Designing a Remote, Synchronous, Hands-On General Chemistry Lab Course

The development of a remote, synchronous general chemistry lab course, which was offered to 800 students in the fall semester of 2020, is described. The course was designed with similar curricular goals as our in-person lab course and featured chemistry kits developed by a team of faculty, staff, and graduate TAs. The kits, which were distributed via a rental program through the university bookstore, provided students the opportunity to conduct hands-on experiments at home or in their dorm room. To create the remote lab course, the team negotiated logistical and curricular issues such as finding alternatives to costly precision glassware and instrumentation, adding strategies for engaging students online, decreasing chemical hazards of experiments, and encouraging a safety culture for students working remotely. A professional development graduate course for TA instructors, associated with the general chemistry lab program, was also enhanced by including topics that were relevant for understanding remote learning environments. In redesigning the lab course for remote delivery, we developed new experiments (e.g., calibration), introduced new engagement strategies (e.g., badging), revised several experiments (e.g., heats of reaction), included an Arduino-based spectrometer (e.g., visible spectroscopy and pulse oximetry), and provided new student supports (e.g., TAs on-call). Survey data was gathered to assess student evaluation of the hands-on activities, the presence of synchronous TA help, the badging experience, the value of the lab course, and challenges faced in taking the lab course during a pandemic.