Implementation of Innovative Learning Material to Improve Students Competence on Chemistry

Abstract:

Background: Improving students competence to provide appropriate knowledge and skills to deal with professional works becomes a challange in education nowdays. Objectives: This research is aimed to develop and implement an inovative learning material to be used as learning media in the teaching and learning activities to improve students’ competence on chemistry. Materials and Methods: The procedures consist of the development and standardization of an innovative learning material with tasks instructions, preparation of research instruments of questionnaire and evaluation tests and implementation of an innovative learning material for teaching and learning activities in the class. Relevant contextual examples, laboratory works, students’ activities, media and multimedia and hyperlink to trustworthy websites were integrated into a set of chemistry material to achieve innovative learning material. The instruction for students tasks was also included into the learning package to guide the students to achieve learning goal. Results and Conclusion: Set of learning package has been implemented as learning media in the experimental class on the teaching of chemistry. Compared to control class that used the existing textbook, students’ performance in the experimental class was higher than that in control class. An innovative leaning package was discovered to be effective to guide the students to learn chemistry independently. The learning facilities integrated in the learning material help the students to understand chemistry concepts easily. The students enthusiastic to learn chemistry and familiar to use scientific documents to complete the given tasks, as well as having improved ability to write and organize their assignments. Innovative learning material has transformed the chemistry teaching and learning practice from lecturer oriented to students oriented.

Key words: Innovative learning material, Multitasks instruction, General Chemistry, Stoichiometry topics, Active learning.