Web-Based Data Analysis and Feedback for General Chemistry Laboratory: Improving Analysis with Timely, Distance Feedback
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Web-Based Data Analysis and Feedback for General Chemistry Laboratory: Improving Analysis with Timely, Distance Feedback Joseph F. Lomax ([email protected]), Debra K. Dillner, and Melonie A. Teichert United States Naval Academy, Chemistry Department Annapolis, MD 21402 ABSTRACT In a general chemistry course, while the hands-on experience of the laboratory is important, the goals of the laboratory are not fulfilled until the calculations and analysis are complete. Quite often students are capable of following laboratory instructions and generating excellent data, only to fail in the data analysis, which rarely occurs in the confines of the laboratory or the presence of the instructor. All too often, students are unable to learn important information from the interpretation of experimental results and draw correct conclusions because they make calculational errors, which are most often discovered by the instructor in the grading process. There is an opportunity for distance learning to help bridge the gap between collection of data and its correct analysis. At the United States Naval Academy (USNA), we have developed a Web-based system where the students input their data and calculational results into a web form with immediate feedback. The students are then allowed to correct their errors and resubmit. This system has been in successful use for 5 years. A description of a typical experiment will be discussed along with an assessment of student and faculty satisfaction with the program.
INTRODUCTION Success in an undergraduate lab is viewed differently by students and instructors. A student may think that computing 90% of the math correctly is worthy of an ‘A’. However, even if only a sign error is made, good data yields deceptive interpretation. For example, an exothermic reaction becomes an endothermic one, or if the sign error is in an exponent, a millimeter turns into a kilometer. With such errors, easy to introduce and difficult to diagnose, it may be impossible to give any rational interpretation to even the most meticulously collected data. The best time to correct mathematical errors is before the student presents the faulty interpretation for grading. We have developed a Web-based system, the Midshipman Online Laboratory System (MOLS), which takes as input both the student’s raw data and the subsequent mathematical analysis. The MOLS program then rapidly checks the student’s calculations using the input raw data. If errors are found, students can repeat the mathematical analysis, submit their corrected results, and check their progress. In this paper, the details of MOLS will be outlined and assessment results for the system will be summarized.
BACKGROUND AND INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN The value of feedback in learning is well-documented in the educational literature [1,2]. For generations, feedback has been provided to students in two ways; one-on-one interaction with the instructor and grading of submitted material [3]. The first of these provides immediate, effective
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