USABILITY TESTING AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMPUTER LITERACY AND EFFECTIVE USE OF A CHEMICAL KNOWLEDGE BASE BY FIRST-SEMESTER ORGANIC CHEMISTRY STUDENTS

poster abstractUsability testing is a technique that allows for the examination of a spe-cific user’s effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in achieving goals (Law, Hvannberg, 2002). This user-focused design process has been found to be particularly important in early site development. In this study, multiple inter-faces of the knowledge base will be examined comparatively, changing only the aesthetics. Using a think-aloud process, users will be walked through seven scenarios in the IUPUI Chemistry Knowledge Base, and asked to vo-calize their thoughts as they attempt each situation. Completion of user questionnaires and a post-test System Usability Scale (SUS) will provide recommendations from which improvements may be made to the design, layout and management of the Knowledge Base (Brooke, 1996)

THE EFFECTS OF A KNOWLEDGE BASE ON THE LOGICAL REASONING OF STUDENTS IN THE FIRST-SEMESTER ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LECTURE

poster abstractWhile several studies have been conducted on the correlation be-tween gains in students’ individual reasoning ability and using web-based learning tools, this is the first investigation of the effect of use of an online knowledge base on students reasoning ability in organic chemistry. The IUPUI Chemistry Knowledge Base (chemkb.cs.iupui.edu) was developed to provide a supplemental prob-lem-solving tool and information repository for organic chemistry lec-ture students. An initial Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT) test was given to establish a baseline of students’ reasoning ability and to form comparable group populations. The experimental group of stu-dents was encouraged to use the knowledge base and the control group of students was given no treatment. The GALT test was modified and re-administered to determine any potential gains in logical reason-ing ability. Two content specific tools, a written quiz and a group solved workshop problem, were used to determine content oriented reasoning and problem-solving between experimental and control groups. Statistical analysis of correlations between initial logical rea-soning ability, exposure to the knowledge base, and performance on the administered tools will be presented. 1Department of Computer Information and Leadership Technology, Indiana Universi-ty Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202 This study was sponsored by the Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Institute (MURI