Introducing Video-Recorded Lab Experiments into Assignments forSurface and Colloid Chemistry Students

This communication describes our initial experi-ence modifying traditional (written and calculation-based) assign-ments in the surface and colloid chemistry course given as a part ofthe chemical engineering program. The new exercises contain amore relatable context that is easier to understand and rememberin terms of future challenges in student's professional career. Thesemodified exercises deepen the level of the exercise by adding theworking principle of the measurement and visualization of a labexperiment, instead of simply requiring the student to solve a set ofproblems. All videos were made and edited using in-houseinstrumentation and easily accessible tools (tripods, mobilephones, etc.). Analysis of the result of these new assignmentsshowed that the average score was slightly below the means for theother exercises; interestingly, however, the students needed fewer attempts to solve these, which was possibly a sign of a better initialunderstanding of the questions. Furthermore, through a postassignment survey, we found that many students had a positive attitudetoward this new form of introducing exercises and, in general, found them more engaging. Still, some comments pointed out a fewshortcomings of the new type of exercises, which will be considered while continuously improving the existing exercises andformulating new ones. Overall, encouraged by the feedback, we plan to continue modifying the content of the assignments using thisapproach and consider other use of the prepared videos, for example, for instrument training purposes or promotional materials forthe research group.