Application of Social Media in Chemistry Education: Incorporating

Chapter 3

Downloaded by UNIV OF FLORIDA on November 11, 2017 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date (Web): November 8, 2017 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2017-1270.ch003

Application of Social Media in Chemistry Education: Incorporating Instagram and Snapchat in Laboratory Teaching Rachel Rui Xia Lim,1 Alina Sihui Ang,1 and Fun Man Fung*,1,2 1Department

of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117543 2Institute for Application of Learning Science and Educational Technology (ALSET), University Hall, Lee Kong Chian Wing UHL #05-01D, 21 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119077 *E-mail: [email protected]

In the current era of generation Z, where technology is omnipresent in everyday life, university students check their social media applications (apps) every day. The pervasive usage of apps such as Instagram and Snapchat takes up a significant amount of the students’ time. Students often use them during classes, becoming distracted in the process. This challenge has thus motivated us to conduct a pilot project by making use of these two platforms for laboratory teaching purposes. We aim to integrate the element of urgency into the learning process and strengthen the concepts learned during the curriculum at any time where students can access course-related content at their convenience. We will also discuss the learning analytics of Instagram and Snapchat in this chapter.

Overview on Snapchat and Instagram Usage and Their Popularity According to a 2016 Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) study titled “Connected Life” (1) which surveyed more than 70,000 social media users across Asia Pacific, Instagram and Snapchat have surpassed Facebook. In Singapore, the use of © 2017 American Chemical Society Christiansen and Weber; Teaching and the Internet: The Application of Web Apps, Networking, and Online Tech for ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


Instagram and Snapchat is increasingly popular, with 63% of social media users who use Instagram, and 37% who use Snapchat. The younger generation makes up most social media application (app) users, with 85% of users aged 16 to 24 years old using Instagram and 58% using Snapchat. This age group includes university undergraduates. It was further reported that university students view these apps as a fundamental part of their lives. As a result, they are more inclined to select courses with social media components (2). Even though Instagram and Snapchat have been trialed in some overseas academic institutions, such as Grand Valley State University for organic chemistry (3) and Drake University for mass communications assignments (4), both Instagram and Snapchat have yet to be reported on regarding their integration in chemistry laboratory teaching. Mobile phone usage is not prohibited in our laboratory due to the consideration of possible emergency situations and capturing of experimental observations. Even though the use of mobile phones is allowed, students are prohibited from using them while conducting the experiment, to prevent any accidents and contamination of phones by chemicals. During reaction waiting time, students are advised to remove their gloves before using their phones to view the uploaded laboratory content. However, the main challenge of implementing Instagram and Snapchat as supplementary teaching tools is the possibility of distraction. Since students are also connected with their friends via these apps, they may visit their friends’ Instagram profiles or send snaps to their friends, instead of viewing the lecturer’s laboratory teaching. Nevertheless, the laboratory lecturer introduced the idea of using Instagram and Snapchat in his sophomore chemistry laboratory module and has noted good responses from his students. This paper seeks to provide insights on how lecturers can harness social technology tools for pedagogy purposes and highlights the comparisons between the social technology tools used for review. The social technology tools in this research paper are Instagram and Snapchat. For this chapter, the focus will be directed to the Instagram feed and Snapchat Stories.

Challenges Faced by Learners and Facilitators in Laboratory Teaching In a typical chemistry laboratory setting at the National University of Singapore, there are approximately forty students, one lecturer-in-charge and three Teaching Assistants (TA) in each laboratory session. This ratio of instructors to students poses a challenge in allowing all students’ questions to be answered immediately, especially with individual compartmentalized fume hoods that minimize movement of students. This organic/inorganic synthesis laboratory setting contrasts with analytical/physical laboratories that have open laboratory benches to promote communal learning and collective discussion. It is common that questions and problems arise when the students conduct the experiments. However, if the lecturer and TA are preoccupied in attending to other students’ 38 Christiansen and Weber; Teaching and the Internet: The Application of Web Apps, Networking, and Online Tech for ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


problems, there could be no one attending to these students’ questions fast enough. As a result, the students might not wait to ask and may eventually forget about the questions they have during the laboratory session. In the end, they would lose the opportunity to learn. In addition, it was also observed that long reflux time was involved in some organic synthetic reactions. During this reaction waiting time, students often checked their mobile phones and used social media apps to access information unrelated to chemistry, most often online apparel shopping. Since the students are already actively using social media during the laboratory session, and they all perform the same experiment, why not encourage peer-learning through social media and let the students chat on the reactions? Therefore, this pedagogy research project aims to mitigate these issues raised above through the usage of Instagram Feed and Snapchat Stories.

Methodology This pilot project was carried out on a cohort of 104 sophomore Chemistry students, taking CM2191 Experiments in Chemistry 2: Experiments in Organic and Inorganic Syntheses. This is a college practical module for chemistry majors in their second year of studies. The module spans a 10-week period, where students should attend a six-hour laboratory session each week. Students are required to attend a weekly two-hour lecture on the background theory of the experiments and the various safety aspects. Each student is assigned a fume hood to work individually on their synthetic experiments. There are usually about three graduate TAs present to assist the instructor during the laboratory sessions. These TAs help to guide the students as they proceed with their experiments, as well as ensure that the safety protocols are adhered to by the students. In this module, there are four organic experiments that the students must carry out. The experiments are “Synthesis of Pear Fragrance”, “Grignard Reaction: Reaction with Carbon Dioxide”, “Stereoselective Reduction of 4-tert-butylcyclohexanone”, and “Reaction between p-methoxyacetophenone and p-chlorobenzaldehyde”. Both Instagram and Snapchat were only incorporated into the organic synthesis experiments, which were done during the first half of the semester. The apps were not used during inorganic synthesis experiments, to find out if the absence of these apps would affect the students’ experiences and learning outcomes during the laboratory sessions. Based on our preliminary survey, it was discovered that 80 students were Instagram users and 61 students were Snapchat users. Since Instagram and Snapchat are auxiliary materials that we planned to utilize to aid learning, it was made known to the students at the beginning that joining these online platforms was entirely voluntary. There were 13 students who did not use either of these apps and only viewed lectures uploaded to the course website. However, these students did not miss out on learning, because all the images and videos that were uploaded onto Instagram and Snapchat were compiled into videos which 39 Christiansen and Weber; Teaching and the Internet: The Application of Web Apps, Networking, and Online Tech for ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


were shown during the CM2191 lecture as the lecturer, Mr. Fung Fun Man, went through the video content. During the laboratory sessions, the lecturer, who is the corresponding author in this paper, recorded laboratory content as he made his way around the fume hoods to check on the students’ progress. On the occasions when the lecturer demonstrated the use of lab instruments, a TA recorded the laboratory content instead. Most of the laboratory content recorded were demonstrations of correct laboratory techniques and setup improvisations. An example of a correct laboratory technique captured was a student using a plastic spatula to transfer the compounds onto weighing paper via a solid funnel into a round bottom flask instead of using a thermometer or even using gloved hands. Another example of a setup improvisation was noted when a student used a Keck clip to secure a dropping funnel for a moisture-sensitive experiment. The purpose of highlighting correct laboratory techniques and setup improvisations was to commend the students and motivate them to continue giving their best for the experiments, as well as to encourage their peers to follow their good examples. Other content included safety reminders and warnings of potential risks that could lead to accidents or cause bodily harm or health hazards to the students. An example captured focused on the height of the sash across various students’ fume hoods. A sash level that was too high would not have prevented chemical fumes from being inhaled by the student, thereby causing possible eye and respiratory tract irritations. This captured content helped to remind students to be aware of these risks to ensure a safe learning environment in the laboratory. In this pilot project, images and videos were taken using the iPhone 6. A public account, “chemfunman”, was also created for both Instagram and Snapchat to facilitate the sharing of the real-time content with the students. Different images and videos of the week’s experiment are captured and uploaded onto Snapchat first. To capture an image or video, the instructor first opens the Snapchat app. Once the content is captured, the instructor adds a caption to explain the main takeaway in the snap, or pose a question for the students to think about. If an image has been captured, the user then chooses how long the image will be shown to the viewers. For this project, the timer was always set at the maximum time limit of 10 seconds to allow sufficient time for the students to read the caption and look at the image clearly. Next, the instructor clicks on the blue “Send To” button, followed by checking the “My Story” option to publish the image or video onto Snapchat Stories. Alternatively, the “Story” icon can be directly selected as well. An icon of the successfully uploaded image/video will appear on the Snapchat storyboard. A flowchart that summarizes the steps involved to upload the content onto Snapchat is shown in Figure 1. Since mobile phone usage is not prohibited in the laboratory, students are able to view the stories during the laboratory session, as well as after their sessions. Students are also reminded of the safety and distraction issues of mobile phone usage while conducting experiments. Since viewers of the stories are not able to save the stories, or view the stories after 24 hours, students will be motivated to view the stories before they disappear. This 24-hour restriction encourages students to view the stories again after each laboratory session, as a form of review and reflection on the lab events. 40 Christiansen and Weber; Teaching and the Internet: The Application of Web Apps, Networking, and Online Tech for ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


Figure 1. Flowchart of the steps taken to upload a Snapchat story

At the end of the laboratory sessions for that week, all images and videos that were uploaded onto Snapchat Stories were compiled into short video segments that lasted a maximum of one minute each. These video segments were then uploaded onto the Instagram feed at the end of the week, as a conclusion to the particular experiment. To upload a video onto the Instagram feed, click the “+” icon (found at the bottom of the Instagram screen interface) and select a video from the camera roll. Captions for laboratory content can be written before clicking “Share” and posting onto the profile feed. Upon successful upload of the selected video, the number of views and likes, as well as usernames of those who have liked the video, can be tracked. A flowchart that summarizes the steps involved to upload content onto Instagram is shown in Figure 2. Hashtags like #FUNgCHEMinCM2191, #FunManPosits, and #infunguencer were included in the captions for uploaded content. This allowed easier viewing for the students reviewing content, as well as tracking of the posts when the relevant hashtags were clicked. Also, images uploaded to Instagram were used to answer the questions previously raised in Snapchat Stories. All the images and videos were captured using an iPhone 6. Whenever the instructor spotted something noteworthy, be it a mistake or improvisation made by the student, permission to film the student’s setup was first sought. Once the student agreed to being filmed, filming was done anonymously. Only up to the student’s hands were captured; there was strictly no filming of faces or fume hood numbers. If a student’s face was unintentionally captured in an image or video, the face was blurred out with a mosaic effect, or covered with an emoticon sticker. If the instructor had to perform a demonstration, a teaching assistant would conduct the filming instead. 41 Christiansen and Weber; Teaching and the Internet: The Application of Web Apps, Networking, and Online Tech for ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


Figure 2. Flowchart of the steps taken to upload content onto Instagram A total of 15 snaps for Snapchat Stories and a total of two compiled videos for Instagram were set as upload limits for that day. This limit was established so as not to overwhelm the students with too many images and videos when they accessed the apps. It was also to cater to the shorter attention span of current youths (5). If the students were not able to check the content during laboratory sessions, they would have to do it afterwards. When they did so, the total viewing time would be a few minutes long. Having too many images and videos would have led to a much longer total viewing time, where students would likely have lost focus halfway through. The viewership data collection was recorded within 24 hours from the time the images and videos were posted for both Instagram and Snapchat, to keep the time factor constant.

Rationale Behind the Integration of Social Media Apps in Teaching Educational institutions are increasingly recognizing the potential of using short videos to break up classroom lectures into smaller parts, like mini-lectures. Working in a similar fashion, social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat allow users to post short videos – up to 10 seconds for Snapchat Stories, and up to 60 seconds for Instagram. This may seem too short to fully deliver content effectively 42 Christiansen and Weber; Teaching and the Internet: The Application of Web Apps, Networking, and Online Tech for ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


across the screen. However, this could be a way to deal with the shorter attention span that current students possess, including university students. Researchers found that, in the year 2015, humans could only focus on a task for about eight seconds, as compared to twelve seconds in the year 2000 (5), which was before the start of the “mobile revolution”. Therefore, the short duration of content uploaded onto Instagram and Snapchat is ideal to increase student focus during learning. Moreover, these short videos can condense large chunks of information into small digestible parts for easier student comprehension. Some challenges faced by facilitators and learners in laboratory teaching can be mitigated through the use of social media tools like Instagram and Snapchat. Both social media apps can facilitate communities of independent learning among the students. A possible use for uploaded content can be to emphasize the correct execution of a certain procedural step that has been done incorrectly by previous groups of students, so that other students can learn and not commit the same mistakes. Through the instant sharing of images and videos on Instagram and Snapchat platforms, information can be disseminated to the students much more quickly, especially when the instructors or TAs are not able to attend to every student’s question at the same time. Furthermore, both Instagram and Snapchat can enhance the students’ learning experiences through uploaded images and videos that are relevant to the target subject. This can promote active learning, which makes the learning process more enjoyable and less mundane for the students (6).

Similarities in Approach of Instagram and Snapchat The use of both Instagram and Snapchat allowed one-to-one (instructor to individual student) engagement when the instructor observed laboratory actions (good improvisations/mistakes by students) as the students were conducting their experiments. Without identifying the students, the instructor re-enacted the incorrect execution and/or correct demonstration that he observed, and he explained both through image or video uploads on Instagram and Snapchat platforms. Both apps will allow one-to-all (instructor to all students) engagement. Sometimes, different questions were raised by students, or different mistakes were made by students on different sessions. When the lecturer targeted these questions and mistakes and uploaded them onto Instagram and Snapchat, students from the same lab session, and even across different lab sessions, were able to view the uploaded digital content and pick up lessons learned by others. As a result, similar experimental mistakes can be reduced from appearing in the subsequent experiments through the peer learning encouraged by Instagram and Snapchat. In the class of 104 students, it was found out in the pre-semester survey (given out prior to the apps usage) that out of 93 students who responded to the survey (response rate: 89%), 74 students indicated that they learn best by seeing and visualizing. Therefore, apps like Instagram and Snapchat, which emphasize visuals, will be especially useful for visual learners. Because of the vividness of images and videos on Instagram and Snapchat, students will be more attracted to the content presented, which will lead to ideas being conveyed more effectively and retained more deeply in the students’ minds. 43 Christiansen and Weber; Teaching and the Internet: The Application of Web Apps, Networking, and Online Tech for ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


Differences in Approach of Instagram and Snapchat Snapchat Stories are available for viewing for 24 hours before they disappear. This urgent timeline would mean that the snaps cannot be saved and students cannot wait until the end of the week or just before exams to access these videos. However, this seemingly short 24-hour window would motivate students to view the content of the stories on the same day before the snaps disappear. As a result, the information contained in these stories would remain fresh and vivid in their memories, and thus would consequently make a deeper impression in the students’ minds. Students can also make use of this opportunity of viewing the stories on the same day as a review of the laboratory techniques and concepts highlighted earlier during the class. Therefore, the 24-hour viewing duration of Snapchat Stories further reinforces proper laboratory techniques, as well as important takeaways from each experiment. In contrast to the 24-hour viewing period for content on Snapchat, the pictures and videos uploaded onto the Instagram feed remain permanently, unless intentionally removed. In the module CM2191 where this pilot project was trialed, students were assessed by their performance in laboratory reports (40%), quizzes on laboratory techniques in viva vocé (10%), written test (20%) and practical examination (30%). Therefore, the content on Instagram feed would make review easier for the students, as they could go through all the collated images and videos across all the experiments covered before their practical exam and written test, or whenever they are reviewing the experiments for oral viva vocé tests. Instagram has an additional feature that is absent in Snapchat–hashtags. When other students click on these hashtags (#FUNgCHEMinCM2191, #FunManPosits and #infunguencer), they can view all the tagged posts under them and revisit the techniques and experiences of the laboratory sessions. This feature enables the experimental content—such as the color of the products, the reaction setups, and so on—to be more clearly lodged in their memories. The use of such lexical tagging applies the folksonomy pedagogy, where digital contents are organized, to make it easier for users to track different types of content and access the information they need. On the other hand, Snapchat has a unique feature that is not found in Instagram, which contributes to its popularity among its users. This unique feature is its variety of animated filters where new filters replace the old ones regularly. These Snapchat filters work by facial recognition, and allow one to perform light-hearted animations like exhaling a rainbow, metamorphosing into well-known avatars such as an angel and a knight, wearing floral headbands, and more. Such endearing filters were applied when the lecturer gave his briefing before the start of each laboratory session. Since these briefings are usually about mundane but vital information such as laboratory safety, the filters garner interest from the students and cause them to pay more attention to the snaps. Instagram has another distinctive feature not found in Snapchat- the boomerang function- which was also explored for this project. This boomerang function allows a burst of ten shots to be taken with only one tap, and these shots are then compiled into a mini-video that loops back-and-forth. The lecturer 44 Christiansen and Weber; Teaching and the Internet: The Application of Web Apps, Networking, and Online Tech for ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


used this function for certain demonstrations to emphasize specific experimental instructions (e.g., the rotation of the glass joint during the insertion of the round-bottomed flask into the rotary adaptor), so that students will visualize the procedure more clearly and be more confident when conducting the experiment on their own. Students were also encouraged to make use of Boomerang during laboratory sessions, especially during reaction waiting time, to capture shots of their chemical reactions. The students were amused when observing the captured video that loops back-and-forth, which made the long, six-hour laboratory session more enjoyable. Since the boomerang function is a refreshing way to deliver laboratory content, the information captured through Boomerang will be retained more easily in the minds of students. Table 1 gives a brief overview about the differences mentioned above.

Table 1. Summary of the differences between Instagram and Snapchat mentioned Instagram

Snapchat

Contents uploaded on feed permanently

Contents uploaded on stories for 24 hours

Videos as long as one minute can be uploaded

Videos lasting only ten seconds can be uploaded

Hashtags are available for tracking of posts

No hashtags available

Boomerang function available

Boomerang function unavailable

Findings Anonymous feedback from the CM2191 cohort was also garnered to study the learning analytics from the usage of Instagram and Snapchat in the chemistry laboratory curriculum. The usage of the two apps invited positive feedback from the students, which demonstrated the merits of making use of such platforms for live teaching. Before the start of the Instagram and Snapchat trial, a preliminary survey was given out to the cohort of students, to find out how they felt about the upcoming incorporation of the apps into the module. As seen in Table 2, the responses were generally very positive, showing that there was anticipation for the use of both apps. Based on the students’ responses, they felt that the apps would increase their knowledge gained from visual learning. From the same preliminary survey, it was discovered that 74 students were visual learners. This could be the reason for the positive responses, since images and videos which are visually attractive would greatly benefit their learning. 45 Christiansen and Weber; Teaching and the Internet: The Application of Web Apps, Networking, and Online Tech for ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.

Table 2. Students’ opinions of using Instagram and Snapchat for laboratory teaching before usage Survey Statements for Student Response

Responses by Score,a N 5

4

3

Combined Categories,b % 2

1

5+4

2+1


These applications: Q1

Will be effective for my lab learning.

17 43 28 3

2

65

5

Q2

Will increase my interest in the respective experiments.

16 42 29 4

2

62

7

Q3

Will help me to visualize and remember important experimental steps that I need to take note of.

30 38 19 3

3

73

7

Q4

Will help me to learn better during lab and improve my lab techniques.

25 32 30 4

2

61

7

a The scores from 5 to 1 represent the following agreement levels:

“strongly agree”, “agree”, “neutral”, “disagree”, and “strongly disagree”, respectively. The total number of responses for each level of agreement are tabulated. b The combined category “5 + 4” represents the percentage of students responding with “agree” and “strongly agree”; the category “2 + 1” represents the percentage of students responding with “disagree” and “strongly disagree”. N = 93.

After 24 hours, Snapchat stories garnered about 36 views on average, with the number of views ranging from 25 to 54 per digital content. This shows that not all images and videos were viewed by the students before the 24-hour period was up. Indeed, during the survey conducted, students expressed that they sometimes forgot to check the Snapchat account for the images and videos uploaded before they disappeared. It was thus emphasized by the instructor that students check the Snapchat account after each laboratory session. There were instances when students took screenshots of the Snapchat stories. This was usually done with uploaded images. The students probably did this for easy access to the content in their phone’s camera roll, for the purpose of reviewing materials at a later date. In comparison to Snapchat views, the video posted on the Instagram feed had an average of 43 views at the end of 24 hours, with about 36 to 55 views per video uploaded. Since the students could view the content uploaded onto the Instagram feed at any time, they should have been less motivated to watch videos within the same 24-hour window imposed on the Snapchat content. However, the average number of views collated for Instagram Feed was slightly higher than that of Snapchat. This could be due to more students choosing to use Instagram to view the lecturer’s teaching as compared to Snapchat. The reasons for the students’ choice were reflected in a survey. Out of 64 students who responded, 51 students (80%) cited their more frequent use of Instagram, and 32 students (50%) preferred Instagram due to its friendly user interface. This amounted to higher viewership for the digital content uploaded onto the Instagram feed as compared to Snapchat. 46 Christiansen and Weber; Teaching and the Internet: The Application of Web Apps, Networking, and Online Tech for ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


A mid-semester survey was conducted five weeks after Instagram and Snapchat were incorporated into the module. The purpose of this survey was to find out how students perceived the use of these apps after accessing them during some experiments. Based on the survey results collated from 75 students (response rate: 72%), the majority of the students felt that the applications were helpful to them in several ways. For example, as seen from Table 3, the images and videos uploaded helped the students to increase their retention of chemistry knowledge (88%), increased their understanding of both theoretical and practical aspects behind each experiment (80%), and allowed them to correct their mistakes (89%), to name a few. The feedback suggested that the content uploaded was indeed beneficial for the students’ lab learning.

Table 3. Students’ opinions on using Instagram and Snapchat for laboratory teaching after using these apps for experiments Survey Statements for Student Response The use of these applications


4

Combined Categories,b %

3

2

1

5+4

2+1

Q1

Helped to increase my retention of knowledge applied/used during the lab sessions.

29 37 9

0

0

88

0

Q2

Made it easier for me to make connections between the theory and practical aspects from laboratory teaching.

29 35 9

2

0

85

3

Q3

Helped me to recall the apparatus setup and hence made the setting up of my reactions easier.

40 28 7

0

0

91

0

Q4

Improved my ability to operate the lab instruments.

30 35 7

3

0

87

4

Q5

Helped me to remember important experimental steps that I need to take note of.

34 34 7

0

0

91

0

Q6

Increased my understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects behind the experiments.

23 37 14 1

0

80

1

Q7

Helped me to be clearer of the steps/procedure written inside the lab manual.

34 29 10 2

0

84

3

Q8

Highlighted to me the mistakes I made during the experiments, and allowed me to correct them immediately.

38 29 6

0

89

3

2

Continued on next page.

47 Christiansen and Weber; Teaching and the Internet: The Application of Web Apps, Networking, and Online Tech for ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.

Table 3. (Continued). Students’ opinions on using Instagram and Snapchat for laboratory teaching after using these apps for experiments Survey Statements for Student Response The use of these applications

Responses by Score,a N


5

4

Combined Categories,b %

3

2

1

5+4

2+1

Q9

Pointed out the good lab techniques and improvisations demonstrated by my peers so that I can learn from them.

47 25 3

0

0

96

0

Q10

Allowed me to learn from my peers’ experiences (what they did well & not well).

40 30 5

0

0

93

0

Q11

Made the experiments seem less daunting because my peers are the ones carrying out the procedural steps.

35 26 12 2

0

81

3

Q12

Encouraged deeper thinking – many questions (that I may not have thought about) were posed, and I had time to think about them.

31 30 14 0

0

81

0



Furthermore, one respondent expressed that the posting of questions forced him/her to think harder and search for answers independently. He/she also explained that the instructor tried to make the students think more on their own about the lab procedures and content instead of spoon-feeding them, making him the first lecturer to successfully enable deeper thinking in students. This was also reflected in 81% of the students who agreed that the content posted on both apps encouraged deeper thinking, as they were motivated to carefully consider their responses before posting them. Other information was garnered from the students as well. For example, students were asked if they experienced any difficulties while using Instagram and/or Snapchat. Based on the survey comments from 88 students (response rate: 85%), 57% of the students had no difficulties using both social media platforms to access the images and videos uploaded. For Instagram, students only needed to search for the account “chemfunman”, or the hashtag (#FUNgCHEMinCM2191, #FunManPosits or #infunguencer) and all the uploaded content could be easily loaded and viewed. For Snapchat, students could just simply tap on the “chemfunman” icon before the 24-hour period was over and the content would automatically play for their viewing. However, it is imperative to note that a considerable number of students (43%) indicated that they experienced difficulties 48 Christiansen and Weber; Teaching and the Internet: The Application of Web Apps, Networking, and Online Tech for ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


while using the apps to view the lecturer’s lab teaching. Some of the challenges highlighted by the students were slow loading of the online content due to poor Wi-Fi signal, blurry resolution for some videos, and busy school schedules that caused them to occasionally miss seeing the amassed Snapchat stories before the 24-hour time limit. The students were also asked if they enjoyed watching the video compilations that were uploaded onto the Instagram feed. Out of the 88 students who responded in the mid-semester survey, most of the students (70%) had positive comments pertaining to the compilations. One student commented, “I appreciate that there are live demonstrations — both positive and negative demonstrations so we don’t need to imagine these practices but rather can view and learn from the demos.” Another student also expressed, “It was a good preamble before lecture and after lecture recap.” These comments showed that, despite the short limit of 10 seconds for Snapchat and one minute for Instagram, content was still able to be successfully delivered to the students via the apps. Nonetheless, there were also less positive comments (3%) regarding the use of these apps. One student gave the following comment, “1: boring, 10: exciting. ~3—5. Less focus in making it seem funny, more focus on actually delivering useful content.” This shows that although we did try to make the snaps more interesting by creating jocund captions to engage students and enhance their memory recall abilities, this edutainment approach might not be suitable for everyone. Hence, a balance between serious and light-hearted content had to be maintained to ensure that the majority of the students benefitted from the uploaded material. Both Instagram and Snapchat were incorporated into the organic synthesis experiments only, which were done during the first half of the semester. The apps were not used during the inorganic synthesis experiments, to find out if it affected the students’ experience during the laboratory session. Based on the positive results of the previous two surveys (preliminary and mid-semester), it was expected that the students would feel a greater impact during the absence of the apps. However, based on Table 4, this was not the case. Only half of the survey statements had the respondents’ agreement. For example, the statements “I encountered more difficulties in the setting up of my reactions” and “I was less confident in operating the lab instruments” received agreement from less than 40% of the respondents. However, this does not mean that the apps did not have any impact on the students. Both the organic and inorganic synthesis experiments required students to perform the same laboratory techniques, like rotary evaporation. The students might have already had enough practice in the first half of the semester during the organic synthesis experiments. They might not have felt a significant difference when the apps were not used during the latter half of the semester. Nevertheless, there were largely positive responses from the students. A large group of 69% of the respondents agreed that they had fewer communal learning opportunities from their peers. This was due to the individual compartmentalized fume hoods, where it was tough to observe the performance of peers. In addition, there was always a rush to complete the experiments during the laboratory sessions, so students did not have the time to go around the room to observe how their peers carried out procedures, or exchanged their laboratory 49 Christiansen and Weber; Teaching and the Internet: The Application of Web Apps, Networking, and Online Tech for ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.

learning experiences. Thus, without Instagram and Snapchat, it was difficult to learn from other peers.

Table 4. Students’ opinions on using Instagram and Snapchat for laboratory teaching after not using these apps for experiments Survey Statements for Student Response These applications

Responses by Score,a N


5

4

3


1

5+4

2+1

Q1

I was less able to retain knowledge applied/used during the lab sessions.

12 26 33 9

6

44

18

Q2

It was more challenging and difficult for me to make connections in order to fully understand the theoretical and practical aspects behind the experiments.

9

34 32 7

4

50

13

Q3

I encountered more difficulties in the setting up of my reactions.

10 16 34 17 8

31

29

Q4

I was less confident in operating the lab instruments.

10 22 28 18 8

37

30

Q5

Some of the steps/procedure in the lab manual were unclear to me. It was also more difficult for me to visualize and remember important experimental steps that I needed to take note of.

11 33 28 9

5

51

16

Q6

There were fewer opportunities for me to learn from my peers’ experiences E.g. good lab techniques, improvisations from my peers.

15 44 17 5

5

69

12

Q7

The experiments seemed more daunting.

6

21 35 18 5

31

27

Q8

The practice of deeper thinking was not as frequent due to the absence of questions posed in snaps.

9

40 24 9

57

15

4



The same survey also aimed to garner the students’ overall opinions towards the incorporation of both apps into the laboratory module. Generally, the students had positive feelings towards the apps, since most of the respondents agreed with 50 Christiansen and Weber; Teaching and the Internet: The Application of Web Apps, Networking, and Online Tech for ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


the survey statements, as observed from Table 5. This was evident in the survey statement “The use of these applications was beneficial for my revision”, which had the agreement of 87% of the respondents. To quote a student, “His use of Instagram and snapchat to video our peers’ mistakes during lab session was really very useful and creative and it has enhanced my learning.” In addition, 86% of the respondents also wished for the apps to be used in future laboratory modules, which further proved the effectiveness of the apps in helping their learning during laboratory sessions.

Table 5. Students’ overall opinions on using Instagram and Snapchat for laboratory teaching after usage of both applications Survey Statements for Student Response These applications


4

3


1

5+4

2+1

Q1

The use of these applications was beneficial for my revision.

30 45 10 1

0

87

1

Q2

The use of these applications enhanced my learning during lab sessions.

31 39 14 2

0

81

2

Q3

The use of these applications increased my confidence in operating the lab instruments and setting up of reactions.

27 39 16 4

0

77

5

Q4

It was easy to use such applications and these applications did not divert my focus or hinder my progress when I was conducting the experiments.

27 41 14 4

0

79

5

Q5

The takeaway(s) from each video posted on the platform that I used to view the lecturer’s lab teaching was/were very clear.

26 44 13 3

0

81

4

Q6

I am comfortable with using such applications for educational purposes (e.g. lab teaching).

33 39 11 2

1

84

4

Q7

I hope that such applications will be used for lab teaching for future lab modules.

34 40 8

0

86

5

4





Limitations Because the Tuesday lab group was the first group to be filmed for the live teaching of the experiment, students in this group might have had less time to prepare and correct their mistakes than students in the Wednesday and Friday lab groups. Therefore, the students from the Tuesday lab group might have feel that the live teaching duration could have been a little short to assess the effectiveness of these apps on their learning experiences. However, it is imperative to note that students have uniquely different laboratory experiences. The students in the Tuesday lab group could also learn from their peers’ experiences on Wednesday and Friday, which was not necessarily reflected in their own laboratory session. The Instagram Feed images and videos were uploaded permanently for viewing. As a result, their number of likes and views continued to increase even after data collection (usually done within 24 hours of the images and videos being posted). In contrast, Snapchat Stories were only unavailable for 24 hours after uploading, so their numbers of likes and views did not increase after that time. Thus, to correctly compare viewership data between the two platforms, we standardized the 24-hour data collection window for each one. Otherwise, Instagram’s numbers would be inaccurately inflated, as its views increase in aggregate over time, while the ability to watch each Snapchat Story stops after 24 hours. Another limitation was the survey responses collected. Hardcopy surveys were physically given out to each of the students. However, as the surveys were voluntary, not every student submitted the completed survey. Therefore, some of the students’ opinions were not conveyed. Despite the limited responses, our total questionnaire response rate was ≥ 72%, which conveys a suitable representation, in general.

Future Work & Closing Remarks The overall opinion towards the incorporation of Instagram and Snapchat was extremely positive, since most students were visual learners. The learning content uploaded was hugely successful in enabling the students to observe mistakes and improvisations and seek a deeper understanding of the experiments. Another possible work in the future is the use of a 360-degree camera. A 360-degree camera will be able to capture a full experimental setup in an individual fume hood. Students can perhaps watch videos captured using a 360-degree camera before their laboratory sessions. Since watching such panoramic videos can enable students to picture themselves as though they are in the laboratory, they can better familiarize themselves with the experimental setup and procedure, which can lead to better performance during their actual laboratory sessions. In conclusion, advancements in technology have brought about many new social media apps and platforms that instructors and teachers can use for lesson delivery. This project has shown that Instagram and Snapchat have proven themselves to be effective laboratory pedagogical tools and can indeed be beneficial for students undertaking laboratory modules, as a form of review or preparation for laboratory sessions. We endeavor to share our work to promote 52 Christiansen and Weber; Teaching and the Internet: The Application of Web Apps, Networking, and Online Tech for ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.

and inspire educators to employ such learning technologies to better engage students, which in turn will enhance the students’ learning productivity.


Acknowledgments The authors are grateful to the Dean’s Office at the NUS Faculty of Science, and the Department of Chemistry for funding the project and for their leadership towards Technology-Enabled Blended Learning Experience (TEBLE). The participation of the CM2191 students in this research project were greatly appreciated. The first author, Rachel, is thankful to Fung Fun Man, the supervisor for this project, for his guidance, teaching and encouragement throughout this research project. Rachel would also like to extend her appreciation to her co-author, Alina Ang Sihui for her help and inputs for this book chapter write-up. Alina is also thankful to Fun Man for his guidance and feedback throughout the course of this project. The corresponding author would like to register his gratitude to Chng Huang Hoon, Goh Say Song and Robert K. Kamei for their unwavering support and encouragement.

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Application of Social Media in Chemistry Education: Incorporating

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