Developing online collaboration
skills in general chemistry
Scott Sinex and Ted Chambers
Prince George’s Community College
Largo, Maryland
Presented at 2012 Biennial Conference on Chemical Education
held at Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Why online collaboration?
• 2. Communication and Collaboration - Students use
digital media and environments to communicate and
work collaboratively, including at a distance, to
support individual learning and contribute to the
learning of others. (ISTE NETS Students, 2011) Only lab dimensions!
• Recommendation - Use technology in more
transformative ways, such as participatory and
collaborative interactions and for higher level
teaching and learning that is engaging and relevant
to students’ lives and future plans. (ECAR National Study of
Students & Information Technology in Higher Education, 2011)
• Engaging in argument from evidence (NRC The Framework
for K–12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core
Ideas, 2012)
Drive
The collaboration tool - Google Docs
• Use online form to collect data
• Examine class data in spreadsheet
Provide links on
course webpage
LCD projector and computers at lab stations for each group
• Use chat function to discuss class results
Scenario for mock collaboration
• Collect student feedback too via a form
Online collaboration is done in…
Class
In first
semester
General
Chemistry
In second
semester
General
Chemistry
Laboratory activity
Collaboration effort
Nuts & Bolts of Extrapolation Masses, slope, y-intercept,
Massing bolt with 1 to 5 nuts
r2; compare via chat
Determine bolt mass by extrapolating
to zero nuts
Spring /Summer 2012
Lights, Color, Absorption (Beer’s Law) - Standards, unknowns,
calibration curve and unknown
slope, r2; compare via chat
analysis
as post-lab activity
To be piloted in Fall 2012
Nuts & Bolts of Let’s Make an Error introducing systematic error; Al nut in
place of stainless steel nuts
Spring 2012
Fe(SCN)++ Equilibrium Constant Multiple values done by serial dilution
Errant nut location in
sequence, slope, yintercept, r2; compare via
chat
Examine error as a
function of serial dilution;
form submission and then
Since Spring 2008 class results posted
Nuts & Bolts of Extrapolation
See linear
regression
and
goodness of
fit in action!
No prior
knowledge
required
Mass from y-intercept
http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex/excelets/Nuts_&_Bolts_activity.pdf
Drive
The form in Google Docs
Drive
Very easy to create!
Draft questions
in order
More data to add plus button
submit
Drive
The spreadsheet in Google Docs
The spreadsheet sets up from the form being developed!
Can hide previous data!
http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex/excelets/nuts_&_bolts.xls
Using the chat function…
• Students not signed into Google Docs Drive
• Open chat (can bomb completely)
Might improve with experience
• Questions posed in activity (ignore questions)
• “Moderated on the fly” by instructor (peer?)
keeps chat productive
Drive
The chat function in Google Docs
Groups must
identify
themselves
Type here
The chat function appears as soon as two or more
people have opened the spreadsheet.
Chat excerpt - open
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wonky
To capture
chat: Must
copy & paste
into Word
Spring 2012
Chat excerpt – “moderated on the fly”
Summer 2012
Student feedback…
1. Using Google chat is straight forward and easy.
Strongly Agree
Results:
11
4.46
Agree
13
No Opinion
0
Disagree
0
Strongly Disagree
0
Summer 2012
24 students
100% aggreement
2. Google chat enhanced the groups’ ability to analyze the data.
Strongly Agree
Results:
12
4.42
Agree
11
No Opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Disagree
0
96% agreement
3. Using Google chat was more efficient than using hard copy and the
telephone or email to discuss ideas and exchange results.
Strongly Agree
Results:
14
4.54
Agree
9
No Opinion
1
Disagree
0
Strongly Disagree
0
96% agreement
4. What is your overall rating of using Google chat during collaboration?
Very Good
Results:
10
4.17
Good
9
Average
4
79% above average
Poor
1
Very Poor
0
Student comments…
Positive
– Exchange of real-time data & rapid
communication regardless of location. Awesome!
– It was fun & a real hands-on experiment
– Quick & straight forward and don’t have to carry
on a long conversation, quick & to the point
Constructive
– Typing in chat is time consuming & people may fall
behind in the conversation ( video chat)
– Some information in chat can be missed when
many responds
Summer 2012
Some final thoughts
• Easy way to collect class data for comparison
and obtaining class statistics
• Moderated chat can produce some great
discussion/debate (prompt for evidence)
• Increases student engagement & thinking
• Great use of 21st century technology!!!
More info…
• Scott Sinex
ssinex@pgcc.edu
http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex
• Ted Chambers tchambers@pgcc.edu
• Papers –
Mass, Measurement, Materials, and Mathematical Modeling: The Nuts
and Bolts of Extrapolation, Spreadsheets in
Education http://epublications.bond.edu.au/ejsie/vol5/iss1/3/
Mass, Measurement, Materials, and More Mathematical Modeling: The
Nuts and Bolts of Let’s Make an Error, Spreadsheets in Education to be
submitted
…and thanks for attending today!