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This is an entry level Chemistry course designed for students who have had little or no formal Chemistry coursework. The course level objectives are:
- Apply introductory chemical concepts and reasoning using the language of chemistry through the demonstration of an emerging ability to use effective written and/or oral communication.
- Explain at an emerging level how introductory chemistry impacts the natural and technological environments.
- Use detailed data collection, analysis and collaborative skills in order to explore introductory chemical principles, critically evaluate models, draw conclusions and communicate results at an emerging level.
- Solve problems encountered in introductory chemistry using appropriate computational and reasoning skills demonstrating an emerging understanding of chemical principles and collaborative skills.
Specific Design Elements & Rationale
Meta and Group Cognition | Single Person (varying visibility) Discussions
There were two activities which usually took place synchronously, which had not transitioned well into an asynchronous environment but were still valuable to the learning. Both were initially Google Docs that were to be filled in as homework. The Context of Knowledge activity is for orienting the student in traditional knowledge, and recognizing it as science (visible to all). The PCBs in Alaska activity is meant to help students use the scientific method to reconsider hypotheses in the face of new evidence (visible only to the instructor). Both were built in the discussions tool to allow students to build and reply to their own thread in order to see clearly how their understanding shifted as they progressed through the cues (metacognition), and the Context of Knowledge activity was open to allow students to come to a new realization together through their individual threads (group cognition).
Universal Design | Narrated Lectures with Mixed Media
Since the course was pivoting to OER, we used one of my previous design choices: the STORIbook (STORI was the name of the project within which it was created). However, rather than relying only on the written words, we decided to enlist an AI narrator to allow students to follow along both audibly and visually. Much like the read-alongs of old, there was a cue for students to turn the page, or press play on a video (etc). In addition to the narration, there were also opportunities to explore a graphic, which were created using a scalable vector graphics with an object overlay which react when selected.
Self-Assessment & Repetition | Graded H5P Quizzing Items In-lecture
Throughout the lecture books, there are instances of self-assessment: students are asked a particular question to gauge their understanding, and are given unlimited attempts to achieve the correct answer. The short quizzes themselves (using H5P) are a direct reflection of information covered immediately preceding, or sometimes much earlier in the lecture. The comprehensive practice at the end of each lecture covers all of the material, and students are reminded that forgetting is a part of deeper learning. This is to encourage them to try many attempts at questions, and to help them reflect upon their own learning process more precisely. These quizzes are called “graded practice” as they are intended to give students credit for practicing, but are not appropriate for formal assessment.
Narrated Lecture Book & Practice
Below is an example of one module’s narrated lecture “book”, which has a mixture of video, text (with narration), and simulation. After the comprehensive graded practice is an example of a couple explorable vector graphics from a different module (click the central elemental symbol to view a description).