The relevance of chemistry practicals: First year students' perspective at a regional University in Victoria, Australia

Conference item


Naiker, Mani, Wakeling, Lara and Aldred, Peter. (2013). The relevance of chemistry practicals: First year students' perspective at a regional University in Victoria, Australia. Australia: Australian National University Press. pp. 169 - 173
AuthorsNaiker, Mani, Wakeling, Lara and Aldred, Peter
Abstract

The use of laboratory practical sessions in chemistry to enhance student learning is common practice but, student perspectives of the relevance of this experience to their learning is difficult to find. A unique situation arose with a cohort of first-year undergraduate students where they completed one introductory chemistry course with minimal laboratory component, followed by a second introductory chemistry course with a laboratory component included. Upon completion of both chemistry courses the students were surveyed to gauge their perceptions, attitudes and experiences relating to chemistry laboratory sessions and whether they aided their understanding of chemical concepts covered in lectures and tutorials. Students (88%) considered the laboratory work to be essential and/or important in aiding their learning of chemistry, highlighting that their learning was enhanced due to the cross-over between theory and practice, while also gaining a variety of laboratory skills. A more diverse range of laboratory activities was suggested, but some students noted that they appreciated some skills repetition. Incorporating a combination of introductory and inquiry based sessions could meet the needs of both of these groups of students, while enhancing skills in other areas.

Keywordschemistry laboratory; chemistry practicals; first year students; unique cohort
Year2013
PublisherAustralian National University Press
Publisher's version
File Access Level
Controlled
Page range169 - 173
Research GroupSchool of Behavioural and Health Sciences
Place of publicationAustralia
Permalink -

https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8v7qy/the-relevance-of-chemistry-practicals-first-year-students-perspective-at-a-regional-university-in-victoria-australia

Restricted files

Publisher's version

  • 97
    total views
  • 0
    total downloads
  • 1
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month
These values are for the period from 19th October 2020, when this repository was created.

Export as

Related outputs

Nutritional quality and bioactive constituents of six Australian plum varieties
Johnson, Joel B., Collins, Tania, Mani, Janice S. and Naiker, Mani. (2021). Nutritional quality and bioactive constituents of six Australian plum varieties. International Journal of Fruit Science. 21(1), pp. 115-132. https://doi.org/10.1080/15538362.2020.1860863
Antioxidative and therapeutic potential of selected Australian plants : A review
Mani, Janice S., Johnson, Joel B., Hosking, Holly, Ashwath, Nanjappa, Walsh, Kerry B., Neilsen, Paul M., Broszczak, Daniel A. and Naiker, Mani. (2021). Antioxidative and therapeutic potential of selected Australian plants : A review. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 268, p. 113580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2020.113580
Hitting the sweet spot : A systematic review of the bioactivity and health benefits of phenolic glycosides from medicinally used plants
Johnson, Joel B., Mani, Janice S., Broszczak, Daniel, Prasad, Shirtika S., Ekanayake, Charitha P., Strappe, Padraig, Valeris, Peter and Naiker, Mani. (2021). Hitting the sweet spot : A systematic review of the bioactivity and health benefits of phenolic glycosides from medicinally used plants. Phytotherapy Research. 35(7), pp. 3484-3508. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.7042
Natural product-derived phytochemicals as potential agents against coronaviruses : A review
Mani, Janice S., Johnson, Joel B., Steel, Jason C., Broszczak, Daniel A., Neilsen, Paul M., Walsh, Kerry B. and Naiker, Mani. (2020). Natural product-derived phytochemicals as potential agents against coronaviruses : A review. Virus Research. 284, p. 197989. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virusres.2020.197989
Seeing red : A review of the use of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in entomology
Johnson, Joel B. and Naiker, Mani. (2020). Seeing red : A review of the use of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in entomology. Applied Spectroscopy Reviews. 55(9), pp. 810-839. https://doi.org/10.1080/05704928.2019.1685532
Mid-infrared spectroscopy for entomological purposes : A review
Johnson, Joel B. and Naiker, Mani. (2020). Mid-infrared spectroscopy for entomological purposes : A review. Journal of Asia Pacific Entomology. 23(3), pp. 613-621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aspen.2020.06.001
Solvent extractions and spectrophotometric protocols for measuring the total anthocyanin, phenols and antioxidant content in plums
Johnson, Joel, Collins, Tania, Walsh, Kerry and Naiker, Mani. (2020). Solvent extractions and spectrophotometric protocols for measuring the total anthocyanin, phenols and antioxidant content in plums. Chemical Papers. 74, pp. 4481-4492. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-020-01261-8
Loss of trans-resveratrol during storage and ageing of red wines
Naiker, M., Anderson, S., Johnson, J. B., Mani, J. S., Wakeling, L. and Bowry, V.. (2020). Loss of trans-resveratrol during storage and ageing of red wines. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research. 26(4), pp. 385-387. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajgw.12449
Frost-affected lentil (Lens culinaris M.) compositional changes through extrusion : Potential application for the food industry
Portman, Drew, Dolgow, Carl, Maharjan, Pankaj, Cork, Stephen, Blanchard, Chris, Naiker, Mani and Panozzo, Joe F.. (2020). Frost-affected lentil (Lens culinaris M.) compositional changes through extrusion : Potential application for the food industry. Cereal Chemistry. 97(4), pp. 818-826. https://doi.org/10.1002/cche.10296
Potential for Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy toward predicting antioxidant and phenolic contents in powdered plant matrices
Johnson, Joel, Mani, Janice, Ashwath, Nanjappa and Naiker, Mani. (2020). Potential for Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy toward predicting antioxidant and phenolic contents in powdered plant matrices. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy. 233, p. 118228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.saa.2020.118228
Attitudes towards science among senior secondary students in Fiji
Naiker, Mani, Sharma, Bibhya, Wakeling, Lara, Johnson, Joel Benjamin, Mani, Janice, Kumar, Bijeta, Naidu, Anji, Khan, M. G. M. and Brown, Stephen. (2020). Attitudes towards science among senior secondary students in Fiji. Waikato Journal of Education. 25(1), pp. 57-72. https://doi.org/10.15663/wje.v25i0.704
Nutritional and functional properties of cookies made using down-graded lentil – A candidate for novel food production and crop utilization
Portman, Drew, Maharjan, Pankaj, McDonald, Linda, Laskovska, Slavica, Walker, Cassandra, Irvin, Heidi, Blanchard, Chris, Naiker, Mani and Panozzo, Joe F.. (2019). Nutritional and functional properties of cookies made using down-graded lentil – A candidate for novel food production and crop utilization. Cereal Chemistry. 97(1), pp. 95-103. https://doi.org/10.1002/cche.10232
Water-soluble carbohydrates during fermentation and baking of composite wheat and lentil flour—Implications for enhanced functionality
Portman, Drew, Blanchard, Chris, Maharjan, Pankaj, Naiker, M. and Panozzo, Joe F.. (2019). Water-soluble carbohydrates during fermentation and baking of composite wheat and lentil flour—Implications for enhanced functionality. Cereal Chemistry. 96(3), pp. 447-455. https://doi.org/10.1002/cche.10144
Annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaud) competition altered wheat grain quality : A study under elevated atmospheric CO₂ levels and drought conditions
Fernando, Nimesha, Florentine, Singarayer K., Naiker, Mani, Panozzo, Joe and Chauhan, Bhagirath S.. (2019). Annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaud) competition altered wheat grain quality : A study under elevated atmospheric CO₂ levels and drought conditions. Food Chemistry. 276, pp. 285-290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.09.145
Blending studies using wheat and lentil cotyledon flour: Effects on rheology and bread quality
Drew Portman, Chris Blanchard, Pankaj Maharjan, Linda S. McDonald, John Mawson, Mani Naiker and Joe F. Panozzo. (2018). Blending studies using wheat and lentil cotyledon flour: Effects on rheology and bread quality. Cereal Chemistry. 95(6), pp. 849-860. https://doi.org/10.1002/cche.10103
Brewers and vintners beware!: Mitigation of the carbon dioxide hazard in the fermentation industries using hierarchy of control methodology
Young, Stephen, Naiker, Mani and Aldred, Peter. (2015). Brewers and vintners beware!: Mitigation of the carbon dioxide hazard in the fermentation industries using hierarchy of control methodology. Journal of Health, Safety and Environment. 31(3), pp. 1 - 10.
Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) in an introductory course in Chemistry
Brown, Stephen, White, Sue, Wakeling, Lara and Naiker, Mani. (2015). Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) in an introductory course in Chemistry. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice. 12(3), pp. 1 - 12.
Attitude to the subject of chemistry in undergraduate nursing students at Fiji National University and Federation University, Australia
Brown, Stephen, Wakeling, Lara, Peck, Blake, Naiker, Mani, Hill, Dolores and Naidu, Keshni. (2015). Attitude to the subject of chemistry in undergraduate nursing students at Fiji National University and Federation University, Australia. Collegian. 22(4), pp. 369 - 375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2014.06.001
Evaluation of group based inquiry oriented learning in undergraduate chemistry practicals
Naiker, Mani and Wakeling, Lara. (2015). Evaluation of group based inquiry oriented learning in undergraduate chemistry practicals. International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education. 23(5), pp. 1 - 17.
Attitude to the study of chemistry and its relationship with achievement in an introductory undergraduate course
Brown, Stephen J., White, Sue, Sharma, Bibhya, Wakeling, Lara, Naiker, Mani, Chandra, Shaneel, Gopalan, Romila Devi and Bilimoria, Veena. (2015). Attitude to the study of chemistry and its relationship with achievement in an introductory undergraduate course. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. 15(2), pp. 33 - 41. https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v15i2.13283
Cell culture metabolomics in the diagnosis of lung cancer - The influence of cell culture conditions
Kalluri, U., Naiker, Mani and Myers, M. A.. (2014). Cell culture metabolomics in the diagnosis of lung cancer - The influence of cell culture conditions. Journal of Breath Research. 8(2), pp. 1 - 10. https://doi.org/10.1088/1752-7155/8/2/027109
Approaches to study in undergraduate nursing students in regional Victoria, Australia
Brown, Stephen, Wakeling, Lara, Naiker, Mani and White, Sue. (2014). Approaches to study in undergraduate nursing students in regional Victoria, Australia. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship. 11(1), pp. 155 - 164. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijnes-2014-0020
Quantifying attitude to chemistry in students at the University of the South Pacific
Brown, Stephen, Sharma, B. N., Wakeling, Lara, Naiker, Mani, Chandra, Shaneel, Gopalan, R. D. and Bilimoria, V. B.. (2014). Quantifying attitude to chemistry in students at the University of the South Pacific. Chemistry Education Research and Practice. 15(2), pp. 184 - 191. https://doi.org/10.1039/c3rp00155e