Andrea began her work on the MICRO (Making Introductory Course Real while Online) project at the beginning of the pandemic as there was a need for hands-on laboratory experiments that could be delivered remotely. Their recent paper discusses the lessons learned from their initial implementation.
You can find the abstract and link to full article below!
Andrea L. Van Wyk, Rebecca A. Hunter, Lisa S. Ott, Renée S. Cole, and Kimberley A. Frederick
For many years, laboratory activities for students of analytical chemistry have retained the same structure as introductory chemistry labs: structured-inquiry laboratories where specific step-by-step instructions are given. However, this does not accurately reflect the scientific process nor help students develop the type of skills employers and graduate schools desire. Inquiry-based laboratory activities are ideal for engaging students more fully with the scientific inquiry process. In this chapter, approaches to transitioning from traditional structured inquiry or cookbook laboratory activities to those at higher inquiry levels are described. Specifically, we illustrate the lessons learned from adapting MICRO labs, which use paper-based analytical devices, at three institutions. We describe lessons we learned about how to plan and scaffold scientific process skills as labs move to progressively higher levels of inquiry including suggestions for implementation, managing student expectations, and types of assessment. While we illustrate these lessons through examples of MICRO labs, the lessons can be applied to many types of inquiry-based labs.
10.1021/bk-2022-1409.ch010