Abstract:

With the closure of educational institutions during the Covid-19 pandemic, schools and universities across the world are forced to respond to the new norm by shifting to distance learning. The paradigm shift has incited the adaptation of various online teaching technologies by educational institutions within their capacity and capability. In this context, the tremor has never been felt stronger by chemistry education as it requires careful planning and specific lab practical adaptations in order to align with the program learning outcomes. In line with that, a Digital Support Guided Learning (DSGL) was developed via a planning-teaching-reflecting cycle for teaching foundation physical chemistry during the COVID-19 lockdown. The DSGL is a pedagogical blend of fully online flipped classrooms and live lab sessions, supported by 3 discussion platforms (live chat, e-mail and forum) outside the class. In this study, information collected in forms of online survey, peer observation report and the teacher’s own reflection were evaluated in the middle of the semester.

Our investigation is focusing on 4 main aspects:
(1) The effectiveness of the DSGL model,
(2) the quality of the online learning resources
(3) Student’s learning experience and
(4) Student’s performance in terms of formative and summative assessments.

Improvement actions were taken in the second half of the semester to address the weaknesses of the model. In this study, only 23 (74%) out of 31 students who enrolled in SCIFF011 Physical Chemistry were eligible to participate in the survey. Student’s responses consistently show that the pre-recorded lecture-captured, lab demonstration videos, email discussion and live chat are useful at every stage of their learning. While majority of the students (>/= 70%) has agreed that the lab demonstration videos, online briefing and post lab discussion help them to better understand the background of the experiment, 61% students disagreed that their technical skills were ever improved. Majority students strongly agreed or agreed that the online flipped classroom model encouraged them to be more independent (87%), learn on their own pace (65%), understand the subjects better (61%) and improve analytical skills (61%). On the weaker side, a substantial number of students (39%) disagreed that the model helped them to be more engaged in the study and less than half the number of students agreed the model helped them to study deeper (43%). Overall, 82.5% of students rated the DSGL as 3 and above over the full 5 scales. However, 78.2% students still prefer face-to-face learning regardless of the flexibility and pacing offered by the DSGL model. To draw a conclusion, we anticipate there is a need to improve the live online lecture activities to offer students a more engaging and satisfying experience. Second, the online flipped lab session couldn’t provide the expected lab technical skills for students. Should MCO lockdown be extended, the alternative method such as virtual lab simulators should be considered. However, if the MCO was lifted, the face-to face supplementary lab practical sessions should be provided to impart the technical skills effectively.

Keywords:

Foundation Level, Chemical Education Research, Digital Support Guided Learning, Physical Chemistry.