Learning Through Enquiry Natalie Rowley, School of Chemistry 14 June 2012, Lectures without Lecturing workshop

Overview Enquiry-Based Learning (EBL) Traditional Approach EBL Approach Assessment and Evaluation Useful Resources

Enquiry-Based Learning (EBL) Broad umbrella term for learning approaches driven by a process of enquiry Students are actively involved in the learning process

Vision for Birmingham Learning Creativity Independence Team-working Goal-setting Problem-solving

QAA Benchmark Statement (Chemistry) General skills: –Communication skills (written and oral) –Problem-solving skills –Information retrieval skills –IT skills –Interpersonal skills –Time management and organisational skills

First Year Spectroscopy

Traditional Teaching Approach 6 x 1 hour lectures (how techniques work and introduction to interpretation of their spectra) 6 x 2 hour workshops in parallel (practice interpreting spectra – whole class, ca. 4 PG demonstrators) Assessed worksheet End of year examination

EBL Approach Groups of ~ 6 students (selected by us) Ice breaker 4 scenarios – online and PG / staff facilitation 5 lectures - explaining how theory underpins interpretation of spectra End of year examination

Learning Outcomes By the end of this course students should be able to: –Interpret simple mass, infrared, 13 C and 1 H NMR spectra –Understand how the spectroscopic techniques work –Be independent learners –Work as a team member in a group

Facilitation and Location 141 students (24 groups) Use 2 adjacent rooms with tables and movable seating 5 PG demonstrators, each assigned 4/5 groups (fixed facilitators) Member of staff is floating facilitator during sessions and online facilitator between sessions (each group has own discussion area in VLE)

EBL Ice Breaker General Science quiz Group Rules Establish levels of prior knowledge Action plan for introductory task

Waste Disposal Scenario In role as team of graduate chemists in fictional analytical department Unlabelled chemical waste found in disused laboratories Identify 6 compounds from spectra to enable safe disposal

Down The Drain Scenario Dead fish found in nearby river due to unknown chemical waste Identify 8 compounds from spectra to determine the pollutants

Carbonyl Conundrum Scenario Report discovered containing identity of compounds recently analysed and their spectra, but accidentally mixed up paperwork Assign 24 spectra to 6 compounds

Reaction Dilemma Scenario from fictional PG student (with authentic spectra) Carried out reaction but not sure if obtained correct product … Wrong compound sent by supplier (different groups have different compounds, but all consistent with PG results)

Assessment Procedures: 12.5% Continual Assessment: Down the Drain scenario 5% (Group report 4.5%, Group contribution 0.5%) Carbonyl Conundrum 2.5% (Online group assessment) Reaction Dilemma 5% (Group report 4.5%, Group contribution 0.5%)

Evaluation (for pedagogic research) Questionnaires –Likert scale questions –Short answer questions Focus group with undergraduates Interview with PG demonstrator (Exam question results)

Feedback It gives you freedom to think for yourself and gives you the opportunity to find the answers yourself Helped build my confidence when working in groups. Other people help me on things I havent learned before It introduced a new way of attacking problems and learning on job style was nice I like the idea of doing our own research to solve the identity of the compound

Acknowledgements Tim Lucas (Chemistry, Birmingham) Liam Cox (Chemistry, Birmingham) Mike McLinden (Education, Birmingham) Tina Overton (Hull) Norman Reid (Glasgow, Emeritus) Derek Raine and Sarah Symons (Leicester) University of Birmingham for funding

Related links Enquiry-based learning: experiences of first year chemistry students learning spectroscopy T. Lucas and N.M. Rowley, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract. 2011, 12,

HEA STEM LeAP PBL Workshop:Sustaining PBL 9 th – 11 th July 2012 University of Leicester 09_11_July_HEA_STEM_PBL_Summer_School_ Leicester 09_11_July_HEA_STEM_PBL_Summer_School_ Leicester

Useful Resources PossiBiLities: a Practice Guide to Problem- based Learning in Physics and Astronomy- Derek Raine and Sarah Symons (2005) ments/practice_guides/ps0080_possibilities_ problem_based_learning_in_physics_and_ast ronomy_mar_2005.pdf

C/PBL Resources /index.asp Centre for Excellence in Enquiry-Based Learning