The BCILN Project

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The BC-ILN Project
Sharon E. Brewer Bruno Cinel
Chemistry Department,
BCNet Conference April 2007
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Outline

• The BC-Integrated Laboratory Network (BC-ILN)
• Why did we decide to take on this project?
• What have we done and plan to do?
• How has this project affected our thinking on
  teaching?
• How has it impacted our vision for science
  education and curriculum?

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Why? An Opportunity to develop a BC-ILN

• April 2005, UCC became Thompson Rivers
  University
• New TRU Mandate
• Fit with Faculty of Science
• philosophy of Hands on
• Desire to have this approach
• begin in first year and extend
• this experience to our Regional campus
• March 2006, we developed a joint BCcampus
  proposal
• involving TRU, UBC-V, WWU, and UNBC

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Bridging the Distance
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What have we done in 8 months?

• Getting started
• Received BCcampus OPDF for 3 years
• Held a orientation workshop in Kamloops last
  August
• Signed a Memorandum Of Understanding and
  completed our ethics approval forms
• Purchased and installed an Atomic Absorption
  Spectrometer with an auto-sampler
• Identified and purchased desktop
  sharing/audio/video systems to support the remote
  experience

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What have we done in 8 months?

• Developing Learning and Laboratory experiences
• Goal before we incorporated remote operation,
  we wanted to assess our labs first to see if
  they were meeting our learning outcomes
• Modified the first year AAS lab to run in
  traditional face to face format
• Ran focus groups with first year chemistry
  students
• Surveyed all first year chemistry students pre-
  and post-lab experience

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What have we done in 8 months?

• First Year Chemistry Student Survey
• asked prelab questions on their
• chemistry background
• preparation and knowledge of the lab
• engagement/interest/enjoyment of labs
• perceptions of labs, lab manuals,
  instrumentation, and learning objectives
• Asked postlab questions on the lab
• readdressing the above questions
• seeing if our modified lab is improved or not

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What have we done in 8 months?

• Developing Connections
• Established remote operation connections (network
  camera, Atomic Absorption Spectrometer) from
  Williams Lake and UNBC to TRU
• Set up a server to host www.bciln.ca domain
• Are assisting in the Development of a Website
  portal to the ILN network

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Future BC-ILN Plans

• Developing Learning and Laboratory experiences
• Modifying the first year AAS lab for remote
  operation by partner institutions
• Creating AAS and GC-MS activities for 3rd year
  instrumental analysis students
• Investigating remote operation of other
  instruments through the larger ILN community
  (SEM, NMR, XRF)
• KEY all these activities are valuable
  mindful learning opportunities that were
  previously not available

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Future BC-ILN Plans

• Survey needs and
• opportunities at other
• BC institutions where
• budgetary concerns
• have limited activities
• available

See inset
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Impacts on teaching

• How has this project affected our thinking on
  teaching?
• Why do we teaching the way we do?
• Why do we run our labs the way we do?
• Thinking about mindful and meaningful
  learning activities both in the classroom and the
  laboratory
• Striving to define/establish best practices
• Evaluate the impacts on student learning and
  teaching practice

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Impacts on teaching

• How has it impacted our vision for science
  education and curriculum?
• Liberating experience that opens you to all the
  possibilities outside of the traditional face to
  face,
• 3 hour scheduled lab block
• Envision the establishment of an online learning
  community sharing resources and activities where
  learners are exposed to scientific experiences
  previously unavailable
• Studies are planned through collaborations with
  Dr. Norm Friesen, a Canada Research Chair in
  e-learning practices to investigate student
  learning using the ILN

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Thanks and Acknowledgements

• BCcampus Online Program Development Fund
• TRU Wayne Pinette, Trent Hammer
• Marten Lettinga, Kevin ONeil
• Michelle Harrison, Norm Friesen
• Our partners at WWU Devon Cancilla, Erin
  Macri
• UBC Simon Albon
• UNBC Daniel Erasmus
• Umesh Parshotam