Cultivating Undergraduate Scientific Writing Proficiency through Interactive Video Workshops

Abstract

This study aims to address the deficiencies in scientific writing skills among undergraduate chemistry students by integrating a series of interactive video workshops into the Honors General Chemistry (HGC) curriculum. Despite completing multiple report sections in high school, students’ writing performance in HGC at the University of Pittsburgh does not meet the standards expected for college-level writing and publication. This project focuses on providing a uniform curriculum that emphasizes technical writing fundamentals through collaborative learning activities. The workshops include predesigned videos and worksheets that allow instructors to facilitate the learning process without requiring expertise in writing education. The curriculum is designed to cultivate and improve students’ lab report writing abilities through scaled, iterative practice and graded feedback. Key topics of scientific writing are covered in the workshops including hypothesis formulation, data presentation, argument construction, abstract writing, writing style, and overall report structure. Each workshop incorporates interactive elements and a review of writing samples to engage students in the writing process and enhance their understanding and skills. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to evaluate the impact of the writing curriculum. Writing assignment scores were analyzed to determine improvements in students’ writing skills, while pre- and postsemester surveys gathered students’ opinions on the curriculum’s effectiveness. The results indicate that incorporating active and collaborative learning strategies, supported by scaffolding techniques, significantly improved students’ scientific writing performance and their ability to produce high-quality lab reports. This innovative approach demonstrates the effectiveness of using interactive video workshops to teach scientific writing in a chemistry curriculum. By providing a consistent and sustainable writing education framework, the project offers valuable insights into improving writing proficiency among undergraduate science students.