Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Cooperative Learning and ConcepTests

Prepared by Professor Richard Stolzberg

General Chemistry

I continue to use ConcepTests in both semesters of General Chemistry (Chem 105 and Chem 106). The most recent versions are for Chem 105 Spring 2001 and for Chem 106 Fall 2003. The material tends toward the most fundamental or most misunderstood topics. These breaks in lecture serve as a time for active learning and a time for a reality check. Some are linked to in-class demonstrations. A clearinghouse for ConcepTests in all areas of chemistry is available at the University of Wisconsin site maintained by Arthur Ellis and colleagues.

Sophomore Analytical Chemistry Lecture

I have used cooperative learning techniques in the sophomore analytical chemistry lecture course (Chem 212) four times since 1994, most recently in Fall semester, 1999. Students react favorably and student performance on exams doesn't seem to suffer. In some cases, heterogeneous groups achieve high performance on an hour exam (all five members getting a B or better grade). The hypothesis that academically weak students will become strong, or at least average, performers does not appear to generally true. Most students with prior academic problems in chemistry courses do poorly in the course, in spite of the cooperative learning opportunities. Because uniformly high grade performance is not the only goal of instruction, I can certainly justify continued use of the method. There are at least three positive outcomes:

Cooperative learning methods give me access to what a particular group of students knows and what misconceptions they have. I am able to adjust the pace and depth of the subject matter on the basis of class needs. I get immediate feedback on the level of student understanding, rather than bad news at exam time.
Cooperative learning is a set of strategic skills that will enhance the effectiveness of their chemical knowledge. They should begin to practice these skills as soon as possible.
Students respond positively to this new learning experience. Student comments about Peer Instruction at the end of the semester are nearly 100% positive. I always let the students vote a few weeks into the semester about whether they wish to continue cooperative learning. Over three years, the score is 62 Yea, 1 Nay.

I've posted the Fall 1999 ConcepTests and in-class problems for Chem 212, Chemical Equilibrium and Analysis.

Integrating cooperative learning into the course has been time consuming and challenging. (During the first year, it was downright scary.) I would not recommend a change from lecture mode to cooperative learning mode to an untenured assistant professor. However, I would recommend that a newly hired assistant professor design his courses so that elements of cooperative learning were a major portion of the course.

Sophomore Analytical Chemistry Laboratory

Fall 2002 marked the sixth offering of what is now Chem 313, Chemical Analysis of Dynamic Systems. The experiments are a marked departure from classical analysis and simple instrumental analysis of synthetic or simple samples. (The abstract to one experiment may be found at the J. Chem. Educ. web site.) The Fall, 2002 Chem 313 course homepage gives a general overview of the course. Students work in permanent groups of four during the semester and write group lab reports. The general model is that suggested by John Walters. The TA's and I have some observations about the bench chemistry of these groups.

Based on our observations, the quality of bench chemistry operations is very high. We now are alert to common errors and omissions that reduce data quality, particularly during the first month of the semester. The learning curve for faculty and staff is steep, but the third and fourth years worked smoothly.
In many experiments, some technical error will be made by someone, generally by omission of a step or reagent. (The frequency of these errors may be greater than or less than that observed with individual bench chemists.) The ultimate effect of these errors is generally nil. Often the error is detected by another group member before much more has been done. When errors are not detected until the instrumental measurement has been made, the four pairs of hands can almost always remake the solutions in a short time.
Errors rarely occur when handling the samples (pennies, orange juice, brewed coffee, snow) because two students are almost always working the samples up and error identification is almost always made before much damage is done.
Conceptual and calculation errors generally get caught in prelab calculations or by examining lab notebooks early in the lab session.

Other Resources

Chemistry ConcepTests at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

Physics ConcepTests and much more at Project Galileo

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Return to UAF Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Home Page

Updated: November 10, 2003