Discovery Learning Center

UMBC's Department of Chemistry, the Office of Undergraduate Education and the Shriver Center worked together to create the Chemistry Discovery Center, a problem-based, high-tech learning lab (University Center, Room 201) focused on cooperative learning. Two years later, pass rates in Chemistry 101 are increasing, fewer students need to repeat the class and faculty have seen additional improvement at all grade levels. The number of majors, second majors and minors in chemistry and biochemistry is growing. And an overall improvement in group skills is also migrating to upper-level chemistry classes

Category:

Education

Tags:

• umbc

[Ldfzm]

What they don't mention in the video, however, is that the students are not allowed to choose their roles in the randomly-assigned groups, leave early if they complete their work, or even bring their own pencil and paper to make any sort of individual notes. The "scribe" (the person on the whiteboard) is required to stand for the entire two-hour session.

Discovery is 20% of the grade, but more than one or two missed Discovery sessions results in a failure of the overall class.