Chemistry Is in the News: Assessment of Student Attitudes toward Authentic News Media-Based Learning Activities

Abstract

Chemistry Is in the News (CIITN) activities were assessed for an implementation in a large lecture organic chemistry course at the University of Missouri–Columbia. The activities consisted of the study, creation and peer review of "news portfolios" by collaborative student groups. A news portfolio consists of news articles with interpretive comments and questions. It was the primary purpose of these activities to make explicit connections between organic chemistry and societal issues and to require students to think critically about these connections. The present assessment of CIITN is focused on student acceptance of the project because students' acceptance is essential for any curriculum development. A systematic study was performed using qualitative and quantitative measures to assess the CIITN implementation, particularly with regards to (i) the effectiveness of the CIITN technical component, (ii) the student perception of CIITN, and (iii) the students' utilization of collaborative groups. Several important findings were made that have clear and direct implications for improvements and integration into courses of these teaching materials. The most important result of the assessment is the finding of a significant correlation between students' initial expectations about the group projects and learning outcomes.