Supplemental Learning in the Laboratory: An Innovative Approach for Evaluating Knowledge and Method Transfer

The Multi-Rule Quality Control System (MRQCS) is a tool currently employed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to evaluate and compare laboratory performance. We have applied the MRQCS to a comparison of instructor-led and computer-led prelaboratory instruction for a supplemental learning experiment. Students in general chemistry and analytical chemistry from both two- and four-year institutions performed two laboratory experiments as part of their normal laboratory curriculum. The first laboratory experiment was a foundational learning experiment in which all of the students were introduced to the Beer–Lambert law and spectrophotometric light absorbance measurements. The foundational learning experiment was instructor-led only, and participant performance was evaluated against a mean characterized value. The second laboratory experiment was a supplemental learning experiment in which students were asked to build upon the methodology they learned in the foundational learning experiment and apply it to a different analyte. The instruction type was varied randomly into two delivery modes, with participants receiving either instructor-led or computer-led prelaboratory instruction. The MRQCS was applied, and it was determined that there was no statistical difference between the quality control passing rates of the participants receiving instructor-led instruction and those receiving computer-led instruction. These findings demonstrate the successful application of the MRQCS to evaluate knowledge and technology transfer.