Problem Solving Videos for General Chemistry Review: Students' Perceptions and Use Patterns

Area of Science:

• Chemistry Education
• Educational Technology

Background:

• Traditional general chemistry courses often rely on lectures and review sessions.
• Student engagement and effective learning strategies are crucial for success in chemistry.
• Problem-solving videos (PSVs) offer a potential alternative or supplement to existing instructional methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of problem-solving videos (PSVs) as a replacement for general chemistry exam review sessions.
• To understand student perceptions of PSVs' utility in supporting chemistry content learning.
• To investigate how students utilize PSVs to enhance their learning process.

Main Methods:

• Student surveys assessing the perceived usefulness of various course components, including PSVs.
• Analysis of student viewing patterns for PSVs.
• Correlation of PSV view counts with exam schedules using YouTube analytics.

Main Results:

• Students ranked PSVs as more useful than textbooks and traditional exam review sessions.
• PSVs were frequently viewed, often multiple times, primarily for exam preparation.
• Key beneficial features identified by students include step-by-step explanations and control over the learning pace.
• YouTube data confirmed peak PSV viewership occurred just before and during exams.

Conclusions:

• PSVs are perceived by students as a highly effective tool for general chemistry learning and exam preparation.
• Integrating PSVs can optimize in-class time for higher-order thinking activities like active learning and group work.
• The findings support the strategic implementation of PSVs to enhance student learning outcomes in chemistry.