The Development and Implementation of Innovative Learning Resource with Guided Projects for the Teaching of Carboxylic Acid Topic

Abstract:

Background: The development of good learning resources in line with current technology to facilitate active learning has become a trend in education. An innovative learning material is believed to be able to motivate the students to learn and to improving students’ skills for chemistry and pharmacy students to handle chemical reaction. Objectives: The study aimed to enact an innovative learning material with guided project to be implemented as learning resources to improve student’s performance in organic chemistry. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out at Universitas Negeri Medan with the involvement of 180 chemistry students in the Department of Chemistry. It consisted of the development and standardization of an innovative learning package with guided project and implementing it for the teaching of carboxylic acid topic. Results and Conclusion: An innovative learning package with project contextual example related to carboxylic acid topic has been developed in a systematic order and the projects were provided to guide the students to become independent learners. The learning package was easy to follow and guided the students to do scientific investigations. The guide projects integrated in the learning package facilitated the students to gain deeper understanding of organic chemistry concept, be able to set their own project to keep the students engage in curiosity and problem solving and develop students’ skills on planning, actions and reporting the project results. The developed learning material is very effective to improve students’ competence, where students’ performance in experimental class (M=83.23±4.41) was higher than that in control class (M=77.22±4.79). Students’ learning style has been changed to become independent learner.

Key words: Innovative learning resource, Guided project, Independent learner, Chemistry teaching, Students’ performance.