Writing the Laboratory Report: Your Way, My Way, or the Right Write Way

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Writing the Laboratory Report Your Way, My Way,
or the Right (Write) Way?

• Wendy L. Elcesser, Anne Kondo, John C. Woolcock
• Department of Chemistry
• Indiana University of Pennsylvania
• Indiana, PA 15701

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Working With Chemistry

• Three-Lab Sequences of Experiments Centered
  Around a Particular Problem in Chemistry
• Skill Building Lab
• Foundation Lab
• Application Lab

FOR MORE INFO...
Working With Chemistry A Laboratory Inquiry
Program, Donald J. Wink, Sharon Fetzer Gislason,
Julie Ellefson Kuehn, W.H. Freeman New York,
2000
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Project Goals

• Improve Student Writing Skills
• Focus on Scientific Writing Skills
• Facilitate Student Understanding
• Student Appreciation of Chemistry Applications

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Common Types of Laboratory Reports

• Fill-in-the-Blank
• Traditional Laboratory Reports
• Title
• Abstract
• Procedure
• Data
• Results
• Discussion
• Group Reports

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Traditional Functions of Laboratory Reports

• Record of Participation
• Evidence of Observation Skills
• Data Collection and Recording (Organization)
• Manipulation of Data (Calculations)
• Interpretation of Results (Conclusions)
• Future Reference

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What Working With Chemistry Reports

• No general report guidelines
• Flexibility for instructor
• i.e., You can structure reports Your way!
• Range of writing requirements
• Calculations
• General List of Things and/or Questions to
  Include in Your Report
• Involved post-lab questions that relate to the
  scenario posed for the sequence

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Using Lab Reports as Writing Practice

• Range 50-80 of lab grade determined by student
  reports
• Individual requirements My way!
• Majority doing things as the Write Way
  including specific writing requirements that
  increase through the group of three experiments

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Report Writing via Parts

• Three-Week Sequence is Experimenting via Parts
• Skill Building Lab new laboratory skill
• Foundation Lab procedure design
• Application Lab solution to a real-world
  problem

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Starting with Skill Building

• Model Lab Report Provided for First Experiment of
  Semester
• Experiment Group A. Methods of Inquiry and
  Measurement Float an Egg. Experiment 1
  Physical Properties The Glass Bead Lab
• Includes Rationale for all Parts

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Skill Building Labs

• What Must the Students Write?
• Fill-in data tables
• Calculation practice questions
• Guided inquiry conclusion questions
• Students can Follow Model Lab Report
• Focus is on substance rather than style

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Foundation Labs

• What Must the Student Write?
• Procedural Notes
• Data Tables (Construct and fill)
• Results
• Conclusions
• Develops and Enhances Organization Skills

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Application Labs

• What Must the Student Write?
• More CompleteTraditional Report including
• Objective
• Procedure
• Data and Calculations
• Conclusion
• Or Summary Report
• Medical Summary
• Recommendation for design
• Examples of Professional Practice
• Higher-level writing skills

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Reports vs. Laboratory Notebooks

• How does our General Chemistry Department
  Teaching Circle use laboratory notebooks?
• Notebook counts as 0-75 of laboratory grade
• Record observations and data (include raw data
  with report)
• Give Sample calculations
• Answer questions
• Write conclusions
• Some instructors had students write reports
  directly in their notebook including pre- and
  post-lab questions

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Our Comments About the Use of Laboratory Notebooks

• Provide the feel of doing research
• Allow for the progress within an experimental
  group
• Students can create the lab report directly from
  the notebook pages
• Problems with duplicate writing between report
  and notebook

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History of Writing the Laboratory Report

• References from way back when!
• Concerns from faculty, students, future employers
• Self-realization (How much fun is writing?!)
• Fit with liberal studies or general education
  requirements, i.e., written communication skills

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Issues to Consider

• Time commitments by all
• Instructor Grading
• Student Report Writing
• Group Reports
• Accountability
• Student Presentations

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Conclusions

• Practice, Practice, Practice!
• Provide Example Report
• Break Down Task/Report into Smaller Parts
• Tie Together with Pre-Lab Preparation
• Flexible Report Format including Notebook Use
• Limit Time Commitment by ALL

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Acknowledgements

• National Science Foundation (CCLI AI)
• IUP General Chemistry Teaching Circle
• IUP Reflective Practice Project and Center for
  Teaching Excellence
• Donald Wink, Sharon Fetzer Gislason, Julie
  Ellefson Kuehn

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References

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