Simulated Interactive Research Experiments as Educational Tools for Advanced Science

Google Colab and Virtual Simulations: Practical e-Learning Tools to Support the Teaching of Thermodynamics and to Introduce Coding to Students

Various studies have reported the versatility and great scope of programming tools in all areas of knowledge. Coding is generally of paramount importance to chemistry students regardless of whether they intend to work with theoretical chemistry. Google Colab notebooks can introduce students to programming concepts and could be a convenient tool to assist in the chemistry teaching process. In this article, we implemented Google Colab notebooks to aid in the teaching of thermodynamics in a physical chemistry class. We presented six notebooks, covering introductory concepts of both coding and thermodynamics as a set of learning objects that can be useful in a virtual learning environment. In addition, in some of the notebooks, we included a step-by-step guide on how to run virtual lab simulations. The Colab notebooks were created for students without previous experience in programming. All of the Colab notebooks contain exercises of the activities and the solutions of the proposed exercises. Furthermore, all of the Colab notebooks can be modified and downloaded from the Github repository. Finally, we used the Python programming language and Colab because they are free and widely used by the academic community.

Augmented reality experimentation on oxygen gas generation from hydrogen peroxide and bleach reaction

The appreciation and understanding of gas generation through processes is vital in biochemical education. In this work, an augmented reality tool is reported to depict the redox reaction between hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite solutions, two ubiquitous oxidizing agents, to create oxygen, a combustible gas. As it operates out of smartphones or tablets, students are able to conduct the exercise collaboratively, respond in a manner similar to an actual physical experiment, and able to depict the oxygen volume changes in relation to the volume of hydrogen peroxide of different concentrations used. The tool offers to help students acquire bench skills by limiting handing risks and to mitigate possible student anxiety on handling chemical materials and implements in the laboratory. The feedback received from Year 11 and 12 high school student participants in an outreach exercise indicate the overall effectiveness of this tool. © 2018 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46(3):245-252, 2018.

Recasting a traditional laboratory practical as a "Design-your-own protocol" to teach a universal research skill

Laboratory-based practical classes are a common feature of life science teaching, during which students learn how to perform experiments and generate/interpret data. Practical classes are typically instructional, concentrating on providing topic- and technique-specific skills, however to produce research-capable graduates it is also important to develop generic practical skills. To provide an opportunity for students to develop the skills needed to create bespoke protocols for experimental benchwork, a traditional practical was repurposed. Students were given a list of available resources and an experimental goal, and directed to create a bench protocol to achieve the aim (measuring the iron in hemoglobin). In a series of teaching events students received feedback from staff, and peers prototyped the protocols, before protocols were finally implemented. Graduates highlighted this exercise as one of the most important of their degrees, primarily because of the clear relevance of the skills acquired to professional practice. The exercise exemplifies a range of pedagogic principles, but arguably its most important innovation is that it repurposed a pre-existing practical. This had the benefits of automatically providing scaffolding to direct the students' thought processes, while retaining the advantages of a "discovery learning" exercise, and allowing facile adoption of the approach across the sector. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 44(4):377-380, 2016.