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4-Sept-2006 Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Australasian Chemistry Enhanced Laboratory Learning Project The ACELL Project (The Australian Chemistry Enhanced Laboratory Learning) Directors: Simon Barrie (ITL, Sydney) Bob Bucat (Chem, UWA) “ Developing Better Ways of Teaching in the Laboratory ” Mark Buntine (Chem, Adelaide) Geoff Crisp (ITL, Adelaide) Scott Kable Adrian George (Chem, Sydney) Ian Jamie (Chem, Macquarie) Scott Kable (Chem, Sydney) School of Chemistry Assoc. Dir. Justin Read (almost PhD in Chem. Ed., U.Syd.) Univ. of Sydney >30 partner universities in Australia / NZ 4-Sept-2006 4-Sept-2006 Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Statistics Statistics How many students are going to univ? How many of them are doing science? Total Higher Education Students / Population Science Students / Total Students 4.0% 18% 3.5% 16% Fraction of Students 14% 3.0% 12% 2.5% Fraction 10% 2.0% 8% 1.5% 6% 1.0% 4% 0.5% 2% 0.0% 0% 1949 1953 1957 1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 Higher Education Students Time Series Tables, DETYA No 6714 HERC01A, 2001 4-Sept-2006 4-Sept-2006 Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Statistics Statistics What are science students doing? Number of P&T Honours Students Higher Education Science Students School of Chemistry P&T Honours Students 20000 18000 Biological Sciences 16 Number of Students 16000 14 Number of students 14000 12 12000 10 Mathematics / Statistics 10000 8 8000 6 6000 Chemical Sciences 4 4000 2 Physical / Material Sciences 2000 0 0 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 1989 1993 1997 Year Trends in Science Education: Learning, Teaching and Outcomes 1989 – 1997 Dobson and Caldron, 1999 (for the Australian Councils of Deans of Science) 1

4-Sept-2006 4-Sept-2006 Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Description of problem Laboratories Physical Chemistry is particularly vulnerable to student discontent in the laboratory Some “facts”: � Arcane concepts � 35 Australian universities teach chemistry - at least to First Year. � Antiquated experiments � Perceived lack of relevance � ~20,000 students per year take these courses. � Reliance on expensive instrumentation that not all departments can afford � Laboratory training is an ESSENTIAL component in chemical � Boring education. � RACI accreditation = 350 hours / year 4-Sept-2006 4-Sept-2006 Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Laboratories Laboratories Think back to your own undergraduate experience… What Can We do to Reverse the Trend? • recall one laboratory exercise you remember as being a good learning experience. Maybe teachers can teach better • Why? • recall one laboratory exercise you remember as Maybe students can learn better being a poor learning experience. • Why? 4-Sept-2006 4-Sept-2006 Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary History of APCELL 1. The Idea Australian Physical � ~8 years ago Chemistry APCELL Enhanced � discussed at several occasions that we were together ( e.g. conferences) Laboratory Learning � several other people also knew about the idea and had already had some input. 2

4-Sept-2006 4-Sept-2006 Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary History of the project History of the project 2. When we started... 3. The Proposal � In September 1998, Mark Buntine and I decided we � CTL reviewed several drafts of our application, and it is would have a go at getting funding for the idea. here that we realise we don’t speak the same language!! � Barrie (ITL) joins team. � We wrote to all 35 Australian Universities that teach chemistry. � Funded by CUTSD ($167,000) � pays for Assoc. Director (Dr Ian Jamie) � N.B. An existing network (the R.A.C.I.) was invaluable � pays for first APCELL workshop and important to demonstrate network already exists. 4-Sept-2006 4-Sept-2006 Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Research Led Teaching (RLT) Chemical Education Research The use of disciplinary research in teaching - for example, the use by a teacher of one of their current journal publications reporting a key piece of cutting edge research; Teaching and curriculum that uses evidence derived from research and inquiry - for example, designing an assessment task on the basis of published education research or one’s own inquiries into how students approach � Research Led Teaching particular assessment tasks; � Enquiry-Development Cycle Research into teaching and learning - for example, a research investigation � Action Research into how students approach different assessment tasks. � Broader Education Research 4-Sept-2006 4-Sept-2006 Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary The Inquiry-Development Spiral Formulation of APCELL development project funding application Ian Jamie joins team • Research literature on student learning (Canberra Workshop) • Research literature on laboratory T&L Participatory development of template • Research literature on academic Dissemination of teaching development products Engage with academics’ views of T&L development Resources that support further inquiry into T&L Shared student learning perspective APCELL database, Template, Review Tools, • Inquiry into the nature of the barriers The Inquiry-Development Resources, People • Why hadn’t somebody done something about Spiral this before? Development of laboratory classes and • T&L conceptions resources using template • Resources Peer (staff and student) review of (Sydney Workshop) laboratory classes and resources – and Collaborative review / inquiry into T&L • Inquiry into student learning from the subsequent revision effectiveness of APCELL laboratories student experience perspective • Gather data on students’ perceptions of Engage with academics’ views of T&L their teaching & learning experiences 3

4-Sept-2006 4-Sept-2006 Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary The Inquiry-Development Spiral Experiment workshop, Sydney, Jan, 2001 Canberra Workshop, 2000 IUPAC conference, 2001 ARC / HEIP, 2003 Development of template Link with AJEC Grant applications 55 participants, including 20 students 30 experiments, all set up and performed over 3 days extensive review •Dissemination of ACELL •Extension to •Refereeing •Testing template teaching development ACELL •Publications •Submission of products •Involvement expts •Modification of template of RACI Sydney Workshop, 2001 Other Workshops, 2002 time Recognition of APCELL 4-Sept-2006 4-Sept-2006 Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Research Led Teaching (RLT) Outcomes of APCELL The use of disciplinary research in teaching - for example, the use by a teacher of one of their current journal publications reporting a key piece of cutting edge research; � Database of Experiments Teaching and curriculum that uses evidence derived from research and inquiry - � The Educational Template for example, designing an assessment task on the basis of published education � Workshops at Aust. Phys. Chem. and Chem. Ed. research or one’s own inquiries into how students approach particular assessment conferences tasks; � Collaboration with the Australian Journal of Education Research into teaching and learning - for example, a research investigation in Chemistry into how students approach different assessment tasks . � Uptake of experiments and methods by Chemistry departments � Network of academics and students � Communication 4-Sept-2006 4-Sept-2006 Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary Background APCELL Research Outcomes ACELL Summary The Educational Template APCELL Database Section 1: Summary of the Experiment APCELL database Section 2: Educational Analysis A database of experiments that have been educationally What are the intended learning outcomes validated. How the outcomes are achieved including student, demonstrator and technical notes How the outcomes are monitored 14 fully refereed experiments (available to all) Section 3: The Student Learning Experience ~20 further submitted experiments (available upon registration) Section 4: Documentation student notes, demonstrator notes, technical notes, etc Section 5: Peer Assessment Criteria 4