Merging Old and New: An Instrumentation-Based Introductory Analytical Laboratory

摘要

An instrumentation-based laboratory curriculum combining traditional unknown analyses with student-designed projects has been developed for an introductory analytical chemistry course. In the first half of the course, students. develop laboratory skills and instrumental proficiency by rotating through six different instruments performing quantitative analyses of unknowns. In the second half of the course, students use these skills to design and perform a quantitative chemical analysis of a real-world sample of their choosing in which students direct each step in the analytical process: sampling, sample preparation, data acquisition, interpretation, reporting, and drawing conclusions. Unique features of the course include open lab periods, an online lab manual with embedded video demonstrations, and the publication of student projects in an online journal. Assessment results show that students report high levels of gain in relation to the desired outcomes of the overall project.