Google Docs as a Form of Collaborative LearningAndrew D. Spaeth* and Roderick S. Black
Department of Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, United States
*S Supporting Information
ABSTRACT: Google Docs is explored as a tool for promoting collaborativelearning in laboratory courses. Students working from multiple computersshare a single spreadsheet in real time, using each others’ work to guide theirunderstanding of complex calculations, while creating opportunities for timelyinstructor−student interaction.
KEYWORDS: First-Year Undergraduate/General, High School/Introductory Chemistry, Curriculum, Laboratory Instruction,Physical Chemistry, Collaborative/Cooperative Learning, Computer-Based Learning, Internet/Web-Based Learning,Calorimetry/Thermochemistry, Phases/Phase Transitions/Diagrams
Google Docs1 is a free online suite of programs thatprovides much of the functionality found in the Microsoft
Office2 or OpenOffice3 suites, affording significant opportu-nities for student collaboration during laboratory experimentsand results interpretation. Pence4,5 and Bonham6 havedescribed several science education applications for GoogleDocs-based cloud computing. No special technical skill isrequired for an instructor to use a free account7 to create aGoogle Docs file, such as a spreadsheet. Using a Google Docslink provided by their instructor, students at different Internet-enabled computers can view the same spreadsheet file, enterdata, and perform calculations.Google Docs spreadsheets can be designed to guide students
through complicated math problems. When multiple studentsedit a single spreadsheet, they see their peers’ work and cancompare results and calculations at each step. Instructors whoview all students’ work on one computer screen may be quicklyalerted to specific students’ needs. Instructors who traditionallyask students to use the chalkboard to share experimental dataor step-by-step calculations can employ Google Docs to expandthe classmate peer group to students who previously performedthe experiment or to students in other lab sections that meetconcurrently. Furthermore, for an experiment in which allstudents’ results are compiled to form a larger study, a GoogleDocs spreadsheet provides a data-handling framework; aconceptually or statistically meaningful data set may beassembled more efficiently.To serve as an example, we offer a Google Docs spreadsheet8
used by our general chemistry students during Styrofoam cupcalorimetry. Students measure the temperature change forwarm water placed in contact with ice, liquid nitrogen, or dry
ice to determine an approximate ΔH value for eachendothermic phase change.9 One spreadsheet column ispopulated with student data, whereas the others columns areintentionally left blank. Access permissions are set by theinstructor or spreadsheet creator. During an experiment, allstudents are supplied with the file link and they can edit thespreadsheet; afterward, we adjust settings so that students canview the spreadsheet, but not edit it.Software “power users” may notice that some desktop
software functions are not currently available in Google Docs.Although lack of functionality could constrain application ofGoogle Docs in certain laboratory or classroom activities, thesimplicity of this suite of programs can be a powerful asset intechnology-aided instruction.
■ ASSOCIATED CONTENT*S Supporting Information
Excel spreadsheet version of the Google doc. This material isavailable via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org.
■ AUTHOR INFORMATIONCorresponding Author
*E-mail: [email protected]
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
■ REFERENCES(1) Google Docs. http://docs.google.com (accessed Apr 2012).
Published: May 1, 2012
Technology Report
pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
© 2012 American Chemical Society andDivision of Chemical Education, Inc. 1078 dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed200708p | J. Chem. Educ. 2012, 89, 1078−1079
(2) Microsoft Office. http://office.microsoft.com (accessed Apr2012).(3) OpenOffice. http://www.openoffice.org (accessed Apr 2012).(4) Pence, L. E.; Pence, H. E. Assessing Resource Bias and EngagingStudents to Personalize Class Content through Internet SocialTagging. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 41−44.(5) Bennett, J.; Pence, H. E. Managing Laboratory Data Using CloudComputing as an Organizational Tool. J. Chem. Educ. 2011, 88, 761−763.(6) Bonham, S. Whole Class Laboratories with Google Docs. Phys.Teach. 2011, 49, 22−23.(7) Google Accounts. http://accounts.google.com (accessed Apr2012).(8) Spaeth, A. Google Docs Spreadsheet for the ’Energy of PhaseChanges’ Experiment. https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AmPbvMwAsTIydGdVRDBIYmhNbUtSN3F1SkhEaFRJaEE&hl=en&authkey=CMT02vUI (accessed Apr 2012).(9) Energy of Phase Changes. http://linus.chem.ku.edu/g e n c h e m l a b / 1 8 4 F A 1 0 / D o w n l o a d 1 8 4 _ L a b s /Coffee%20Cup%20Download.htm (accessed Apr 2012).
Journal of Chemical Education Technology Report
dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed200708p | J. Chem. Educ. 2012, 89, 1078−10791079
