First Page

2899

Last Page

2904

Publication Date

9-8-2020

DOI

10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00713

Keywords

Collaborative/Cooperative Learning, Curriculum, Distance Learning/Self Instruction, First-Year Undergraduate/General, Second-Year Undergraduate, Student-Centered Learning, TA Training

Department

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

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