Basic Chemistry Lab
Purpose: The goal of this lab is to have students understand the different types of chemical bonds and be able to identify them by observing their characteristics.
Prior to this lab, class students were given homework assignments that had them go through a series of videos describing the material for this lab and background information.
Initial experiments are designed with a case-based learning model. Students are given the parameters to an experiment and are going to learn characteristics of each type of bond through experimentation.
In this second part of the lab, we will be implementing problem based learning. Earlier students were walked through testing chemical bonds in previously identified substances. In this new section, they will not be given the substance and they have to identify what type of bond it makes.
The reason we want students to have this problem-based learning time is because they need them to develop the ability to analyze and think independently. Nurses need the ability to interpret what various vitals signs are. One example where this is built on in later semesters is heart attacks. A heart attack can manifest various symptoms that can mean various things. But when seen together it points to a heart attack. Having students develop the skill to independently analyze data is key to being successful.