Student Perceptions of Diverse Assessment Methods in a Second-Year Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Undergraduate laboratory courses use multiple assessment formats to evidence conceptual understanding, practical skills, safety, and communication, but research rarely examines how students experience several methods used together in one course. This study investigated second-year chemistry students’ perceptions of multiple assessment formats in a compulsory organic laboratory course, including laboratory reports, video presentations, postlaboratory quizzes, laboratory notebooks, risk assessments, and formative peer- and self-assessment. An anonymous online survey (n = 65 of N = 130 enrolled students) collected Likert-type ratings and free-text comments on eight assessment formats. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively to compare ratings for each format, and qualitative data were analyzed thematically to characterize perceived benefits and challenges. Students attributed different strengths to different formats: laboratory reports were most frequently described as deepening understanding, video presentations as developing concise communication, postlaboratory quizzes as reinforcing key ideas with rapid feedback, and laboratory notebooks and risk assessments as supporting good laboratory practice and safety awareness. Students distinguished between feeling comfortable with a format and viewing it as valuable for learning, with some assessments described as demanding yet worthwhile. Within this course context, the findings suggest that combining complementary assessment types can support a broad range of laboratory learning goals when workload, timing, and feedback are carefully managed.