{"641282":{"#nid":"641282","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Virtual Chemistry Courses Tackle Challenges, Discover Unexpected Benefits, and Foster Community","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen classes\u0026nbsp;unexpectedly\u0026nbsp;transferred to an online format in March\u0026nbsp;due to Covid-19, instruction had to quickly adapt to online norms. With\u0026nbsp;little\u0026nbsp;time to plan,\u0026nbsp;teachers and students\u0026nbsp;rapidly\u0026nbsp;learned how to navigate\u0026nbsp;BlueJeans\u0026nbsp;and establish a new\u0026nbsp;classroom\u0026nbsp;routine.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESix months\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;nearly two full\u0026nbsp;semesters\u0026nbsp;later,\u0026nbsp;faculty\u0026nbsp;and students have\u0026nbsp;fully adjusted to the online learning format\u0026nbsp;with various modifications.\u0026nbsp;In the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/evans\/michael\u0022\u003EMichael Evans\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;Chemistry Laboratory Coordinator\u0026nbsp;for first-year students,\u0026nbsp;shares that \u0026ldquo;in emergency mode in the spring, I recorded myself performing experiments and supplied students with data.\u0026rdquo; Now, laboratories are conducted synchronously online or in a hybrid model,\u0026nbsp;with socially distanced classes meeting every other week.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith lessons learned from the\u0026nbsp;few weeks of online learning in the spring,\u0026nbsp;Evans\u0026nbsp;and colleagues\u0026nbsp;Liz Jones,\u0026nbsp;Head Teaching Assistant for\u0026nbsp;first-year\u0026nbsp;remote labs,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/faculty\/Shepler\/\u0022\u003ECarrie Sheple\u003C\/a\u003Er,\u0026nbsp;Director of Instructional Activities and Student Experience,\u0026nbsp;recognized that it was important for students to be actively engaged in a lab experiment, even if\u0026nbsp;it is conducted via computer.\u0026nbsp;Evans\u0026nbsp;no longer records himself doing the lab\u0026nbsp;experiment, but instead has students utilize online simulations through platforms such as\u0026nbsp;Chem Collective\u0026nbsp;to virtually conduct experiments.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We wanted to do something where students would actually interact with things and also with each other,\u0026rdquo; says\u0026nbsp;Jones,\u0026nbsp;who did\u0026nbsp;the majority of\u0026nbsp;development of the synchronous online lab experiments for the summer session.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;The labs are designed in a way where students will work in small\u0026nbsp;groups,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;go through two to three activities that are based predominately around some kind of simulation that\u0026rsquo;s online.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn synchronous\u0026nbsp;BlueJeans\u0026nbsp;sessions, students are assigned to breakout groups where they work through a simulation,\u0026nbsp;solve problems,\u0026nbsp;and collect data. In these groups, students are assigned specific roles to work through the simulations and record their findings.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;ve developed pretty well-defined roles for students within those groups,\u0026nbsp;so that everybody does what they are supposed to be doing within a group,\u0026rdquo; explains Evans.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;They\u0026rsquo;ll work through the procedure, collect the data,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;every student has their own individual lab notebook.\u0026nbsp;We\u0026nbsp;have them upload that as a PDF after the lab. That\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;kind of the in-lab assignment.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring these sessions, teaching assistants will\u0026nbsp;move through groups\u0026nbsp;assure\u0026nbsp;that each group is on\u0026nbsp;task\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;will\u0026nbsp;answer any questions.\u0026nbsp;Shepler\u0026nbsp;noticed that these specific task-oriented assignments encourage students to engage with each other and successfully complete the lab.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I found\u0026nbsp;in the lecture portion of these courses this summer that students didn\u0026rsquo;t talk to each other when I put them in breakout rooms.\u0026nbsp;I would go in\u0026nbsp;to check on them to find total silence,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;she says.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn contrast, the task-oriented nature of online laboratory simulations ensures that students are aware of their responsibilities in the breakout sessions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFollowing streamed laboratory sessions, students will work within\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;Canvas\u0026nbsp;app\u0026nbsp;to complete post-lab assignments and reflect on their findings.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThough initial kinks in online learning have been largely resolved, a few\u0026nbsp;elements of in- person\u0026nbsp;classes\u0026nbsp;cannot\u0026nbsp;be replicated virtually.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;While the online labs have less room for human error, which is certainly a benefit, the simulations can sometimes be difficult to understand,\u0026nbsp;or fail to carry out desired functions,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;says\u0026nbsp;Aviel Perlman, a student in Evans\u0026rsquo; Chemistry 1310 course. \u0026ldquo;Additionally, the fact that I\u0026rsquo;m not actually executing a real-life experiment in the online labs can sometimes be disappointing.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEvans adds that\u0026nbsp;it is more challenging to teach safety education without\u0026nbsp;the opportunity to physically\u0026nbsp;manipulate\u0026nbsp;glassware.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Safety is a decent chunk of what we talk about, and that\u0026rsquo;s off the table in a remote environment situation.\u0026nbsp;Safety is\u0026nbsp;much harder to teach\u0026nbsp;remotely,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;he says.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESince they are unable to gain that\u0026nbsp;safety understanding from the introductory\u0026nbsp;chemistry courses, students will have to learn\u0026nbsp;safety\u0026nbsp;skills later in their academic careers.\u0026nbsp;Jones adds that \u0026ldquo;specifically, for the 1211 and 1212 courses, a lot of those students are\u0026nbsp;at\u0026nbsp;different levels of engineering who will, at some point, work in research labs,\u0026nbsp;where maybe they\u0026rsquo;re not in a chemistry lab, but they need to understand basic chemical handling and safety.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShepler notes that they have worked to add more \u0026ldquo;practical protocol connections\u0026rdquo; to post-lab assignments this fall,\u0026nbsp;to help students start thinking about how equipment is used and some potential dangers.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDespite such challenges,\u0026nbsp;faculty are noticing unexpected benefits in\u0026nbsp;the online class format.\u0026nbsp;Jones notes that safety concerns in the laboratory can cloud\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;student\u0026rsquo;s abilities to focus on the concepts that the labs are supposed to teach.\u0026nbsp;Without safety as a concern, students can better grasp the purpose of the lab and understand the data.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EJones, Shepler, and Evans\u0026nbsp;found that out\u0026nbsp;when they worked on a research paper\u0026nbsp;to learn about\u0026nbsp;students\u0026#39;\u0026nbsp;perceptions of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;online learning environment.\u0026nbsp;Their\u0026nbsp;goal is to\u0026nbsp;create the most interesting, engaging, and effective online\u0026nbsp;or hybrid\u0026nbsp;learning experience.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The idea was mostly borne from wanting to find a way to gauge what the experience is like for students, but also how it will affect them for future labs and future research,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;Jones\u0026nbsp;says. \u0026ldquo;The hope is to kind of track this first cohort of students coming through into organic levels,\u0026nbsp;or something upper-level,\u0026nbsp;and see if having\u0026nbsp;(Chemistry course)\u0026nbsp;1211 fully online was a detriment to their lab learning.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUsing\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;Meaningful Learning in the Laboratory Instrument,\u0026nbsp;which measures student expectations before and after a lab course,\u0026nbsp;students are asked\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;respond to a series of statements to discover their comfort in the laboratory\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;their\u0026nbsp;learning experience.\u0026nbsp;So far, the study has\u0026nbsp;found\u0026nbsp;that students have enjoyed the synchronous nature of the online environment\u0026nbsp;and are pleased with online classes.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I don\u0026rsquo;t know why I was surprised. We\u0026rsquo;re in the middle of a pandemic,\u0026nbsp;so\u0026nbsp;human\u0026nbsp;connection is challenging. Finding even small ways, not to replace the experience of being in person, but I guess\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;lessen\u0026nbsp;the burden of isolation and separation, is important.\u0026nbsp;I think doing things synchronously better helps that aspect of being a person existing in the world right now,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;Jones\u0026nbsp;says.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOther\u0026nbsp;elements\u0026nbsp;of learning that\u0026nbsp;changed\u0026nbsp;with online courses\u0026nbsp;are\u0026nbsp;student\u0026nbsp;attendance,\u0026nbsp;and participation in office hours. Shepler offers her office hours via\u0026nbsp;BlueJeans, and students will join the call and wait for Shepler to individually address them and answer their questions.\u0026nbsp;Shepler\u0026nbsp;notes that\u0026nbsp;since transitioning online,\u0026nbsp;attendance has decreased slightly,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;that the types\u0026nbsp;of students attending office hours,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;types of questions\u0026nbsp;they\u0026nbsp;asked,\u0026nbsp;have\u0026nbsp;changed.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;People who never\u0026nbsp;would\u0026nbsp;have\u0026nbsp;come to office hours before,\u0026nbsp;because they\u0026nbsp;didn\u0026rsquo;t have time to\u0026nbsp;walk over to my office from\u0026nbsp;West\u0026nbsp;Campus to ask me one question, are now joining the call,\u0026rdquo; Shepler\u0026nbsp;says. \u0026ldquo;Now those people will click on the\u0026nbsp;BlueJeans\u0026nbsp;button and pop in,\u0026nbsp;ask me one question,\u0026nbsp;get what they need,\u0026nbsp;and then leave.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHowever, Shepler\u0026nbsp;adds\u0026nbsp;that\u0026nbsp;BlueJeans\u0026nbsp;cannot replicate\u0026nbsp;the in-person element of students interacting in a physical location.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I think what\u0026rsquo;s missing,\u0026nbsp;though, is that when I used to have a lot of people in my office hours,\u0026nbsp;I would be working with someone,\u0026nbsp;and the other students would start talking to each other, either about chemistry or just about something else,\u0026rdquo; notes Shepler. \u0026ldquo;So\u0026nbsp;there was more of a social piece\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;it. And they don\u0026rsquo;t get to do that in virtual office hours, because everyone\u0026rsquo;s just waiting for me to get around to helping them.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Shepler,\u0026nbsp;not having\u0026nbsp;the social, engaging element of being in\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;classroom\u0026nbsp;has been the largest challenge to overcome.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I talk with my hands, I talk with my body, I teach with my body,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;says\u0026nbsp;Shepler. \u0026ldquo;I miss being able to show them what a tetrahedral molecule looks like with my arms and legs. Sure, I can do it with a model, but part of what I\u0026rsquo;m doing is trying to make it\u0026nbsp;memorable, and\u0026nbsp;embarrassing myself in the process makes it memorable. I\u0026rsquo;m good with that!\u0026nbsp;But I\u0026rsquo;ve lost a little bit of my ability to do that because\u0026nbsp;they only see me from the neck up.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFurthermore, Shepler misses the fulfilling element of interacting directly with students and building a human connection with them as they\u0026nbsp;learn.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Sometimes we get off track, and I know that that discourages some people because I\u0026rsquo;m not always laser-focused in class.\u0026nbsp;But,\u0026nbsp;it\u0026#39;s so meaningful to me to spend three minutes goofing off, joking around in the chatroom\u0026nbsp;that\u0026nbsp;the Braves\u0026nbsp;are\u0026nbsp;crushing my soul\u0026nbsp;again, and them posting silly little pictures and things like that. That means a lot to me as the instructor, it makes me feel like I have a connection with the students,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;she\u0026nbsp;adds.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShepler\u0026nbsp;also\u0026nbsp;notes that she\u0026nbsp;greatly\u0026nbsp;sympathizes with the struggles that students face this\u0026nbsp;semester\u0026nbsp;in an atypical learning experience.\u0026nbsp;She shares that\u0026nbsp;students\u0026nbsp;can help\u0026nbsp;make the most of their learning experience\u0026nbsp;by establishing a specific study location, and separating\u0026nbsp;their sleep space from their\u0026nbsp;work space.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I see more and more students on their video\u0026nbsp;in the\u0026nbsp;Kendeda\u0026nbsp;Building,\u0026nbsp;or sitting outside of Clough, so I can tell that they\u0026rsquo;re getting up and going to a different space. And I know that not everybody has the safety or the luxury to do that, but I do think that the more students can get away from their bed, the better,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;The novelty of getting to go to class in pajamas maybe needs\u0026nbsp;to start wearing off if you find that it\u0026rsquo;s impacting your productivity.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOther academic\u0026nbsp;programs\u0026nbsp;to assist with online courses\u0026nbsp;include\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.success.gatech.edu\/tutoring-0\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E1-to-1 tutoring services\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;offered by the office of Tutoring and Academic Support,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;academic coaching and advisory\u0026nbsp;services.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a further piece of advice for the fall\u0026nbsp;semester,\u0026nbsp;Evans\u0026nbsp;encourages\u0026nbsp;students, faculty, and staff members to participate\u0026nbsp;weekly\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s free\u0026nbsp;asymptomatic surveillance testing for Covid-19.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I felt like king for a day when they put the testing site in the library, because that\u0026rsquo;s literally how I get to work,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;he shares. \u0026ldquo;I take Marta, I\u0026nbsp;walk\u0026nbsp;down North Avenue, I go through the library,\u0026nbsp;and then I\u0026rsquo;m in Clough. When the\u0026nbsp;testing site in the library opened, I\u0026nbsp;had\u0026nbsp;no excuse for not getting a test, because it\u0026rsquo;s literally right here.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe also builds on Shepler\u0026rsquo;s message of community support, leaving students with the message that \u0026ldquo;finding means\u0026nbsp;to connect with each other is part of success. It does make it harder to adapt, but\u0026nbsp;if\u0026nbsp;you\u0026rsquo;re still able to adapt, it just looks different.\u0026quot;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENine\u0026nbsp;month\u0026nbsp;after courses first moved to a virtual format,\u0026nbsp;chemistry faculty\u0026nbsp;and students reflect on the unexpected\u0026nbsp;teaching and education\u0026nbsp;discoveries from virtual learning.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Nine month after courses first moved to a virtual format, chemistry faculty and students reflect on the unexpected teaching and education discoveries from virtual learning. "}],"uid":"35185","created_gmt":"2020-11-12 20:48:08","changed_gmt":"2020-12-04 19:20:14","author":"kpietkiewicz3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-12-04T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-12-04T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"641279":{"id":"641279","type":"image","title":"Students work in a socially-distanced chemistry lab course.","body":null,"created":"1605213685","gmt_created":"2020-11-12 20:41:25","changed":"1605213685","gmt_changed":"2020-11-12 20:41:25","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243691","name":"virtuallab2.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/virtuallab2.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/virtuallab2.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1911410,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/virtuallab2.png?itok=s8-tT5ds"}},"641281":{"id":"641281","type":"image","title":"Remote lab sessions meet synchronously to complete laboratory simulations and interact with other students.","body":null,"created":"1605213894","gmt_created":"2020-11-12 20:44:54","changed":"1605213894","gmt_changed":"2020-11-12 20:44:54","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243693","name":"virtuallab3.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/virtuallab3.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/virtuallab3.png","mime":"image\/png","size":611111,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/virtuallab3.png?itok=6q0w_SJ_"}},"641280":{"id":"641280","type":"image","title":"Online chemistry courses use virtual modules, such as ChemCollective, to complete online laboratory simulations.","body":null,"created":"1605213739","gmt_created":"2020-11-12 20:42:19","changed":"1605213739","gmt_changed":"2020-11-12 20:42:19","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243692","name":"virtuallab1.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/virtuallab1.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/virtuallab1.png","mime":"image\/png","size":130546,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/virtuallab1.png?itok=jDmJR15q"}}},"media_ids":["641279","641281","641280"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"132","name":"Institute Leadership"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"}],"keywords":[{"id":"166847","name":"students"},{"id":"186261","name":"virtual classes"},{"id":"186262","name":"online laboratories"},{"id":"186263","name":"online community"},{"id":"186264","name":"learning advice"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGrace Pietkiewicz\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Assistant\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nkatiegracepz@gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["katiegracepz@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}