This essay first appeared in the CHED Newsletter - Fall 1996
On-Line Student Interaction for Learning Physical Chemistry.
by
George Long [1],
Reed Howald [2],
Carol Ann Miderski [3], and
Theresa Julia Zielinski [4]
During the Fall of 1995 students from three geographically separated chemistry departments participated
in an on-line learning experience in physical chemistry. There were three reasons for this two week
experiment. First, the segment would serve as a short test, i.e. a trial run, of the operating procedures for a
longer full semester course entitled "Environmental and Industrial Chemistry" planned for the Spring
1996 semester. Second, there was a need to assess student response to this use of technology in teaching
a chemistry topic before running the spring course. Third, the Web site manager, George Long, needed to
test the structure and operation of the site prior to the start of the spring course.
Participants
The three departments involved in the experiment were located at Niagara University (6 students), Indiana
University of Pennsylvania (9 students) and Catawba College (5 students). The listserv manager for
this on-line experiment was Don Rosenthal of Clarkson University.
Implementation
Students and faculty subscribed to the OLCC-STU listserv for the course; faculty also subscribed to the
OLCC-FAC listserv. The OLCC-STU list was reserved for students and the author of the paper that the
students were studying; other faculty monitored student progress but did not post messages to the student
list. Participating and observing faculty were anxious to avoid having the discussion dominated by course
instructors and consequently students intimidated by the voices of their instructors
Scientific Content / Using a Case Study
A short paper that described the estimation of flame temperatures provided the scientific content for this
experiment in on-line learning in physical chemistry. This paper, a case study, was posted on the IUP
chemistry department WWW page. Case studies are widely used in business, medicine, industry and
engineering to provide `real world' scenarios in which an array of content is embedded. Case studies have
also been shown to be very effective for helping students make connections in content and integrating
content in to their knowledge base for long term retention. The method relies on the active learning
strategies that are the focus of much of today's curriculum reform efforts.
Figure 1. CTOT is the total heat capacity for the number of moles of carbon dioxide and water produced when one mole of propane is burned as a fuel. The heat capacity function in this curve is the cubic polynomial form found in some texts. What's wrong with this graph? Would your students be able to figure it out without you telling them?
Student Access
Students used their local WWW browser to obtain copies of the paper at the start of the mini-
session/conference. They then proceeded to develop their expertise in the topic through interaction with
each other in their own classes and with peers from the other participating campuses through a mail
exploder, i.e. the listserv at Clarkson University. The faculty involved in this project hoped to recreate a
CHEMCONF like experience for the students.
Figure 2. This is the curve that results when the alternative polynomial form found in Lewis and Randall is used for heat capacity as a function of temperature. What's wrong with this graph? Would your students be able to figure it out without you telling them? Would they be able to describe the mathematical function for the higher temperature part of the graph without you telling them?
Where is the `Flame' Case Study?
The flame case study paper used in the student mini-conference can be found at two Web sites. The
original paper and all accompanying documents are located at
http://www.py.iup.edu/college/chemistry/chem-course/trialrun.html. A copy of the paper with corrections
added along with other some associated files can be found at http://www.niagara.edu/~tjz under Case
Studies. Interested readers are encouraged to check out these Web sites to access the original case and
the accompanying files. The file containing the diary of the on-line discussions is especially interesting.
Figure 3. The thermodynamic cycle for the determination of the adiabatic flame temperature of a fuel. Can students with independence and confidence explain each line in the cycle?
Some Outcomes
Overall the project was well received by the small set of faculty and students involved. Some important
conclusions were drawn from this trial run. First, faculty involved in the process had very different
expectations of what should be accomplished. These different expectations, as well as different teaching
styles and course organization made bringing even this small group together a bit of a challenge. It was
important to designate one individual to be the expert for a topic and the guide for the student interactions
on the listserv. The expert in this case, TJZ, preferred a style in which the students would work among
themselves to learn and resolve any problems in the case study, i.e. operate in a discovery/cooperative
learning mode.
Figure 4. Given that students were able to go from Figure 1 to Figure 3 would they then be able to develop strategies to evaluate T2 using this integral without you telling them?
How did we do?
One difficulty encountered was the ease or lack of ease with which students could access the WWW and
computer stations for using e-mail. Students had different levels of expertise in the use of e-mail and
some were not used to and did not respond well to the use of it as a learning device. It was also apparent
that the three different instructors fostered participation in the project to different degrees. The class at
IUP was the most involved in the project and entered the highest number of postings. They also completed
the project with a very high degree of excellence. The IUP students prepared excellent reports and
Mathcad documents. Some of these can be found at the IUP web site. It should be noted that for the IUP
students participation in this project counted as 10% of their final grade for the course; this was a
significant incentive. The NU students participated to a lesser degree. They and their instructor were
content to use the mini-conference to study the problem posed in the case and to understand the process
in the solution. Comprehension was assessed as part of their normal exam hour exam schedule; exam
success on this topic was directly correlated with the degree of participation in the on-line process.
Closure for the NU students was adequate but not as well developed as that achieved by the IUP students.
The students at Catawba College met serious network and computer access difficulties and their
participation diminished as a consequence.
More Assessment
Student response to the on-line learning experience indicates that overall it was a moderate success. This
is understandable in terms of network difficulties and student lack of experience in dealing with
alternative learning environments. Nevertheless, this outcome is a concern for teachers of young
scientists. Our students need to use the Internet and WWW to accelerate their own learning and enhance
their access to cutting edge information in any field of future study. A summary of all the assessment
comments of the students is located at URL: http://www.niagara.edu/~tjz/dflame/asmnt.htm . Those
interested in models of intellectual development will see in the assessment summary examples of various
levels of development, i.e. from dualist to relative constructivest levels in the Perry Model.
Significance
This small study may be important in that it provides a good example of using the Internet as a non-
traditional instructional tool. With the WWW we can provide students with some of the cutting edge
communication and research skills and tools that they will surely need in their careers. We can't let e-
mail and Web use be just another after school activity; it will work best when it is an integral part of the of
the learning experience. As a result of this study we offer the following suggestions for our colleagues at
all levels of the education pipeline. First, provide students with personalized help in starting to use e-mail
and the WWW. Next, make time for this in the curriculum by using it in the classroom for original
projects and learning experiences that go beyond the delivery of information. Last, integrate the WWW
seemlessly into a curriculum and its courses as routine tools for learning.
A paper with a more detailed description of this project, its significance, and an analysis of faculty and
student assessments is being prepared for publication.
Acknowledgment
TJZ thanks GL for putting the Flame manuscript in html format and getting her started with html. A copy
of the Computers in Chemical Education Newsletter article newsletter article that described the on-line
experiment can be found at url: http://www.niagara.edu/~tjz/dpapers/flame_news.htm.
[Theresa Julia Zielinski teaches in the Department of Chemistry and Physics, Niagara University, Niagara
University NY 14109, tjz@niagara.edu; George Long teaches in the Department of Chemistry, Indiana
University of Pennsylvania, Indiana PA 15705-1090, GLong@grove.iup.edu; Reed Howald teaches in the
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717,
uchrh@earth.oscs.montana.edu; Carol Ann Miderski teaches in the Department of Chemistry, Catawba
College, Salisbury NC 28144, CMidersk@catawba.edu.]
| [1] George Long
|
Department of Chemistry
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana PA 15705-1090 |
| [2] Reed
Howald |
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT 59717 |
| [3] Carol Ann
Miderski |
Department of Chemistry
Catawba College
Salisbury NC 28144 |
| [4] Theresa Julia Zielinski
|
Department of Chemistry and Physics
Niagara University
Niagara University NY 14109 |
Physical Chemistry Education Resource Center
Comments to Theresa Julia Zielinski
tzielins@monmouth.edu
All contents copyright (c)1996; All rights reserved
Created: May 1996; Updated: July 23, 1996
URL: http/www.monmouth.edu/~tzielins/dpapers/flm_3nws.htm