Supporting Undergraduate Students’ Learning in Practical Chemistry Courses through AI-Supported Experimental Design

King-Him Yim; Matthew Y. Lui

doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c01311

Supporting Undergraduate Students’ Learning in Practical Chemistry Courses through AI-Supported Experimental Design

King-Him Yim^*
, Matthew Y. Lui

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Chemistry

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review

Abstract

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, such as ChatGPT, has shown great promise in enhancing educational experiences across various disciplines. However, the potential of AI tools to enhance students’ learning experiences in laboratory courses remains underexplored. Herein, we report an authentic pedagogical approach by integrating AI into an upper-division undergraduate laboratory course. Students were tasked with designing a lab manual for analyzing real-world samples using AI, followed by implementation through hands-on experimentation. Additionally, the lab manuals were reviewed by independent testing and certification professionals to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the AI-generated content. Subsequently, the program was evaluated through surveys and focus group interviews. Feedback from students and staff indicated that this authentic pedagogical approach significantly enhanced students’ confidence in conducting experiments and soft skills, particularly in critical thinking, problem-solving, analytical abilities, and experimental design.

Original language	English
Number of pages	9
Journal	Journal of Chemical Education
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c01311
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 4 May 2026

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

User-Defined Keywords

Upper-Division Undergraduate
Analytical Chemistry
Quantitative Analysis
Inquiry-Based/Discovery Learning
Problem Solving/Decision Making
Laboratory Instruction

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10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c01311

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@article{19d6cfbcad6940bc84d11b9f7b8aa538,

title = "Supporting Undergraduate Students{\textquoteright} Learning in Practical Chemistry Courses through AI-Supported Experimental Design",

abstract = "The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, such as ChatGPT, has shown great promise in enhancing educational experiences across various disciplines. However, the potential of AI tools to enhance students{\textquoteright} learning experiences in laboratory courses remains underexplored. Herein, we report an authentic pedagogical approach by integrating AI into an upper-division undergraduate laboratory course. Students were tasked with designing a lab manual for analyzing real-world samples using AI, followed by implementation through hands-on experimentation. Additionally, the lab manuals were reviewed by independent testing and certification professionals to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the AI-generated content. Subsequently, the program was evaluated through surveys and focus group interviews. Feedback from students and staff indicated that this authentic pedagogical approach significantly enhanced students{\textquoteright} confidence in conducting experiments and soft skills, particularly in critical thinking, problem-solving, analytical abilities, and experimental design.",

keywords = "Upper-Division Undergraduate, Analytical Chemistry, Quantitative Analysis, Inquiry-Based/Discovery Learning, Problem Solving/Decision Making, Laboratory Instruction",

author = "King-Him Yim and Lui, \{Matthew Y.\}",

note = "We gratefully acknowledge the funding (TDG/2425/02) and advice from the Centre for Holistic Teaching and Learning (CHTL), HKBU. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to K. Chong and Kimmy Cheng for their valuable assistance in the preparation of the survey and interview materials. We thank Chemical Testing Services, HKBU, for the professional validation of the students{\textquoteright} lab manual. We also acknowledge the technical support from Eric W.-H. Jim and Hugo L.-C. Leung. We thank K.-S. Ho for his advice during the various stages of this project. Finally, we thank all students and staff members who participated in the study. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2026 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.",

year = "2026",

month = may,

day = "4",

doi = "10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c01311",

language = "English",

journal = "Journal of Chemical Education",

issn = "0021-9584",

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T1 - Supporting Undergraduate Students’ Learning in Practical Chemistry Courses through AI-Supported Experimental Design

AU - Yim, King-Him

AU - Lui, Matthew Y.

N1 - We gratefully acknowledge the funding (TDG/2425/02) and advice from the Centre for Holistic Teaching and Learning (CHTL), HKBU. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to K. Chong and Kimmy Cheng for their valuable assistance in the preparation of the survey and interview materials. We thank Chemical Testing Services, HKBU, for the professional validation of the students’ lab manual. We also acknowledge the technical support from Eric W.-H. Jim and Hugo L.-C. Leung. We thank K.-S. Ho for his advice during the various stages of this project. Finally, we thank all students and staff members who participated in the study. Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.

PY - 2026/5/4

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N2 - The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, such as ChatGPT, has shown great promise in enhancing educational experiences across various disciplines. However, the potential of AI tools to enhance students’ learning experiences in laboratory courses remains underexplored. Herein, we report an authentic pedagogical approach by integrating AI into an upper-division undergraduate laboratory course. Students were tasked with designing a lab manual for analyzing real-world samples using AI, followed by implementation through hands-on experimentation. Additionally, the lab manuals were reviewed by independent testing and certification professionals to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the AI-generated content. Subsequently, the program was evaluated through surveys and focus group interviews. Feedback from students and staff indicated that this authentic pedagogical approach significantly enhanced students’ confidence in conducting experiments and soft skills, particularly in critical thinking, problem-solving, analytical abilities, and experimental design.

AB - The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, such as ChatGPT, has shown great promise in enhancing educational experiences across various disciplines. However, the potential of AI tools to enhance students’ learning experiences in laboratory courses remains underexplored. Herein, we report an authentic pedagogical approach by integrating AI into an upper-division undergraduate laboratory course. Students were tasked with designing a lab manual for analyzing real-world samples using AI, followed by implementation through hands-on experimentation. Additionally, the lab manuals were reviewed by independent testing and certification professionals to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the AI-generated content. Subsequently, the program was evaluated through surveys and focus group interviews. Feedback from students and staff indicated that this authentic pedagogical approach significantly enhanced students’ confidence in conducting experiments and soft skills, particularly in critical thinking, problem-solving, analytical abilities, and experimental design.

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KW - Analytical Chemistry

KW - Quantitative Analysis

KW - Inquiry-Based/Discovery Learning

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DO - 10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c01311

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0021-9584

JO - Journal of Chemical Education

JF - Journal of Chemical Education

ER -

Supporting Undergraduate Students’ Learning in Practical Chemistry Courses through AI-Supported Experimental Design

Abstract

UN SDGs

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