Chapter 20: Digital Tools for Equitable In-person and Remote Chemistry Learning
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Published:12 Jul 2023
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Special Collection: 2023 ebook collection
R. Pullen, A. Motion, S. Schmid, S. George-Williams, S. Wilkinson, and S. Leach, in Digital Learning and Teaching in Chemistry, ed. Y. Dori, C. Ngai, and G. Szteinberg, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2023, ch. 20, pp. 249-265.
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While the debate around the best way to utilise laboratory sessions continues in the chemistry education community, few would disagree that they are an integral part of any chemistry training program or degree. Laboratory sessions are an important tool to engage students with chemistry and more importantly, are a means to test, measure and, ultimately, influence molecular interactions to overcome real-world issues. The incorporation of digital tools into laboratory learning provides an opportunity to enhance student learning and to provide opportunities for distance learning in chemistry. Two important considerations for our students when implementing digital tools include: (1) equity of access for a diverse group of potential students, and (2) facilitating participation and belongingness for students learning by distance. This chapter will highlight literature examples of laboratory learning assisted by digital tools that support laboratories as a ‘place to learn how to do chemistry’. Through a case study from an Australian university, we will explore best practice in digital laboratory learning for both in-person and remote students, with a particular focus on how modern technological advances can help to improve learning outcomes for diverse student cohorts.