Miri Barak1 Yehudit Judy Dori1,2

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Engaging Freshman Students in a Web-enabled
General Chemistry Courses
Miri Barak1 Yehudit Judy Dori1,2 and Noam
Adir3 1Department of Education in Technology and
Science Technion, Israel Institute of
Technology 2Center for Educational Computing
InitiativesMassachusetts Institute of
Technology 3Department of Chemistry Technion,
Israel Institute of Technology
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Introduction
Computer applications are necessary tools of
instruction in science education (Dori 1995
Lazarowitz Tamir, 1994 Nakhleh, 1994 Nakhleh
Krajcik, 1993 1994)
The World Wide Web is becoming an additional
medium for teaching and learning (Gordin, Gomez,
Pea Fishman, 1997 Hughes Hewson, 1998)
Models and visual aids help students develop
conceptual understanding and transfer across
four levels of chemistry understanding (Barnea
Dori 1999 Dori Barak, 2001 Williamson
Abraham, 1995)
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Four Levels of Chemistry Understanding
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Research Objective Investigate the learning
process in a Web-based Molecular Modeling
environment

• Research Questions
• 1. What is the effect of Web-based Molecular
  Modeling Project on students outcomes?
• 2. What are the characteristics of the learning
  process while constructing a computerized model?

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Research Population
7 Faculty and 8 Teaching assistants
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Pre and Posttest

• 1. Perform transitions among four levels of
  chemistry
• understanding

A weight solid, found in marbles and limestone
CaCO3 (s)
CaCO3 (s) 2HCl(g) ? CO2(g) H2O(l)
CaCl2(aq)
2. Apply transformation different dimensions of
molecular representation
3. Investigate students ability to answer a
high order thinking skill question
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Instructors Attitudes
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General Chemistry Course Website

• Course content and Lectures
• Weekly problem sets and
• solutions
• Hyperlinks to enriching
• Websites
• Student-TAs Forum

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CMM recitation lessons
Interactive assignments were developed
Chemical bonding Spatial structures
Organic chemistry Polymers
Students
Carried out discussions
Constructed molecular models Answered
problems in chemistry
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Research Setting

• Experimental Students
• Received the Web-based Molecular Modeling
• Project (via email)
• Downloaded two chemistry shareware programs
• Constructed computerized molecular models
• Used the Web as a source for information
• Answered question regarding the molecules,
• elements and Theories.
• Uploaded the Project to the course Web-site.

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Web-based Molecular Modeling Project

• Goals
• Visualization of phenomenon
• Learning in context
• Broadening learning materials
• Deepening students understanding
• Facing dilemmas regarding scientific theories
  and models
• Understanding the nature of scientific inquiry

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CMM of the Adrenaline Molecule
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Students pre- and post-tests scores regression
lines
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ANCOVA of the Post-test scores
Students who carried out the Web-based Molecular
Modeling Project received higher scores then
their counter peers Chemical engineering students
from the experimental group received the highest
scores.
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ANCOVA of the general chemistry course final exam
scores
Web-based Molecular Modeling Project has a
positive effect on students achievements in
chemistry. Only 30 of the students who carried
out a grade-correction exam belonged to the
experimental group.
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Students drawings of molecular structures in the
Posttest
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Students 5 stages of constructing CMM
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A model for a Web-based community of chemistry
learners
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Summary

• A well developed Web-based learning environment
  with an optional Molecular Modeling Project
  enhance students
• Chemistry understanding
• Conceptual understanding and reasoning ability
• Transformation ability among different molecule
  representations.
• Transformation ability among the four levels of
  chemistry understanding.