Description of the project:

This project work is mainly recording videos of chemicals experiments using micro-computer based laboratory approach, scripted videos if shared online can help students to understand the chemical phenomena; provides opportunities to study the ideas of chemical reactions, and will be a good support in their study even if they didn’t get the chance to do the experiment by them self. It’s also a support for the staff members, to make the process of the implementation of this technology much easier.

Objectives: 

The targeted students are the ones in the second year of the “Science of chemistry” program, about 600 students; they have a precise number of hours of practical work (4h/Week).

The general idea is to encourage chemistry department to use the Micro-computer based laboratory in practical work. The modification of the approaches used in the practical classes, and the altering of the traditional method to this method, will bring modifications to the objectives, contents and teaching methods currently in existence.

The gain of time will make it possible to multiply measurement and deepen the reflection, and also practice more sessions of practical work for many more students without altering the quality of experimental scientific training because the Chemistry is an ultimate experimental Science; it can be learned in lectures and tutorials, but also on the bench in practical work.

Activities: 

The first step is to prepare a script. In our case, it’s a chemical experiment, I’ve started by describing the objectives of the manipulation, then identifying the equipment and the solution that I’m going to use in the potentiometric experiment, and practicing the experiment few times before recording. The experiment is “Acid-base titration of vinegar”, it consists the use of a pH-meter to check the modifications of the pH according to the addition of the solution of the hydroxide of sodium in the solution of the vinegar.

The team at the Centre of pedagogical innovation in Cadi Ayyad University helped me with the production of the digital content, by recording the video and the part of diffusion and posting online.

This Centre aims to support education through:

  • Implementation of innovative pedagogical practices.
  • Integration of digital tools for students
  • Advice and support for innovative initiatives.
  • Development of educational projects.

We’ve chosen the YouTube channel of the University for sharing this video resource, for so many reasons, we mention:

  • YouTube is the second highest trafficked site with search engine capabilities, also the number one search engine for videos.
  • Registration is free.
  • YouTube provides a free marketing, it auto-populates embeds links in Twitter, Facebook, Gmail and heaps of other social sites. We can easily add the links and increase traffic to the university website.
  • YouTube works on nearly all mobile phones, IPads, web browsers and other platforms.

In YouTube policies, to be eligible to mark YouTube video with a creative commons license it must consist entirely of content created by yourself, which is the case for us.

After having a clear idea about the Creative Commons licenses through the OpenMed courses, the right thing to do is choosing a CC license, the license CC-BY, it’s more permissive, so students may copy, distribute, display and perform the work.

Impact:

To learn is to accept the challenge of learning: to make constant efforts to overcome the difficulty of approaching, understanding and acquiring new knowledge and skills. Teaching is motivating learning, giving students a taste for risk, developing discovery projects with learners. And if we combine that with the internet we can support and expand the various aspects of learning.

The choice of the video as an open educational resource came from the fact that the video in the classroom, well mastered, brings a more sustained impact on the teacher’s statements and highlights the important points he or she wants to make. All the tests the results show that an image seen on a television set is easily stored.

The open educational resources present the perfect solution for so many problems in my institution, OER can offer drastic savings in the cost of education. Some students, who otherwise cannot afford to buy expensive textbooks or other course materials, will appreciate this affordable option.

OERs make it possible for people of all ages and backgrounds to learn more about the world around them and access the tools they need to improve their lives and livelihoods.