My fall 2014 URSP project consists of
assisting the professor in the ALT room and assessing student involvement. In
the classroom, I am monitoring student engagement, course time management, and
assisting the learning assistants in who in tern answer student questions. My
main focus is assessing student analysis of their learning goals through
surveys given out online before and after each exam. This allows for real time
feedback on student reflections of their learning process with regards to the
course and allows the professor to address frustrations associated with the
course as a whole.
I became interested in my project in
2012 when one of my lecture professors was complicating flipping their course.
The idea of active learning appealed to me as a student who excels in a
hands-on environment and because I am easily distracted in typical lectures. After
looking at current research in chemical education involving active learning and
hearing that the STEM Accelerator’s LA program was looking for general
chemistry learning assistants (LA) I approached my professor about a possible
position for her course. I applied to the STEM Accelerators LA program, was
accepted, and the following spring we proceeded with the course half flipped.
We then continued reformatting and researching active learning and this is are
second semester running the class fully flipped.
Chemical education research on active
learning is part of my future goals as I finish out my education concentration
and teachers licensure in the state of Virginia. I hope to teach high school chemistry
as I peruse master’s degree in chemical education. Partaking in undergraduate
research in the field I wish to peruse has helped me identity exactly what I
like and dislike about the field and what aspects of chemical education I want
to focus on in the future.
A week in the life of my project
includes attending the course lecture and meeting with each of my mentors separately
during the week. I make sure that all of the materials that were created over
the summer are finalized, ready to presenting in class, and are organized correctly
in blackboard. I also make sure that the online homework system is functioning
and field student questions regarding the assignments. My main task during the
week is to observe the students during class and create the questionnaires. I
look at the findings from the questionnaires and compare them with course assessments
and participation. I monitor student misconceptions and work with the professor
to address these issues so students continue to build on their learning. This
week I learned that repeating the key concepts, helping students identify them
in different problems, and providing ways for students to interpret the
concepts through various definitions is a skill that greatly assists in the
learning process.
