Teaching Organic Chemistry with Blogs and Wikis Jean-Claude Bradley E-Learning Coordinator College of Arts and Sciences Drexel University March 25, 2007 American Chemical Society Symposium on Social Networking Tools to Teach Chemistry

What is the role of a chemistry teacher? Produce chemists!

Produce chemists!

What is a chemist? An individual who is Chemically literate ( undergrad ) Competent to create new useful chemical knowledge ( graduate )

An individual who is

Chemically literate ( undergrad )

Competent to create new useful chemical knowledge ( graduate )

How do chemistry teachers produce chemists? Select and deliver content Assess and validate skills and knowledge Catalyze the learning process

Select and deliver content

Assess and validate skills and knowledge

Catalyze the learning process

The evolution of an organic chemistry course The traditional lecture-based course: Content delivery : Face to Face Assessment : Manual Grading Learning Catalysis : office hours/email

The traditional lecture-based course:

Content delivery : Face to Face

Assessment : Manual Grading

Learning Catalysis : office hours/email

Evolution of Assessment Manual grading Optional WebCT quizzes with automated grading All tests and exam with automated grading under video surveillance proctoring Extra Credit Blog and Wiki assignments Quizzes as mazes in Unreal Tournament

Manual grading

Optional WebCT quizzes with automated grading

All tests and exam with automated grading under video surveillance proctoring

Extra Credit Blog and Wiki assignments

Quizzes as mazes in Unreal Tournament

Evolution of Content Delivery Face to face lectures/ paper handouts Face to face lectures/ online pdfs Optional screencast of lectures Audio podcasting (iTunes)/ pdfs Blog about class content Video podcasting (iTunes) Wiki for class organization Youtube/ Google video Google co-op and free online textbooks

Face to face lectures/ paper handouts

Face to face lectures/ online pdfs

Optional screencast of lectures

Audio podcasting (iTunes)/ pdfs

Blog about class content

Video podcasting (iTunes)

Wiki for class organization

Youtube/ Google video

Google co-op and free online textbooks

CHEM 241 89 students CHEM 243 64 students Natural migration from F2F to screencast/podcast channels

Evolution of Learning catalysis Office hours and email Use class time for workshops and assign recorded lectures Be present while students do problems, watch lectures, play games Discuss extra credit assignment Address technical implementation on their laptops Small groups or one-on-one

Office hours and email

Use class time for workshops and assign recorded lectures

Be present while students do problems, watch lectures, play games

Discuss extra credit assignment

Address technical implementation on their laptops

Small groups or one-on-one

Content Assessment Interaction Wiki-Centric Open Courseware Model Blog or wiki versioning E-mail Surveys Tests Quizzes Multimedia Images Text Wiki Lecture Recording podcast vodcast Workshops CMS Games

email phone blog wiki podcast SENDER RECEIVER NEW OLD PUSH PULL Sharing Ideas

The class wiki front page (top)

The class wiki front page (bottom)

The class blog

Viewing the blog using a feed reader

Podcasting MP3s and PDFs through iTunes

View vodcasts on iTunes or on a video iPod

The FAQ blog

CHEM 241 no Drexel students in winter term Long term trends for Open Courseware RSS feeds In World Lecture Hall

Student Blogging

Student assignments on a wiki

Student assignment on NMR using live research data and JSpecView

Version tracking in a wiki

Interaction using version changes in a wiki

Who is using the class blogs and wikis?

EduFrag Maze (without weapons)

EduFrag Unreal Tournament (with weapons)

Wheel of Orgo

Summary Use blogs for creating podcasts or for storing static sequential content (transcripts) Use wikis to organize content and to interact with students on assignments Use multiple channels to deliver content and assess learning All of these technologies are simple, free and hosted

Use blogs for creating podcasts or for storing static sequential content (transcripts)

Use wikis to organize content and to interact with students on assignments

Use multiple channels to deliver content and assess learning

All of these technologies are simple, free and hosted