Learning through Writing about Environmentally Significant Analysis using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy

化学(12)旧金山大学(USF)化学专业的学生在实验室入门课程中完成许多传统的湿化学技术。在这个项目中，我们利用原子吸收光谱仪(AAS)和基于网络的书面学习技术(校准同行评议，CPR)来探索普通化学和分析化学课程中的环境化学问题。我们正在从化学教育文献中改编一些对环境有意义的化学实验，以提高对技术主题的概念理解，发展阅读内容和科学写作的技能，并将写作作业与使用原子吸收光谱仪的动手实验联系起来。使用美国国家科学基金会资助的分子科学项目开发的基于网络的校准同行评议(CPR)计划，正在修改关于环境问题的在线来源材料和使用原子吸收光谱发表的实验，用于实验室前和实验室后的写作作业。一年级和二年级的普通理科和分析化学专业的学生，以及一组普通教育课程的非理科专业的学生都受到了该项目的影响。作业旨在探索原子吸收光谱分析如何帮助识别环境问题。直接的影响包括：(I)通过阅读内容和写作作业的同行评议的CPR教学方法，加深对环境问题的理解；(Ii)使入门学生接触到高质量的分析仪器；以及(Iii)对量化化学更有信心和兴趣。我们通过跟踪学生的考试成绩、写作作业和安排与学生的非正式讨论来评估学生的信心和学习。

Chemistry (12)Chemistry students at the University of San Francisco (USF) complete many traditional wet chemistry techniques in their introductory lab courses. With this project, we are making use of an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) and web-based writing-to-learn technology (Calibrated Peer Review, CPR) to explore environmental chemistry problems in general and analytical chemistry courses. We are adapting a number of environmentally significant chemistry experiments from the chemical education literature to improve conceptual understanding of technical subjects, to develop skills in reading for content and in scientific writing, and to link the writing assignment to hands-on experiments using atomic absorption spectroscopy.On-line source material on environmental problems and published experiments using AAS are being adapted for pre-lab and post-lab writing assignments using the web-based Calibrated Peer Review (CPR) program developed by the NSF-funded Molecular Science Project. First and second year science students in general and analytical chemistry, plus a group of non-science majors in a general education course are impacted by the project. Assignments are designed to explore how quantitative analysis by AAS can help identify environmental problems. The immediate impact includes (i) a deeper understanding of an environmental problem via the CPR pedagogy of reading for content and peer-review of writing assignments, (ii) exposure of introductory students to high quality analytical instrumentation, and (iii) more confidence and interest in quantitative chemistry. We are assessing student confidence and learning by conducting surveys tracking their exam performance, their writing assignments and by arranging informal discussions with students.