In Fall 2020, Ed Lee at Texas A&M University found himself pondering giving 6,000 final exams in a pandemic environment that had his students spread across hybrid, in person and online lab courses. How could he keep his final exam consistent across all of the courses and keep his students engaged in the process?   The answer he came up with was to meet them where they are online - TikTok.    Lee and fellow instructor Alicia Altemose challenged their students to produce a TikTok video explaining an everyday concept they learned in their lab or lecture course during the Fall semester. Naming, the project #GIGCHEM, they went to work filming a sample video of Lee measuring the speed of light with a microwave and bar of chocolate. Most students responded enthusiastically, although there was an understandable amount of apprehension about such an innovative final project.    Though students weren’t mandated to use TikTok for their project (they could also use YouTube), most students did. Rising to the challenge, Lee’s students showcased their creativity alongside some of the most important Chemistry concepts they learned over the semester. The results were overwhelmingly positive with over 6.8 million views on TikTok and rave reviews from TAMU Chemistry students.    Not only did this project provide students a fun break from the traditional final exam stress, but it provided a connection between their lives and their studies. Watching their classmates demonstrate real life applications of Chemistry provided students with a connection to both the discipline and their classmates that many had not experienced before. It is unknown whether this will be a permanent addition to the TAMU First Year Program Chemistry curriculum, but they will certainly be doing it again this Spring! Learn more about the TAMU #gigchem project with quotes and feedback from students here and watch their favorite videos on the TAMU TikTok page . ... View more

Instructors : Welcome to Hayden-McNeil Lab Simulations!  Helpful information to get you started in your course is provided below.  Student Registration Provide one of the following resources to students so they can register.  Student registration instructions will walk students through creating an account, as well as registering for a course.  To post directly in your LMS, download either the syllabus insert or slides for our First Day of Class instructions and make edits so they are specific to your course. Your Course: Each lab includes an e-manual and two assignments as options . The Introduction to Lab Simulations provide an overview to navigate within the simulation. The “SA”, or short answer assignment, must be manually graded while the “MC”, or multiple choice, assignment is auto-graded - assign one, both, or neither.  Lab simulations are linked from the procedure page of the e-manual and open in a new window. Please note that the Evolution and Ecology labs do not include a simulation but cover the topics through images, videos, and/or data analysis.  Viewing, Hiding, and Showing: Each lab has a section block - all of the labs are initially hidden from student view except Introduction to Lab Simulations . You can identify the hidden items because they appear lighter. Instructors can Hide or Show lab section blocks and individual items .  If students indicate they cannot access a lab even after unhiding the section block, you may need to unhide individual items.   As an instructor you can View the Course or an Assignment as a Student to confirm everything appears as it should.  Editing and Assigning: Assign Open / Close Dates and Times or easily make changes to the content in your course . Edit Assignment Names Edit your Course   Edit questions in an Assignment Edit the e-Manual    Section Management: If you manage multiple sections of students, you may want to create sections. Create Sections to provide different open/close dates for assignments.  Once sections are set up, assign unique open / close dates (and times) for each assignment and section either using Group Overrides or the Bulk Assignment Updater . Adding TAs or Adjuncts: Add Teaching Assistants (TAs), Graders, or Adjunct Faculty so they can grade assignments and access the gradebook, but not make edits to the e-manual or assignments. They must first follow the account creation process. They do not need to register for a course, but they must create and verify their account.   Have Questions? Contact Customer Support for help . ... View more

Looking for a fun way to engage your online lab students for Valentine's Day? Hayden-McNeil has developed these quick and easy instructions for your students to create a "Love Potion" for this special day. Developed as a way to encourage students to have fun with their lab simulations, this "experiment" can be adapted with a variety of reagents to create different colored solutions.  Note: This will only work if you have the pH Indicators experiment loaded into your Hayden-McNeil Lab Simulations course.  Step 1: Open the "pH Indicators" experiment, put on your PPE, and enter the lab Step 2: Remove a Large Test Tube from the equipment shelf and place it on the bench Step 3: Add 20 mL of 1M Hydrochloric Acid to your test tube Step 4: Add .1 mL of Methyl Yellow to your test tube The reaction should be instant, and your "Love Potion" is complete. Feel free to experiment with other reactions to see how many other colors you can make! Video Link : 2520 ... View more