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Collaborative Organic Chemistry Lectures Online at Marshall University with Wimba

Chemistry and Psychology Departments Research Stress

by Neera Doss

The students in this summer’s organic chemistry classes haven’t been the only ones learning; so have chemistry and psychology departments.

For the first time, the departments are working together to research stress and how it affects students’ grades in college classes. 

“It is a really good feeling to be able to have an interdisciplinary project with the psychology dept. We are both learning a lot from each other.  This is a win-win situation for the university,” Dr. Kenneth O’Connor, chemistry professor at Marshall University, said.

Students give a saliva sample five times during the semester and keep a daily log. The saliva sample assesses levels of the stress hormones such as cortisol and DHEA. The daily log asks students to provide the amount of time spent studying, watching television working and time spent on the cell phone or surfing the web.

“We are also filming the students when they are taking the tests in this class to see if we can determine how stressed they are during the test. We would like to be able to correlate their performance in this class with how they handle stress,” O’Connor said.

Professors aren’t the only ones who are enthusiastic about the research.

“It’s nice that they can have an interdepartmental project at Marshall University. The science department has a lot to offer, between the two, they can gain some wisdom,” said Brian Adkins, junior biology major from Barboursville.

Some students even find the research helpful on a personal level.

“I like doing it a lot, there’s a lot of benefits for me.  I have test anxiety and doing the daily logs helps me keep track of how much I’m studying. The extra credit helps too,” said Vishnu Valluri, sophomore biology major from Barboursville.

Research isn’t the only thing new concerning the chemistry courses. For the first time, organic chemistry is utilizing WIMBA.  WIMBA is an online classroom where professors can post video so students can re-watch lecture. “It’s nice that you can go back and look at the lectures recorded on WIMBA. This is such a long class, it’s hard to remember everything,” said Kevin Adkins, junior forensic chemistry major from Milton.

“What I like best about the course is that by using Wimba classroom software, the lecture is recorded in real time and I can make it available to all students right after I give the lecture,” O’Connor said.

When online, students can not only re-watch lectures; they can also communicate with the professor by responding to lectures.

“I think it’s a lot easier to get acquainted for the student.  He walks you through what you should look at. It really feels like someone’s holding your hand helping you through the course rather than jumping into the deep end alone,” Brian Adkins said.

By using WIMBA and conducting the stress research along with the psychology depeartment, O’Connor is optimistic that the results from this summer’s chemistry classes will benefit Marshall as a whole.

“Every university strives to find ways to help their students succeed. This research will undoubtedly be helpful in leading us in the direction of how to better prepare students so that they will succeed in college, as well as in life,” O’Connor said.

Results from the stress tests are expected to be available to the public later this fall.