Adoption of online multimedia resources in a general chemistry laboratory course context: A case study

Abstract

Pre-laboratory practices and online pre-laboratory resources have been implemented in laboratory courses through various instructional approaches. This study seeks to elicit information about how online multimedia resources are embraced and used in the course system and which factors might affect the adoption of the resources in this context. This research was designed as a case study in order to explore the enablers and barriers of online multimedia resource adoption and associated problems in the system through two resources developed in video and simulation formats. Interviews, observations, and documents were applied so as to provide a detailed perspective of the course and the phenomenon. The findings of the study revealed that the multimedia components of the resources attracted the students’ interest and engagement, and affected the users’ preparation routines; however, attitude toward the course and resources, lack of policy practices and support, quality of the resources, problems in classroom practices, and administration were found to be prominent issues that challenged the adoption of online resources. The study offers suggestions concerning how to adopt the online resources into laboratory courses, and insights about the implications of online resources and their different multimedia features are also presented.