International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Volume 3, Number 1, January 2009

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Research Article

Excerpt

An Investigation of Online and Face-to-Face Communication in General Chemistry

This exploratory study investigated an online office hour and a face-to-face recitation for similarities and differences. The online office hour and face-to-face recitation were a part
of general chemistry courses taught at different universities. The courses covered the same material at the same level. The results of the investigation revealed that in the online environment students must articulate their ideas clearly to convey them in a text-only medium. The written text seemed to help the instructor to identify misinterpretations made by the students. The instructor-dominated hierarchy between instructor and student is present in both environments. When comparing the percentage of total student and instructor events (the sum of questions and statements) in the online environment, students’ events were significantly greater than instructor’s events. This finding is an indication that the online environment shows promise for improving student participation.

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Bios

Kellie Green
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
kfgreen@purdue.edu

I am a graduate student at Purdue University pursuing a Ph.D in Science Education.
I hold a B.S. in Chemistry from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and
a M.S. in Chemical Education from Purdue University. My current research project is the investigation of students’ development of scientific process skills, after engaging in a research-based laboratory. After receiving my degree, I plan to obtain a position in academia. While in academia, I plan to focus my efforts on K-12 outreach programs that promote science education in rural areas.

Aliya Rahman
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio, USA
rahmanam@muohio.edu

I am a Ph.D student in Miami University’s Department of Educational Leadership. I hold a B.S. in Chemistry Education and an M.S.Ed in Curriculum Studies from Purdue University, and my research focuses on the role of U.S. universities in international relations. I am currently involved in historical research on U.S.-China study abroad programs and their impact on knowledge production in the U.S. academy.

Erik Epp
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
erikepp@gmail.com

I am a graduate student at Purdue University where I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemical Education. I hold a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Michigan, and an M.S. in chemistry from the University of Chicago. My research interests lie in understanding the strategies students use to navigate hypermedia.

Gabriela Weaver
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
gweaver@purdue.edu

I received my B.S. degree in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and my Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder. I served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Colorado at Denver. During that time I shifted the focus of my research work from physical chemistry to educational research and the development of instructional technologies. I joined Purdue in 2001 as an Associate Professor. In 2004 I became Director of the Center for Authentic Science Practice in Education, funded by the Chemistry Division at NSF. I am now Professor of Chemistry and also serving as Associate Head in the Department of Chemistry and Interim Director of the Discovery Learning Center at Purdue University. I have been a co-author on two different first-year chemistry textbooks, and continue to be a contributing author to Chemistry in Context, a textbook produced by the American Chemical Society. I have also been the leader in several projects to develop instructional technologies including DVDs, websites and videogames for teaching chemistry.
Website: http://www.chem.purdue.edu/gweaver/

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