Effects of Implementing a Hybrid Wet Lab and Online Module Lab Curriculum into a General Chemistry Course: Impacts on Student Performance and Engagement with the Chemistry Triplet

Abstract

Here, we describe the implementation a hybrid general chemistry teaching laboratory curriculum that replaces a portion of a course’s traditional “wet lab” experiences with online virtual lab modules. These modules intentionally utilize representations on all three levels of the chemistry triplet—macroscopic, submicroscopic, and symbolic. The implementation of this curriculum allowed an opportunity to evaluate this new course structure. First, student performance was assessed based on pre- and post-assessments. Second, dialogue from students working through the traditional and module versions of one lab was analyzed for how each format encouraged students to engage with the chemistry triplet. Data suggest both formats led to positive learning gains, but the differences between formats were not statistically significant. However, there was a significant difference in student engagement with the chemistry triplet, with module students showing a higher overall amount of triplet-related dialogue and more continuous dialogue segments connecting multiple levels of the triplet.