Experiential Learning through Guided-Inquiry: The Analysis of Herbicides in an Undergraduate Instrumental Analysis Laboratory Experiment at The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

TCE

The Chemical Educator

ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)

Table of Contents

Abstract Volume 24 (2019) pp 38-47

Experiential Learning through Guided-Inquiry: The Analysis of Herbicides in an Undergraduate Instrumental Analysis Laboratory Experiment at The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

Sayo O. Fakayode* and Brian D. Abbott

Department of Physical Sciences, The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, 5210 Grand Avenue, P.O. Box 3649, Fort Smith, AR 72913-3649, Sayo.Fakayode@uafs.edu
Received October 22, 2018. Accepted December 26, 2018.

Published: 4 February 2019

Abstract. The outcome of an experiential learning activity via a guided-inquiry-laboratory experiment (GILE) in herbicide analysis implemented in an undergraduate Instrumental Analysis Laboratory curriculum to stimulate student’s excitement, critical-thinking, and problem solving skills at The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith is reported. Nine samples of the herbicide N-(3,4-dichlorophenyl) propanamide, commonly known as propanil (PPL), suspected of contamination, possibly with a second herbicide, 3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxybenzonitrile, commonly known as bromoxynil (BXL), were provided as unknown GILE samples for the students. Students worked in small groups to autonomously design analytical techniques involving the use of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹HNMR), and gas-chromatography-mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) to evaluate the purity of PPL herbicide by determining the percentage compositions of PPL and BXL in the GILE samples. The results of the determined percentage compositions of PPL and BXL by the students favorably compared with the actual percentage compositions of PPL and BXL of the GILE samples, with overall root-mean-square-relative-percent-errors of <1%. The result of a two intraday GC-MS analysis conducted over a period of six weeks demonstrated the reproducibility and robustness of the GC-MS protocol for herbicides analysis. Instructional technologies such as Blackboard, Google Drive, Facebook Messenger, and PowerPoint, as well as portable electronic devices including smart phones and laptop computers were used during the GILE project. A formative and summative assessment and a voluntary survey questionnaire were utilized to evaluate the student experience of the GILE project. The vast majority of the participants found their GILE project very interesting, stimulating, and exciting but also rigorous, demanding, and mentally challenging. Moreover, all of the participants strongly agreed that the GILE project enhanced their levels of confidence, scientific and library literacy, critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills and inspired them towards future research in STEM. Importantly, the GILE provided the students with a collaborative learning experience which enhanced team-work, the requisite skill set qualities necessary to enhance undergraduate students’ competitiveness in pursuing graduate studies in STEM areas or professional schools or in securing jobs in academia, industry, and national research laboratories, and in entrepreneurship.

Key Words: Laboratories and Demonstrations; instrumental analysis; experiential learning; guided-inquiry-laboratory-experiment; herbicides-analysis; undergraduate-chemistry-curriculum; propanil; bromoxynil; GC-MS; FTIR; NMR; instructional-technology

(*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: Sayo.Fakayode@uafs.edu )

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