The tutorials in a second-year chemistry bachelor’s course typically involve students working through problem sets and seeking help when needed. In recent years, student attendance and engagement in these tutorials have declined. To boost student participation and engagement, POGIL activities were introduced into the tutorials.

Background information

Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) is an active learning approach in which small teams of students work together to build knowledge. POGIL has been linked to many benefits, such as improved academic performance and increased student interaction. Incorporating POGIL-activities may therefore result in increased student participation and engagement.

Aims

This project aims to answer the following research questions

• Do the POGIL tutorials result in higher student engagement relative to the traditional tutorials?
• What are student attitudes towards POGIL tutorials relative to the traditional tutorials?

Project description

POGIL activities were integrated into three of the six tutorials of the course, replacing traditional problem sets with scaffolded, inquiry-based tasks using the principles of POGIL. To answer the first question, students completed a survey measuring engagement and tutorials were directly observed. To explore student attitudes towards POGIL tutorials versus traditional tutorials, semi-structured student interviews were conducted after the course.

Results & Conclusions

The following key findings were a result of the project:

• Students liked the new style of worksheet but found it less desirable to work in randomly assigned groups. When asked which tutorial style was preferred on the final survey, 45% of students selected the new style, 37% selected the traditional style, and 18% had no preference. The preference for the new tutorial style was primarily based on the structure of the POGIL activities (e.g., inclusion of background material, approachable questions, and direct connection with lecture content). The preference for traditional-style tutorials was mostly driven by the fact that students were given the choice to work with friends or alone.
• Working in self-selected groups can benefit social engagement, although sometimes at the cost of behavioral and cognitive engagement. While the engagement survey did not indicate any strong relationship between tutorial style and student engagement, student interviews suggested that the type of group work may impact which form of engagement is activated. Working with friends in a self-selected group may feel more comfortable socially, but oftentimes this can lead to students being easily distracted. Conversely, if students are put into random groups, then the social pressure of being with those who are less familiar can result in an increase in focus.

References

• Chapter 19. (2008). A multi-institutional assessment of the use of POGIL in organic chemistry. In R. S. Moog & J. N. Spencer (Eds.), Process oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) (ACS Symposium Series). American Chemical Society. https://doi.org/10.1021/bk-2008-0994

• Myers, T., Monypenny, R., & Trevathan, J. (2012). Overcoming the glassy-eyed nod: An application of process-oriented guided inquiry learning techniques in information technology. Journal of Learning Design, 5(1), 12–22. https://doi.org/10.5204/jld.v5i1.97

• Naibert, N., & Barbera, J. (2022). Development and evaluation of a survey to measure student engagement at the activity level in general chemistry. Journal of Chemical Education, 99(3), 1410–1419. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c01145

• Naibert, N., & Barbera, J. (2022). Investigating student engagement in general chemistry active learning activities using the Activity Engagement Survey (AcES). Journal of Chemical Education, 99(7), 2620–2629. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.2c00276

• Vincent-Ruz, P., Meyer, T., Roe, S. G., & Schunn, C. D. (2020). Short-term and long-term effects of POGIL in a large-enrollment general chemistry course. Journal of Chemical Education, 97(5), 1228–1238. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b01052