Applications of Digital Technology in Chemical Education

Abstract

When Southeast Asia experienced a major SARS outbreak in 2003, the National University of Singapore (NUS) made supportive efforts so that students continued with their education undisrupted at home by leveraging on digital technology. The COVID-19 pandemic has radically altered the global education landscape by jolting the transition from traditional face-to-face lessons to an online platform, reducing face-to-face contact time between educators and students. At NUS Chemistry, we recognise the challenges that both educators and students face in online learning. In this chapter, we highlight the thoughtful integration of education technologies (EdTechs) in the classrooms in supporting the achievement of course learning outcomes. These EdTechs include an augmented reality (AR) mobile app, 360° immersive laboratory videos, virtual reality (VR) excursions, and VR crime scenes. In the qualitative and quantitative questionnaires, students indicated that the EdTechs provided them with an enhanced understanding of the concepts taught. By sharing our journey in creating these tools through practice, we hope to inspire educators to embrace technology as part of their online lessons, become more adaptive in the everchanging educational landscape, and engage their students more effectively.