Re-designing Science Courses
for Non-majors using Hands-on
Learning Experiences
Harry Pylypiw1, Marshall Sternberg1, and
Frances Rowe2
Quinnipiac University
1Department of Chemistry and Physical Sciences
2QU-Online
Hamden, CT 06518
Course Design and Teaching
“Tell me and I forget,
teach me and I remember,
involve me and I learn.”
Benjamin Franklin
The Learning Pyramid
Authentic assessment and the online student: Moving from
information transmission to learner engagement. Brian Salerno
http://www.digitalpedagog.org/?p=620
Traditional Learning

Classroom Lectures
• Textbook




Chapter readings
Problems
Written assignments
Laboratory Experiments
• Lab Manual


Observations & data collection
Submission of results or written report
Alternative Learning

Online or Hybrid Course Delivery
• No fixed or set meeting time


Short virtual lectures or demonstrations
Assignments
• Problems and written assessments
• Group presentations – VoiceThread

Formative and summative assessments
• Hands-on activities

No laboratory or equipment
• Virtual observations & data collection
• Summative assessments
Online Course Delivery

Advantages
• Student driven learning


Pace of learning geared to the student
Activities are available for repetitive use
• Formative assessments reinforce activities

Disadvantages
• Hands-on activities limited

Expensive equipment needed for testing
• Virtual chemistry experiments have limited
availability when compared to other disciplines
Course Re-design


Emphasize problem solving and critical
thinking
Explore learning through doing
• Use of student controlled lab simulations

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Topics must maintain student interest
Virtual experiments must be interesting
Formative assessments add to learning
•
•
•
•
Reinforce concepts presented by the activity
Students receive feedback for all answers
Frustration with incorrect answers avoided
Students learn from their mistakes – multiple
attempts are possible
Our Choices of Activities


Courses for non-science majors
SCI-162 Consumer Chemistry
• Focus on the environment



The Ozone Layer
Global Warming
SCI-102 Physical Sciences
• Focus on Chemistry and Geology


Density & chemical reactions
Earthquakes & the age of the Earth
Interactive Presentations

Useful for reinforcement of concepts
• Precipitation Reactions



Ionic Equations
Solubility Rules
Formative Questions – Self-test
• Making an Aqueous Solution



Molarity Calculations
Laboratory Techniques
Formative Questions – Self-test
Interactive Presentation
Screen shot of presentation. Follow the link below to activate the presentation
http://breeze.quinnipiac.edu/p56636755/
Interactive Presentation
Click here to
activate
presentation
Screen shot of presentation. To activate the presentation,
http://breeze.quinnipiac.edu/p27943886/
click here:
Interactive Presentations

Useful for reinforcement of lecture
concepts
• Why is the Ozone Layer Important?

Protection against damaging Sun radiation
• What are UV-A, UV-B, UV-C rays?
• How does ozone help against radiation?

Ultraviolet Rays affect your skin
• Are UV rays good or bad?
• Do we need to protect ourselves from UV rays?
Interactive Presentation
UV A, B, & C Rays
Screen shot of presentation. Follow the link below to activate the presentation
http://breeze.quinnipiac.edu/p89251017/
Interactive Presentation
UV and You
Screen shot of presentation. Follow the link below to activate the presentation
http://breeze.quinnipiac.edu/p60567148/
Non-Interactive Tutorials

These tutorials serve as short
lectures or as pre-lab assistance
• Key Features



Usually short – 1 to 4 minutes
Slides contain notable portions of either the
text or the lab exercise
Navigation bar allows the viewer to advance
or rerun a slide or portion of the tutorial
Non-Interactive Tutorial
Screen shot of presentation. Follow the link below to activate the presentation
http://breeze.quinnipiac.edu/p70478869/
Breeze Server Dashboard
Breeze Server Dashboard
Sources of Tutorials

Instructor created demonstrations
• Institutional/individual licensed software

Captivate
• http://www.acrobatprocx.com/products/captivate
.html

Jing
• http://www.techsmith.com/Jing

Camtasia Relay
• http://www.techsmith.com/CamtasiaRelay

Narration in PowerPoint
Sources of Tutorials

Publisher provided materials
• Licensed on publisher servers

McGraw-Hill
• http://www.mharis.com
• Educational/institution servers



Blackboard
Macromedia Breeze
Citrix
Sources of Tutorials

Freely available on the Internet
• Nobelprize.org

http://nobelprize.org/educational/chemistry
/chiral/
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute

http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/vlabs/
• HippoCampus

http://www.hippocampus.org/
References

Dağ, Funda, and Aynur Geçer. "Relations between Online Learning and Learning
Styles." Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 1.1 (2009): 862-71.

Ke, Fengfeng, and Kui Xie. "Toward Deep Learning for Adult Students in Online
Courses." The Internet and Higher Education 12.3-4 (2009): 136-45.
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
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Kerr, Marcel S., Kimberly Rynearson, and Marcus C. Kerr. "Student
Characteristics for Online Learning Success." The Internet and Higher Education
9.2 (2006): 91-105.
Kim, Kyong-Jee, Shijuan Liu, and Curtis J. Bonk. "Online MBA Students'
Perceptions of Online Learning: Benefits, Challenges, and Suggestions." The
Internet and Higher Education 8.4 (2005): 335-44.
Seng, Lau, and Fitri Suraya Mohamad. "Online Learning: Is it Meant for Science
Courses?" The Internet and Higher Education 5.2 (2002): 109-18.
Spannagel, Christian, et al. "Animated Demonstrations and Training Wheels
Interfaces in a Complex Learning Environment." Interacting with Computers
20.1 (2008): 97-111.