The Use of Color Video Cassettes in Freshman Chemistry Laboratory Instruction

A $9000 grant provided during the summer of 1975 by the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Instructional Im- provement Programs funded a project invideo instruction pursued hy two teaching assistants and one professor in chemistry a t the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Eight short color video cassettes (about 10-25 min long) describing fundamental techniques and instrumentation were pr,oduced. The remainder of the funds purchased a video cassette re- corder/olaver. two video cassette olavers. and three color TVmonitors. Durine the winter ouarter of 1976. we used the above . , . . . items :n trach~ng a Iuwrr dw~sam, inrroductory chrrniatrv lahorstory course wtth atwut 200 students.

Wc were able to srr up on+ bieuing unit at the undergraduate liorary so that rtudents could see the tapes ar their con- venience. h i d e the lah, two viewmg areas wcreaet up fur student useduring the regularly scheduled lab period. The tape on the use of the analytical balance and the one dealing with general titration procedure were shown on the filst check-in day; but they remained available throughout the quarter. Otherwise, each of the six experiments performed each day had an accompanying video tape, and the TA's arranged specific viewing times for each tapeat the beginning of the period.

It was evident to the TA's early in the quarter that performance in the lab was better than in the previous year. Indeed, a majority of the students polled in an extensive questionnaire approved of the project and felt that the tape had significantly increased their understanding of the experiments. Some unexpected results were, however, revealed. Our original proposal predicted that the use of the video cassette machines directly in the lab would be the primary advantage of utilizing this new technology. It was assumed that students would seek instant recall of visual material during the lab period. In fact, only a few people ever utilized the tapes in this fashion. Most of the viewing o c m e d only at the beginning of the period. Placement of the equipment in the lab merely created hassles for the students and TA's alike. Only 41% of those students polled thought that the tapes should he shown in the lab. Since 29% recommended a viewing room close to the lab and 28% preferred the availability in the library, the planned approach for winter quarter 1977 will be the placement of equipment both in the libraw and in a room nearhv the laboratow.

we were pleased tosee.thst our effort> in the area of rocial relevance were well received. We attempted to show how the e x p ~ r i m ~ n t a dcscrihed rhcmiral pmcrrses that have a very real and impurtant intluence on our hver. For instance, gas l a w arp dcmon~trated using arrusul propellants whlch may wriously affect the stratmpherir uone layer. The pH of common I:quids la m~arured in one, and another rape expla~ns huw iodine numher or degree ofum~turarion of fats may affect, our health. Here students' respmsw werr a- WP had predicwd: 97% thought that rhrmistry l a h should be made swidly relevant. When askeo if the factual material from the tapes war retained, 95% re~pmdrd , "Ycs".

University of California, San Diego L a Jolla, 92093

Brian Magee Ritch McBride

Nguyen huu Xuang

366 1 Journal of Chemical Education