Technology Report pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Google Docs as a Form of Collaborative Learning Andrew D. Spaeth* and Roderick S. Black Department of Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, United States S Supporting Information *
ABSTRACT: Google Docs is explored as a tool for promoting collaborative learning in laboratory courses. Students working from multiple computers share a single spreadsheet in real time, using each others’ work to guide their understanding of complex calculations, while creating opportunities for timely instructor−student interaction.
KEYWORDS: First-Year Undergraduate/General, High School/Introductory Chemistry, Curriculum, Laboratory Instruction, Physical Chemistry, Collaborative/Cooperative Learning, Computer-Based Learning, Internet/Web-Based Learning, Calorimetry/Thermochemistry, Phases/Phase Transitions/Diagrams ice to determine an approximate ΔH value for each endothermic phase change.9 One spreadsheet column is populated with student data, whereas the others columns are intentionally left blank. Access permissions are set by the instructor or spreadsheet creator. During an experiment, all students are supplied with the file link and they can edit the spreadsheet; afterward, we adjust settings so that students can view the spreadsheet, but not edit it. Software “power users” may notice that some desktop software functions are not currently available in Google Docs. Although lack of functionality could constrain application of Google Docs in certain laboratory or classroom activities, the simplicity of this suite of programs can be a powerful asset in technology-aided instruction.
G
oogle Docs1 is a free online suite of programs that provides much of the functionality found in the Microsoft Office2 or OpenOffice3 suites, affording significant opportunities for student collaboration during laboratory experiments and results interpretation. Pence4,5 and Bonham6 have described several science education applications for Google Docs-based cloud computing. No special technical skill is required for an instructor to use a free account7 to create a Google Docs file, such as a spreadsheet. Using a Google Docs link provided by their instructor, students at different Internetenabled computers can view the same spreadsheet file, enter data, and perform calculations. Google Docs spreadsheets can be designed to guide students through complicated math problems. When multiple students edit a single spreadsheet, they see their peers’ work and can compare results and calculations at each step. Instructors who view all students’ work on one computer screen may be quickly alerted to specific students’ needs. Instructors who traditionally ask students to use the chalkboard to share experimental data or step-by-step calculations can employ Google Docs to expand the classmate peer group to students who previously performed the experiment or to students in other lab sections that meet concurrently. Furthermore, for an experiment in which all students’ results are compiled to form a larger study, a Google Docs spreadsheet provides a data-handling framework; a conceptually or statistically meaningful data set may be assembled more efficiently. To serve as an example, we offer a Google Docs spreadsheet8 used by our general chemistry students during Styrofoam cup calorimetry. Students measure the temperature change for warm water placed in contact with ice, liquid nitrogen, or dry © 2012 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
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ASSOCIATED CONTENT
S Supporting Information *
Excel spreadsheet version of the Google doc. This material is available via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org.
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AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*E-mail:
[email protected]. Notes
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
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REFERENCES
(1) Google Docs. http://docs.google.com (accessed Apr 2012).
Published: May 1, 2012 1078
dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed200708p | J. Chem. Educ. 2012, 89, 1078−1079
Journal of Chemical Education
Technology Report
(2) Microsoft Office. http://office.microsoft.com (accessed Apr 2012). (3) OpenOffice. http://www.openoffice.org (accessed Apr 2012). (4) Pence, L. E.; Pence, H. E. Assessing Resource Bias and Engaging Students to Personalize Class Content through Internet Social Tagging. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 41−44. (5) Bennett, J.; Pence, H. E. Managing Laboratory Data Using Cloud Computing as an Organizational Tool. J. Chem. Educ. 2011, 88, 761− 763. (6) Bonham, S. Whole Class Laboratories with Google Docs. Phys. Teach. 2011, 49, 22−23. (7) Google Accounts. http://accounts.google.com (accessed Apr 2012). (8) Spaeth, A. Google Docs Spreadsheet for the ’Energy of Phase Changes’ Experiment. https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key= 0AmPbvMwAsTIydGdVRDBIYmhNbUtSN3F1SkhEaFRJaEE&hl= en&authkey=CMT02vUI (accessed Apr 2012). (9) Energy of Phase Changes. http://linus.chem.ku.edu/ genchemlab/184FA10/Download184_Labs/ Coffee%20Cup%20Download.htm (accessed Apr 2012).
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dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed200708p | J. Chem. Educ. 2012, 89, 1078−1079
