1. What is conceptual learning in chemistry and why should we promote it?
David Yaron+, Michael Karabinos+, Jodi Davenport*, Jordi Cuadros+ Department of Chemistry+ and Psychology*, Carnegie Mellon University Gaea Leinhardt, Jim Greeno, Karen Evans Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh Laura Bartolo+, John Portman* Department of Information Science+ and Biology*, Kent State University W. Craig Carter, and Donald Sadoway Department of Materials Science, MIT

2. Digital Library and Projects Overview
Materials for Introductory chemistry Virtual labs Scenario based learning Tutorials
Can a digital library provide a community space for promoting conceptual learning in chemistry?
NSDL
ChemDL
MatDL
Chem Ed DL
Portal for all of chemistry
Collaboration between ACS and J. Chem. Ed.
OLI
Full online courses
PSLC
Fundamental studies to advance the theory of learning
ChemCollective
Pittsburgh Science
of Learning Center
PSLC
Open Learning Initiative
OLI

3. ChemCollective as a Digital Library
Learning Technologist
Learning Scientists
Educators
Configurable virtual lab
Tools for creating explanations and assessments
Tools for data collection
Activity and curriculum creation
Feedback on classroom use
Domain analysis
Learning assessment

4. What is conceptual learning?
Physics’ Force Concept Inventory
Mathematical problem solving does not necessarily lead to ability to answer qualitative questions
Students learn what they practice.
Physics’ answer to “What is conceptual learning?”
Non-conceptual instruction
students struggle with hard problems
Conceptual instruction
Couple mathematical problem solving with qualitative questions

5. Four projects related to conceptual learning
Being systematic about the goals of instruction and aligning the instruction to these goals
Four projects related to conceptual learning
Virtual lab
What is needed for scientific literacy?
Teaching chemical equilibrium
Molecular science across disciplines

6. Virtual laboratory Goal: Connecting mathematics to authentic chemistry
Approach: Problem solving that involves experimental design and data analysis
Virtual Lab: Ability to “see” inside a solution removes one level of indirection in chemical problem solving

7. Classroom uses In a computer lab • As take-home work
Pre- and post-labs • Lab make-ups
Supplement to in-class demonstrations
Current topic list
Molarity - Stoichiometry
Quantitative analysis - Chemical equilibrium
Solubility - Thermochemistry
Acids and bases
Problem types
Predict and check
Virtual experiment
Labs designed to be similar to common physical labs
Puzzle problems (open-ended and inquiry based experiments)

8. Virtual lab use
Replacing textbook-style problems with experimental design and data analysis problems
Breaks shallow “means-ends” problem solving strategy
4 sections of students working alone; 4-5 instructors/observers
The Virtual Lab format requires students to go beyond matching words to equations
Typical textbook problem
“When 10ml of 1M A was mixed with 10ml of 1M B, the temperature went up by 10 degrees. What is the heat of the reaction between A and B?”
Virtual Lab problem
“Construct an experiment to measure the heat of reaction between A and B?”
Demo the camping problem.
Then move into: oh, they had trouble with this… why… verbally say what makes heat hard.

9. Virtual lab use
“The virtual lab contains 1M solutions of A, B, C, and D. Construct experiments to determine the reaction between these reagents”
100 mL 1 M A mL 1 M C  M A M B M D
50 % of students put A as reactant and product
A + C  A + B + D
Actual reaction
A + 2 C  B + D

10. Virtual lab use
“The virtual lab contains 1M solutions of A, B, C, and D. Construct experiments to determine the reaction between these reagents”
100 mL 1 M A mL 1 M C  M A M B M D
Find stoichiometry through titration
Slowly add 1M A to 100 ml of C until all the C is consumed
50 mL of A leads to 1:2 ratio of A to C in the reaction
A + 2 C 

11. Virtual lab use Single step solution
“The virtual lab contains 1M solutions of A, B, C, and D. Construct experiments to determine the reaction between these reagents”
Single step solution
Mix equal volumes of 1M A, 1M B, 1M C, and 1M
A B C D
Initial
Change
Final
A + 2 C  B + D

12. Assessment within a large lecture course
Study at Carnegie Mellon
Second semester intro course, 150 students
Information used
Pretest
9 homework activities (virtual labs with templated feedback)
3 hour exams
2 pop exams (practice exam given 5 days before hour exam)
Final exam

13. Correlations
Pre
Test
Home-work
Pop Exam
Exam
Final
test
1.00
Home work
0.03
Pop
0.50
0.15
0.32
0.43
0.51
0.23
0.58
0.37
0.59

14. Regression and structural equation model
Linear regression accounts for 48% of the variance in the final grades
Influence of homework accounts for half of the model predictions
Structural equation model supports conclusions drawn from the regression

15. Assessment within OLI online stoichiometry module
Text-only
Mean=65
Multimedia
Mean=77
Study design
Treatment (20): Online course including a scenario, tutors and virtual lab homework
Control (20): Paper and pencil, worked examples and practice
Assessment was traditional problem solving of quantitative stoichiometry problems, and some qualitative questions
Virtual Lab use was positively correlated with better performance.

16. Conceptual learning in chemistry: What is it?
Virtual laboratory
Connecting mathematics to authentic chemistry
What is needed for scientific literacy?
Teaching chemical equilibrium
Molecular science across disciplines

17. Conceptual learning in chemistry: What is it?
Virtual laboratory
Connecting mathematics to authentic chemistry
What is needed for scientific literacy?
Teaching chemical equilibrium
Molecular science across disciplines

18. Traditional high school course structure
CA state standards
Standard 1 Atomic and Molecular Structure
Standard 2 Chemical Bonds
Standard 3 Conservation of Matter and Stoichiometry
Standard 4 Gases and Their Properties
Standard 5 Acids and Bases
Standard 6 Solutions
Standard 7 Chemical Thermodynamics
Standard 8 Reaction Rates
Standard 9 Chemical Equilibrium
Standard 10 Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry
Standard 11 Nuclear Processes
Current chemistry AP exam guides are similarly structured around chemistry topic list

19. Domain analysis for chemical literacy
Evidence of the domain as practiced
Nobel prizes for past 50 years ( )
NY Times Science Times for 2002 (54 reports)
Scientific American News Bites for 2002 (32 reports)
Evidence of the domain as taught
CA state content standards
Best selling textbooks

20. Process (How to determine
Domain map
EXPLAIN
ANALYZE
SYNTHESIZE
Hypothesis
Generation
Testing
Goal (What do you
want to know?)
Process (How to determine
What you have)
Functional
Motifs
Structural
Assembly
TOOLBOX
Representational
Systems
Quantification

21. Full domain map
Evans, Karabinos, Leinhardt & Yaron, J. Chem. Ed. (2006)

22. Results of text analysis
Synthesize
Analyze
Explain
Toolbox
Chem in the World
Chem in Textbooks

23. Scenarios: Examples Mixed reception (molecular weight, stoichiometry)
Cyanine dyes binding to DNA (equilibrium, Beer’s law)
Meals read-to-eat (thermochemistry)
Mission to mars (redox, thermochemistry)
Arsenic poisoning of wells in Bangladesh (stoichiometry, titration, analytical spectroscopy)
Ozone destruction (kinetics)

24. Conceptual learning in chemistry: What is it?
Virtual laboratory
Connecting mathematics to authentic chemistry
What is needed for scientific literacy?
Replacing skills focus with knowledge of what chemists do
Teaching chemical equilibrium
Molecular science across disciplines

25. Conceptual learning in chemistry: What is it?
Virtual laboratory
Connecting mathematics to authentic chemistry
What is needed for scientific literacy?
Replacing skills focus with knowledge of what chemists do
Teaching chemical equilibrium
Molecular science across disciplines

26. Chemical equilibrium
Goal: Discovery why this topic is so difficult to learn, and try to fix it
Approach:
Domain analysis
Student talk alouds on traditional problems
Discovered “implicit knowledge” that could be made explicit in the instruction

27. Chemical equilibrium
Goal: Discovery why this topic is so difficult to learn, and try to fix it
Approach:
Domain analysis
1. Utility of the knowledge
2. Detailed structure of the knowledge
3. Psychological aspects of the knowledge
Student talk alouds on traditional problems
Discovered “implicit knowledge” that could be made explicit in the instruction

28. Chemical equilibrium / Acid-base chemistry
1) Utility of the knowledge
How is this knowledge used in organic chemistry and molecular biology
Compare pH to pKa to determine ionization state
Buffers used to control pH (qualitative not quantitative)
Titration as an analytical technique
Current instruction
1: Almost a footnote (in the pH indicators section)
2-3: Coverage may not be sufficiently qualitative

29. Chemical equilibrium / Acid-base chemistry
2) Detailed structure of the knowledge
Need to be flexible with “progress of reaction”
General strategy (majority/minority species strategy)
3) Psychological aspects of the knowledge
LeChatlier (especially with addition/removal of a species) is most retained concept
Broad confusion regarding “progress of reaction”
Q (current state) vs. K (state towards which system tends)
Meaning of “initial” vs. “equilibrium” state

30. LeChatlier’s principle plays role of “prior knowledge”
What can we build on?
LeChatlier’s principle plays role of “prior knowledge”
Human respiration is scenario to which to attach “initial” vs. “equilibrium” state
Blood entering lungs and muscles experiences a new initial state
Blood leaving lungs and muscles has reached a new equilibrium state

31. Based on expert/novice protocol study
Progress of Reaction
Based on expert/novice protocol study
2NO N2O4

32. Majority / Minority Problem Solving Strategy
Old instruction
“Small x approximation”
Highly mathematical
New instruction
Majority/minority species strategy
Couples the problem solving steps to qualitative reasoning

33. Old
Instruction
Small x
approximation

34. New
Instruction
Step 1: Push strong reactions to completion (identify majority species)
Step 2: Use K=Q to find [ ]’s of minority species

35. Results
Coordination of core concepts with problem solving procedures led to large improvement in problem solving performance.

36. Majority vs. minority species
A general strategy
Find all strong reactions (K>>1)
Acid base: OH- + H+ ; HA + OH- and A- + H+
Solubility: M+ + X- and M+ + L
Thought experiment: Assume large K’s are infinite and do a limiting reagent calculation
All species that do not go to zero, are majority species and you now know their concentration
Determine minority species, via equilibrium expressions (K=Q)

37. Conceptual learning in chemistry: What is it?
Virtual laboratory
Connecting mathematics to authentic chemistry
What is needed for scientific literacy?
Replacing skills focus with knowledge of what chemists do
Teaching chemical equilibrium
Connecting problem solving procedures to chemical concepts/mental models
Molecular science across disciplines

38. Conceptual learning in chemistry: What is it?
Virtual laboratory
Connecting mathematics to authentic chemistry
What is needed for scientific literacy?
Replacing skills focus with knowledge of what chemists do
Teaching chemical equilibrium
Connecting problem solving procedures to chemical concepts/mental models
Molecular science across disciplines

39. Conceptual frameworks that cross disciplines
Scope is molecular science
How molecular structure and motion lead to emergent macroscopic properties
The synthesis/engineering of structures with desirable properties
Build materials for discipline-specific courses, but that use a common core set of materials to show interdisciplinary connections
Experts from multiple domains (chemistry, materials science, biophysics) met to identify concepts/frameworks that are
Central to their domain
Have strong leverage
Are difficult to teach/learn

40. Outcome of the Design Process
Reaction paths and energy landscapes
Used to describe, for example,
Organic chemistry reactions
Diffusion on surfaces
Protein folding/unfolding

41. Analyze content with experts, novices and psychologists
Development process
Analyze content with experts, novices and psychologists
Sequential focus on aspects of the diagram
What is Q?
What is temperature?
Energy vs. free energy

42. What is the reaction coordinate Q?

43. Motion connected to a heat bath

44. Coordination

45. Entropy: Energy vs. free energy

46. Other conceptual frameworks of molecular science
Reaction paths and energy landscapes
Molecular forces
e.g. Structure formation at different temperatures
Economies of exchange
Heat, proton (acid/base) and electron (redox) exchange
How natural and designed systems promote one chemical process over another
e.g. Kinetic vs. thermodynamic control

47. Conceptual learning in chemistry: What is it?
Virtual laboratory
Connecting mathematics to authentic chemistry
What is needed for scientific literacy?
Replacing skills focus with knowledge of what chemists do
Teaching chemical equilibrium
Connecting problem solving procedures to chemical concepts/mental model
Molecular science across disciplines
Conceptual frameworks that have broad utility

48. Digital library assessment
Web logs
Monitoring the pathway from seeing to contributing
Target audience: 9000 college and 100,000 high school instructors
See the collection: 7000
Use the collection: 200
Contribute to the collection: 62
11 have contributed activities (56 activities)
11 have contributed translations (11 languages, 70 activities)
40 have given feedback, 13 volunteered for learning studies

49. Closing comments
Can digital libraries serve as community spaces for promoting conceptual teaching and learning of chemistry?
Virtual lab does get reused and repurposed
Homework tool
Many instructors find the approach compelling
Chemical equilibrium and cross-disciplinary materials
Too soon to tell
Shifting high school chemistry from skills to literacy
No progress yet

50. Thanks To LRDC, University of Pittsburgh Carnegie Mellon Funding
Erin Fried
Jason Chalecki
Greg Hamlin
Brendt Thomas
Stephen Ulrich
Jason McKesson
Aaron Rockoff
Jon Sung
Jean Vettel
Rohith Ashok
Joshua Horan
LRDC, University of Pittsburgh
Gaea Leinhardt
Jim Greeno
Karen Evans
Baohui Zhang
Carnegie Mellon
Michael Karabinos
Jodi Davenport
Donovan Lange
D. Jeff Milton
Jordi Cuadros
Rea Freeland
Emma Rehm
William McCue
David H. Dennis
Tim Palucka
Jef Guarent
Amani Ahmed
Giancarlo Dozzi
Katie Chang
Funding
NSF: CCLI, NSDL, SLC
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Dreyfus Foundation