In the Classroom
Writing-Intensive Multimedia Projects in the Instrumental Methods Course Hal Van Ryswyk Department of Chemistry, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711-5990;
[email protected] Recent articles in this Journal highlight the efficacy of a wide range of writing in promoting student learning (1–9). In designing effective writing assignments, we note two empirical premises: (i) students often write more clearly when they have a clear idea of the audience for their work and (ii) students can be highly motivated to write well when that audience is someone other than the instructor with a real, compelling interest in the information conveyed. Over the last few years we have built upon these two premises in developing short, intensive technical writing assignments within the production of multimedia as a vehicle to further student understanding of instrumental methods of analysis. As a result, teams of students in the instrumental methods course produce multimedia for the Harvey Mudd College instrumentation bay (10). The instrumentation bay is Web-based text, images, and videos designed to assist first-time or occasional instrument users within the department in selecting and utilizing instrumental techniques. Each instrument featured in the bay has a suite of Web pages covering an introduction to the technique, its theory of operation, sampling considerations, stepby-step operating instructions, videos showing proper operation and technique, and a bibliography. Over the years the instrumentation bay has grown to encompass most of the major instrumental techniques available within the department. Currently we have pages for atomic absorption spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, capillary electrophoresis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, highperformance liquid chromatography, and ion chromatography. These multimedia projects serve two student populations. The project creators gain an enhanced understanding of an instrumental method through extensive writing about critical aspects of the technique as they plan and produce a series of short documents and video segments. Students outside of the course find the completed projects serve as an effective instructional aid for learning how to use new instrumentation in their laboratory and research activities. Serving these materials via the Web allows for widespread distribution and effective point-of-use training. Course and Project Structure Advanced Analytical Chemistry: Instrumental Methods is a required course for chemistry majors, typically taken in the junior year. Occasionally, biology or engineering majors will elect the course. The course is lecture-based; a companion laboratory, taught as a separate course, is also required of majors. The multimedia project is assigned in lieu of a traditional term paper and accounts for approximately 15% of a student’s grade (a weight equal to that of a midterm exam). 70
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Students bid at the beginning of the semester to work on an instrument available within the department. For instrumentation not currently in the instrumentation bay the instructor assembles teams of three students per instrument, whereas a team of two students may be assembled to edit and improve materials for an instrument already in the instrumentation bay. By making bids, students can provide their preference of instrument and whether they prefer to work on a new instrument or edit an existing entry. Prior to the bidding, the instructor may remove an existing instrument from the instrumentation bay should he feel that a fresh start is opportune. The instructor is usually able to accord students their first choice of instrument while setting up favorable group dynamics. The team is responsible for producing five concise documents over the course of the semester: • an introduction to the instrumental technique; • a discussion of the theory of operation for the technique; • sampling considerations in employing the technique; • step-by-step instructions for instrument use (the “quick-start” document); and • a bibliography of readily available printed and electronic resources.
The instructor provides an HTML template for each document. For example, the template for the most extensive document, the introduction to the instrumental technique, contains entries on the chemical or physical information available, field of application, state of the sample, qualitative uses, quantitative uses (including accuracy, precision, and sensitivity), advanced techniques, and complementary techniques. These documents proceed through a series of peer-reviewed drafts before the final draft is submitted to the instructor for comments. Once approved, the final version of each document is submitted to the instructor electronically, typically as an HTML document. Until this final submission the emphasis is focused squarely on the writing. Only after the text has been approved do students paste it into the HTML template provided. Next, the team produces story boards in preparation for filming any necessary video segments for the quick-start document illustrating instrument startup, proper use, and shut down. These hand-drawn, roughly sketched panels summarize the content of each scene. For example, a story board illustrating the production of a nujol mull might call for a static photo of the required equipment, and shots showing the grinding of the solid in a mortar and pestle, addition of a drop of nujol oil, mixing the solid and nujol to the required consistency, applying the paste to polished salt plates, and assembling the plates in the sample holder.
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In the Classroom
Video Production We find that video production techniques can be taught in a one-hour period outside of class. The first 15 minutes focus on the proper use of a digital video camcorder, including fundamentals of camera work on a tripod, composition of a shot, issues concerning lighting and sound, and special considerations associated with close-in hand modeling. The next 15 minutes are spent in an overview of the digital video editing process. The raw video footage is transferred via a FireWire1 (IEEE 1394) cable from the digital camcorder to the hard disk of an Apple G4 Power Mac.1 Apple Computer’s iMovie 1 (prepackaged on machines equipped with OS X) mediates this process and subsequently allows for quick digital video and sound editing, visual transitions, titles, voice-overs, export of the finished video back to the camcorder’s digital video (DV) cassette for archival storage, and export of the finished product to the computer’s hard disk as a QuickTime1 movie suitable for serving over the Web. All of the typical advantages of working with digital media are present—there is no degradation of the video throughout the editing process, and it is exceedingly easy to engage in nonlinear editing, quickly rearranging and reassembling segments. Because iMovie is oriented towards a consumer rather than a professional audience, the learning curve for the tools required to create our videos is rapid and gentle, even though the software is quite powerful. To drive home these lessons and to provide immediate feedback, each team is given a DV tape, a few Beanie Babies2 meant to function as the on-camera “talent”, and a tenminute period with the digital camcorder. Their assignment is to shoot no more than two minutes of video from which they will assemble a 30-second story. They are allowed ten minutes to splice together their story and to provide at least one transition, one voice-over, and a title. At the end of the session the teams present their videos for group review and constructive criticism. Technical Aspects While all of the text-based documents are provided to the end users as Web pages, we also provide the quick-start document in Adobe PDF3 format. In this fashion all of the information required to successfully get an instrument up and running may be downloaded, printed in the correct format, reviewed offline, and consulted during instrument use. All of the HTML code required to format each page is present in the templates provided by the instructor. Students are actively discouraged from changing the common “look and feel” provided by the templates across the various projects. The project emphasis is on the writing, not the formatting. The instructor also provides the transparent common menu to the instrumentation bay Web site. The default iMovie QuickTime export settings for streaming video produce 320 by 240 pixel images in files with sizes of approximately three megabytes per minute of finished video. Typical videos in these projects are less than 90 seconds long. Files of this size can be served quickly over the college’s network. We utilize a G4 Power Mac as the Web server to provide the HTML and PDF documents and the QuickTime videos. www.JCE.DivCHED.org
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All of the rough video footage, along with the final, finished video, are archived on the team’s DV tape. This archival footage is a natural starting point for projects in subsequent years revising existing pages. The range of multimedia utilized varies with the project. Technique-intensive procedures are best illustrated with video, while simple, sequential operations employ digital still photos. Instructions for dealing with software benefit from static screen shots, captured either with a digital camera or with screen capture files. Feedback and Grading Since all documents proceed through peer review prior to the instructor’s review of the final draft, the opportunities for feedback are plentiful. As a check on the quality of the peer-review process, the instructor can require preliminary drafts with peer-reviewed comments to be appended to the final draft submissions. The feedback on video segments provided by instructor usually falls into three categories: instrumental technique, video production technique, and style. Once video has been shot, it can be difficult to shoot additional material, given time constraints and scheduling problems. Therefore, early feedback on proper instrumental technique is essential and can most easily be provided in a consultation with the instructor during the story board process. If time allows, the instructor can require a viewing of the rough cut of video segments to ensure proper technique. With these mechanisms for feedback in place, only the most egregious problems with instrumental technique or video production require additional video work. Given the focus of the project, stylistic issues are rarely a major concern. Grading is done at the end of the project utilizing a rubric listing the major dimensions for each document. Dimensions in each document address required components (for example, a listing of complementary techniques in the introduction document), issues of technical coverage (breadth, depth, and accuracy), and elements of writing style. Dimensions concerning the video segments address personal safety, instrument safety, correct instrumental technique, and illustration of basic principles of operation. Video segments, being only one part of one document (the quick-start), do not bear a heavy weight in the overall grading. Each dimension is assessed qualitatively as inadequate, adequate, or excellent. The instructor also provides written comments, where appropriate. Conclusions We find student-authored multimedia projects are an interesting and effective way to promote learning through extensive, focused writing. The equipment and software required to undertake such projects are readily available and straightforward to use with minimal training. Students are eager to learn simple video production techniques and apply them to chemical instrumentation. Such projects could function as an opportune way to familiarize students with instrumentation in curricula that lack an explicit instrumental methods laboratory. Students are highly motivated to write well in these projects because they know that the fruits of
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their labor will serve their peers. While the final results may not always rise to the level of polished, professional video and technical writing, the process involved in producing the product is pedagogically useful. Finally, students outside the course greatly benefit from the project authors’ careful considerations and abstractions. A picture—or a movie—really can be worth a thousand words, especially when placed in the context of a larger piece of writing. Notes 1. Trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. 2. Trademark of Ty, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. 3. Trademark of Adobe Systems Inc., registered in the United States and other countries.
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Literature Cited 1. Oliver-Hoyo, M. T. J. Chem. Educ. 2003, 80, 899. 2. Whelan, R. J.; Zare, R. N. J. Chem. Educ. 2003, 80, 904. 3. Burke, K. A.; Greenbowe, T. J.; Lewis, E. L.; Peace, G. E. J. Chem. Educ. 2002, 79, 699. 4. Magner, J. T.; Chadwick, J. E.; Chickering, J.; Collins, C.; Su, T.; Villarba, M. J. Chem. Educ. 2002, 79, 544. 5. Carroll, F. A.; Seeman, J. I. J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78, 1618. 6. Bressette, A. R.; Breton, G. W. J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78, 1626. 7. Rudd, J. A., II; Greenbowe, T. J.; Hand, B. M.; Legg, M. J. J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78, 1680. 8. Tilstra, L. J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78, 762. 9. Shibley, I. A., Jr.; Milakofsky, L. M.; Nicotera, C. L. J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78, 50. 10. HMC Chemical Instrumentation Bay Home Page. http:// www4.hmc.edu:8001/chemistry/instbay (accessed Sep 2004).
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