kirsty barnes conf_10

Enhancing the value of interactive 3D chemistry

Kirsty Barnes

23/6/10

This project is supported by the JISC Learningand Teaching Innovation Grants Programme

Outline

• What is ChemTube3D?• Who uses ChemTube3D?• Introduction to iChem3D project• Design and development of new learning approaches• Demonstration of new learning sequences and self-

assessment activities• Results and comments• Conclusions• Acknowledgements

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Interactive elements:

• Surfaces, orbitals, vibrations• Animated reaction sequences• Solid state structures• Polymeric structures• 3D mouse movements and zoom• Angle and bond length measurements• Step by step learning guides• Self-assessment activities



What is ChemTube3D?

ChemTube3D is an interactive, freely available, resource providing 3D simulations and animations modelling the structure and reactivity of many important chemistry molecules. The resource is mainly aimed at undergraduate students.



Who uses ChemTube3D?

• Students

Promotes understanding

Open ended investigation possible

Guided learning approach possible

Positive comments from students about how useful the resource is to them

• Tutors/Lecturers

Use as a teaching aid in lectures

Teach students how to use the resource

Since the launch of ChemTube3D in December 2007 there have been over 270,000 visits to the resource from people all around the world.

iChem3D project

• Jointly funded by JISC and the University of Liverpool

• Investigate the current use of ChemTube3D

• Generate new, freely available, learning designs for ChemTube3D

• Produce guidelines for using ChemTube3D





New learning approaches

Step by step learning sequence

Quandary - freeware available from Half-Baked Software (only available on Windows)

Self-assessment activity

Hot Potatoes - freeware published by Victoria University and Half-Baked Software

Quandary



“Action mazes can be used for many purposes, including:

• problem-solving,• diagnosis,• procedural training and• surveys/ questionnaires”1

A tool for creating Web-based action mazes

1http://www.halfbakedsoftware.com/quandary.php

Our use:Step by step learning guide

Hot Potatoes



A tool for creating Web-based problems

Allows you to “create interactive:• multiple-choice, • short-answer, • jumbled-sentence,• crossword, • matching/ordering and• gap-fill exercises

for the World Wide Web.”2

Our use:Multiple choice self-assessment activities

2 http://hotpot.uvic.ca/index.php



Hot Potatoes

http://hotpot.uvic.ca

Design of step by step guide



Exercise Title

AddThis bookmark button

Readingtext

Decision point title



Design of self-assessment activityExercise title

Instructions

Readingtext

Question

Answers

Demonstration



1. What ChemTube3D has to offer students2. How the new learning approaches work3. How you could use this idea in your discipline

Results - feedback from academics



“the graphics are very useful”

“I think the stepwise approach is very valuable: too often, they rush through protonation/ deprotonation steps (especially!) without enough thought”

“I like the step-by-step approach in your new format for beginning students”

“I like it!!”

Comments on new learning

designs

Results - feedback from students



72.7%

27.3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Percentage

Yes No

Response

Do you use ChemTube3D? ( 44 responses)

39.4%

60.6%

0.0%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Percentage

Once A few times Often

Response

How often have you used it? ( 33 responses)

• Indicates if students have accessed ChemTube3D before.

• Yes indicates one or more visits to the site

• Includes the 32 students who indicated they use ChemTube3D

• Plus an extra student who said they had used it once.


74.4%

25.6%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%

Percentage

I prefer a guidedapproach

I like to explore

Response

Do you like an assisted approach which guides you through the material, or do you like to explore the web

site by yourself?( 43 responses)



• Students were shown a demonstration of using ChemTube3D

• Followed by a demonstration of the new step by step approach

• They were then asked to provide answers to the question using the electronic voting system


93.3%

6.7%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Percentage

Yes No

Response

Do you like the new assisted learning approach for ChemTube3D presented

today?



63.3%

29.5%

6.8%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Percentage

Yes, definitely! Probably, yes Probably not

Response

Would you use more of the new self-assessment activities?

(44 responses)

• Based on a step by step mechanism relevant to their course

• Students were briefly shown an example of the new self assessment activities and were

then asked to comment

Conclusions



• Learning designs have been added to help improve the learning experience

• Guidelines for using ChemTube3D have been added to the resource

• ChemTube3D is highly appreciated by its users and the new learning designs are liked by students

Thanks to:

The University of Liverpool and the JISC Learning and Teaching Innovation Grant Programme who jointly funded the iChem3D project

Steve Christie at Loughborough University for helping gather information and testing the new approaches

Project Team:Nick Greeves – Project Manager, Senior Lecturer in ChemistryNeil Berry – Lecturer in ChemistryNick Bunyan – Learning TechnologistJanet Strivens – Educational DeveloperKirsty Barnes – Research Assistant

Acknowledgements

