Apologies up front to those who read receive this by more than one route. I'm working on an idea to expand our undergraduate chem lab safety training and, as always, I'd appreciate any ideas - particularly of those who might consider employing our students in the future. Nothing is happening with this immediately, so blue-sky thinking is encouraged. Please circulate the query to anyone you think may have good suggestions. We've been working on the assumption that different people learn differently - no news to anyone who teaches. Our lab safety materials and lab rules are available in a variety of formats: a student can attend a lecture, read a study guide with practice test questions, or contact the lab staff for information, clarification, etc., but it's all very much centered on reading. One route we haven't pursued is a hands-on set-up for those who learn by doing (or at least by seeing things done first hand). (Please don't tell me these are University students and they're supposed to be able to learn by reading - that's another argument.) I'm imagining a lab set up with various areas, using common lab equipment: a balance area, a gc operating area, a distillation set-up, a titration set-up, a dispensing area with materials in various forms, a hazardous waste collection area . . . . Each station would be designed to illustrate a correct procedure, while giving the teacher a chance to point out pitfalls and false assumptions ("your might think it would be easier to . . . ., but we've learned that it doesn't work well because. . . .) In some of my imaginings, this is a bingo-type game, where the student needs to find a certain pattern of items to fill out a card . . . (possibly to get a small prize??) I do realize that in the best situation, each TA in each lab would be doing something like this, but it isn't happening. If we can do something like this, it might be an inspiration to some of our TAs. Have you done something like this? Will you share your experience? What lab situations would be most valuable? What pitfall should we particularly highlight? What positive aspects of lab practice should be strongly emphasized? Is it worth the additional time involved to make it a game, rather than a demonstration? Teachers: How much time can students spend at something like this before their eyes glaze over? Teachers: What are the other pitfalls of this kind of teaching/presentation? Many thanks to you all, Sheila -- Sheila M. Kennedy Safety Coordinator Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry University of California, San Diego 9500 Gilman Dr. #0303 La Jolla, CA 92093-0303 (858) 534-0221
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