Abstract:

Laboratory practice constitutes a fundamental component of Chemistry degree teaching. Mastering basic techniques—such as pipetting, topping up, using melting point apparatus, or operating a centrifuge, among others—is essential for student development. Audio-visual tools provide an effective strategy to support learning before laboratory sessions, allowing students to visualize procedures, either in their entirety or specific steps. Explanatory videos covering sample treatment, solution preparation, and instrumentation handling can significantly enhance student understanding.

In the 2022–2023 academic year, several videos illustrating essential laboratory techniques were uploaded to the virtual classroom of Basic Laboratory Operations. This first-year course in the Chemistry degree at Universitat Jaume I constitutes students’ first substantial engagement with laboratory practice, thereby rendering both the instructional content and its mode of delivery particularly critical. Although the videos were optional and not assessed, they enabled students to acquire more precise procedural knowledge. However, exam performance did not improve as much as expected, likely because students focused primarily on experimental skills and less on consolidating the underlying theoretical principles.

In the 2024–2025 academic year, the approach was expanded by introducing an evaluated test based on the videos, allowing the impact of audio-visual tools on final grades to be measured. Furthermore, these tools were extended to the laboratory components of Analytical Chemistry II and Analytical Chemistry IV, though they were not formally assessed in these courses.

The effectiveness of this intervention was evaluated by comparing students’ final grades with those from previous years. Additionally, a survey was administered to gather students’ feedback and perceptions regarding the relevance and utility of the videos.

This work was supported by the Unitat de Formació i Innovació Educativa (UFIE) of Universitat Jaume I. The authors thank the students' collaboration.

Keywords:

Advanced Chemistry, audio-visual tools, learning quality, basic laboratory operations.