Abstract:

There are numerous teaching methodologies in the Chemistry area, which are used depending on the types and difficulties of the corresponding contents. In this context, the cooperative learning strategies and wikis can be used to facilitate computer-supported development of collaboration by means of technology to improve education and research. This enhances peer interaction and group work and facilitates sharing and distributing knowledge and expertise among a community of learners. Wikis enhance asynchronous communication among students and promote cooperation rather than competition. For all these reasons, there is a growing trend to use wikis as a learning and assessment tool in Higher Education. However, relatively little is known about factors that affect the way students use wikis in the context of a course.

Lecturers in the Chemistry field are often aware of that students have frequently difficulty in understanding some important topics of their subject contents. One such topics is the “Factors affecting the solubility of precipitates”.

In the present proposal we suggest the implementation of the following working methodology to introduce the didactic unit entitled “Solubility and precipitation”. Students will be split into five groups, each one with a student tutor. The professor tutor will assign all students and groups the different items and tasks. After the compilation of information, this will be studied first separately by the various groups and then by groups of interchanged students. Finally, on the basis of their notes students will write a short report on their findings and insights.

The professor tutor will help students in planning their personal study, organize group meetings, and cooperate with student tutors.
Our proposal for teaching the here chosen topic is to divide it into:
1.- Effect saline
2.- Common ion effect
3.- Influence of pH on solubility: Acid-base equilibrium
4.- Influence of complexation equilibrium
5.- Influence of acid-base and complexation equilibria,
for which twelve hours of clasroom teaching may be enough time.

Augar, N., Raitman, R. and Zhou, W. Teaching and learning online with wikis. 21st Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education Conference, Perth: 95, 2004.
Lipponen, L. Exploring foundations for computer-supported collaborative learning. Computer-supported Collaborative Learning Conference, Boulder, CO: 72, 2002.
De Pedro, X., Rieradevall et al. Writing documents collaboratively in Higher education. International Congress of University Teaching and Innovation, Barcelona, 2006.
(a) Bower, M., Woo, K., Roberts, M. and Watters, P.A. Wiki pedagogy - A tale of two wikis. 7th International Conference on Information Technology Based Higher Education and Training, Sydney, Australia, 2006. (b) Choy, S. O. and Ng, K. C. Implementing wiki software for supplementing online learning. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 23, 209, 2007.

Keywords:

Wiki Medium, Cooperative learning, Chemistry.