Exit Interviews: Laboratory Assessment Incorporating Written and Oral Communication

Abstract

The teaching lab is an important component of training and developing undergraduate chemistry students. The lab provides a complex teaching environment where faculty address a number of student-centered goals, including the development of technical proficiency, demonstrations of theoretical concepts, promotion of teamwork, and modeling of data analysis and scientific communication. A low-stakes assessment for encouraging student preparation, self-reflection, and synthesis of material, called the exit interview, provides students with guided written and oral exercises on performed laboratory tasks and planned postlab data analysis by combining a written lab wrapper with an oral interview. This approach provides opportunities for students to practice oral communication on a performed task, which, in turn, builds lab confidence. Recommendations for incorporating exit interviews into other chemistry courses, including larger laboratory sections, are included.