Reassessing Undergraduate Polymer Chemistry Laboratory Experiments for Virtual Learning Environments

Abstract

Chemistry laboratory experiments are invaluable to students' acquisition of necessary synthetic, analytical, and instrumental skills during their undergraduate studies. However, the COVID-19 pandemic rendered face-to-face (f2f), in-person teaching laboratory experiences impossible from late 2019-2020 and forced educators to rapidly develop new solutions to deliver chemistry laboratory education remotely. Unfortunately, achieving learning and teaching objectives to the same caliber of in-person experiments is very difficult through distance learning. To overcome these hurdles, educators have generated many virtual and remote learning options for not only foundational chemistry courses but also laboratory experiments. Although the pandemic challenged high-level chemistry education, it has also created an opportunity for both students and educators to be more cognizant of virtual learning opportunities and their potential benefits within chemistry curriculum. Irrespective of COVID-19, virtual learning techniques, especially virtual lab experiments, can complement f2f laboratories and offer a cost-efficient, safe, and environmentally sustainable alternative to their in-person counterparts. Implementation of virtual and distance learning techniques-including kitchen chemistry and at-home laboratories, prerecorded videos, live-stream video conferencing, digital lab environment, virtual and augmented reality, and others-can provide a wide-ranging venue to teach chemistry laboratories effectively and encourage diversity and inclusivity in the field. Despite their relevance to real-world applications and potential to expand upon fundamental chemical principles, polymer lab experiments are underrepresented in the virtual platform. Polymer chemistry education can help prepare students for industrial and academic positions. The impacts of polymers in our daily life can also promote students' interests in science and scientific research. Hence, the translation of polymer lab experiments into virtual settings improves the accessibility of polymer chemistry education. Herein, we assess polymer experiments in the emergence of virtual learning environments and provide suggestions for further incorporation of effective polymer teaching and learning techniques into virtual settings.