Dr Luke Delmas and Dr Jakub Radzikowski presented research at the Chemistry Teaching in Practice conference held at the University of Oxford
Luke and Jakub discussed their recent paper "Chemical Kitchen ─ A Transdisciplinary Introduction to a Laboratory" which investigates the impact of the Chemical Kitchen project on students' self-efficacy in practical chemistry, focusing on how it changes over the course of their early labs.
The researchers used pre- and post-course surveys, using a 5-point scale, to track changes in self-efficacy: how strongly someone believes they can successfully complete a particular task – in this case, practical chemistry work. They found that one group experienced a significant increase in self-efficacy, with their post-course self-efficacy rising to 3.85. Conversely, the other group saw a significant decrease in self-efficacy, with their post-course self-efficacy dropping to 3.45. This "leveling of the playing field" resulted in no significant difference in self-efficacy between the two groups post-course (pairwise Wilcoxon test p-value = 0.055).
These findings suggest that lower self-efficacy students gained confidence in their practical skills, while higher self-efficacy students adjusted their self-assessment in areas like organization and independent work. The Chemical Kitchen project effectively balanced confidence levels among students, fostering a more equitable learning environment and enhancing their practical chemistry skills.
Other talks at the CTiP meeting centered around AI ethics, OneNote e-portfolios, and preparing students for industry following their degrees. A huge thank you to the organizing committee at the Chemistry Teaching Laboratories at the University of Oxford.
(Phot credit: Dr Rebecca L. Jones, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London)
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Dr Ravi Singh
Department of Chemistry
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Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 9222
Email: ravi.singh@imperial.ac.uk
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