DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00639

Summary
This paper addresses the use of student-generated instructional videos to promote awareness of green chemistry principles during remote instruction.
In the spring of 2020, the authors planned to incorporate various aspects of green chemistry into the majors’ Organic Chemistry II laboratory via several hands-on experiments. However, with the onset of COVID-19, their plans were suddenly changed, as they were forced to move to an entirely online instructional model.
Authors chose the case study analysis to promote the following student learning objectives (SLOs):
• SLO1. Students will analyze chemical reactions and processes for their adherence to the various green chemistry principles.
• SLO2. Students will develop professional communication skills by preparing and presenting a literature presentation and then participating in scientific discourse with their peers on a virtual platform.
Students were provided a rubric that communicated the expectations for video presentations and the following discussions. The grading scale split into the following three levels: “Mastering”, “Developing”, and “Needs Work”.
The platform utilized for the student-generated videos was Flipgrid.
The authors provide details on using Flipgrid, as well as solutions used to overcome technical problems due to equipment shortages of some students.
The project timeline is briefly described.
In the first phase of the green chemistry unit, students read an individually assigned chapter from Real-World Cases in Green Chemistry, created a video presentation, and posted it on Flipgrid.
In the second phase, students were encouraged to participate in meaningful scientific discourse about their presentations.
Finally, in the third phase, students were assigned a problem set to be completed individually in order to assess their knowledge of green chemistry principles. After finishing the problem set, the students were asked to complete an anonymous Qualtrics survey that asked for open-ended feedback on the green chemistry unit.
The assessment of the activity indicated that this project helped contribute to students’ understanding of concepts learned in the lecture, that they had a better understanding of green chemistry principles and a better understanding of reaction pathways. After completing the unit, the number of students who were able to correctly calculate atom economy increased.
Concerning the development of students’ professional communication skills, the questions posed among the students were respectful and relevant and illustrated higher order thinking, indicating both a high level of engagement and professionalism. Because the replies were asynchronous, students had time to explore and formulate their responses; subsequently, their responses were well-thought out and often included citing other literature sources to support their answers.

Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
This paper deals with incorporation of various aspects of green chemistry principles in Organic Chemistry laboratory course remotely. According to the authors the decision of incorporating green chemistry aspects at this course founded on the premise that green chemistry is essential for the students’ future careers, helps facilitate systems thinking, and introduces meaningful learning.

Point of Strength
The point of strength of this article is that it presents how a distance course was set up based on student-generated instructional materials instead of the instructor-generated instructional materials that are usually used.