Oral Reports in an Organic Chemistry Laboratory Curriculum

Area of Science:

• Chemistry Education
• Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Background:

• Traditional chemistry lab assessments rely heavily on written reports, offering delayed feedback.
• Oral assessments show promise for enhancing student engagement and comprehension but face implementation hurdles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an oral laboratory report format in Organic Chemistry II.
• To address logistical challenges of oral assessments while preserving their benefits for communication skills development.

Main Methods:

• Implemented a technical, conversational oral lab report format.
• Utilized a rubric based on the Science Writing Heuristic principles.
• Compared student scores on oral versus written lab reports.

Main Results:

• Students scored higher on oral lab reports than on analogous written reports.
• Oral reports yielded significantly higher scores than written reports for experiments of similar complexity.
• In-person and virtual oral reports showed no significant difference in student scores.

Conclusions:

• Oral lab reports are an effective method for assessing chemistry undergraduates' understanding and communication skills.
• This approach can overcome challenges associated with traditional assessments, offering immediate feedback and improved learning outcomes.
• Oral assessments can be successfully implemented in various formats, including virtual settings.