Demonstration-Based Cooperative Testing in General Chemistry: A Broader Assessment-of-Learning Technique

Demonstrations are often used as tools by instructors to help communicate ideas in chemistry. However, demonstrations can also be used as a means of measuring student learning. Understanding and problem solving in chemistry involves representing chemical phenomena at the symbolic, particulate and macroscopic levels. Measuring student learning of macroscopic understanding and its links to the other areas can be accomplished by using demonstrations as testing tools. The paper describes several examples of ways demonstrations are used to measure student learning in chemistry. Data collected as part of a study indicate that use of demonstration-based assessment activities throughout a term can lead to enhanced student conceptual understanding of chemistry.