Transforming STEM Education at Small Rural Colleges: Incorporation of Remote Access NMR to Create an Authentic Laboratory Environment

该项目将核磁共振光谱仪引入一个远程访问仪器网络，服务于北部平原的五所小型农村学院。远程访问协作实验和小型项目正在开发中，这些实验和项目适用于学生团队，这些学生团队不会在实际情况下彼此见面。注册入门化学、普通化学和有机化学的学生，无论他们在哪里，都可以直接操作核磁共振来分析他们自己的样品。正在为参与该项目的教员建立一个在线教学社区，以促进对利用远程访问仪器网络加强学生学习的策略的进一步了解。智力价值包括开发新的课程材料和教学方法，通过提供真实的实践学习经验，而不是依赖模拟和出版的材料，改变小型、偏远大学教育学生的方式。该提案的更广泛影响包括通过收购NMR改善所有五个校区的教学和研究基础设施。多层评价被用来衡量对学生的影响(a)内容知识、实验室技能和参与度，(b)在实验室和课堂课程之间转移和整合知识的能力，以及(c)专业技能，如批判性思维、沟通、协作和专业行为。该项目的好处和挑战的传播为其他小型学院提供了一个模型，以提供对现代仪器的动手远程访问。

This project is introducing an NMR spectrometer to a remote access instrumentation network serving five small, rural colleges in the northern plains. Remote access collaboration experiments and mini-projects are being developed for student teams who will not physically meet each other. Students enrolled in introductory, general and organic chemistry, regardless of their location, directly operate the NMR to analyze their own samples. An online teaching and learning community for the instructors involved in the project is being established to promote additional understanding of strategies to enhance student learning using remote access instrumentation networks. The intellectual merit includes development of new curricular materials and pedagogies to transform how small, remote colleges approach educating students, by providing authentic hands-on learning experiences, instead of relying on simulations and published materials. The broader impacts of the proposal include improved infrastructure for teaching and research at all five campuses through acquisition of the NMR. Multi-layered evaluation is being used to measure the impact on students' (a) content knowledge, laboratory skills and engagement, (b) ability to transfer and integrate knowledge between the laboratory and lecture courses, and (c) professional skills, such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration and professional behaviors. Dissemination of the project's benefits and challenges provides a model for other small colleges to provide hands-on remote access to modern instrumentation.