Remote Teaching of Chemistry Laboratory Courses during COVID-19

Abstract

This paper describes the transfer from face-to-face education toemergency remote teaching of chemistry laboratory courses in a bachelor's degree inPharmacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The virtualization was carried out usingvideos of each experimental practice and questionnaires containing the experimentaldata needed. The contents were integrated into the virtual platform BlackboardCollaborate, where tutorials and remote support from the teachers were provided tosolve the issues raised. The didactic strategy was very positive: it turned the studentsinto active learners, fostering knowledge sharing and promoting the self-management of their learning process. The teachers acted as guides, raisingquestions, and provided continuous feedback to the students that contributed toknowledge assimilation and competence acquisition. The teaching-learning processwas evaluated through a rubric that graded the reports delivered by the students andafinal online test. The impact of this teaching methodology was assessed bycomparing the students'marks with those obtained in the conventional on-site education before the pandemic and feedback fromthe students via surveys. This study provides a unique experience on how a traditional instruction can be adapted to remote teachingin analytical chemistry laboratories, providing new tools that can be used in future pandemics or in other settings