Development, Implementation, and Assessment of General Chemistry Lab Experiments Performed in the Virtual World of Second Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winkelmann, Kurt; Keeney-Kennicutt, Wendy; Fowler, Debra; Macik, Maria

2017-01-01

Virtual worlds are a potential medium for teaching college-level chemistry laboratory courses. To determine the feasibility of conducting chemistry experiments in such an environment, undergraduate students performed two experiments in the immersive virtual world of Second Life (SL) as part of their regular General Chemistry 2 laboratory course.…

Development of an Undergraduate Course in the Use of Digital Computers With Chemistry Instrumentation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkins, Charles L.

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) has proven useful in teaching chemistry instrumentation techniques to undergraduate students. The work completed at the time of this interim report has clearly shown that a general purpose laboratory computer system, equipped with suitable devices to allow direct data input from experiments, can be an effective…

Research and Teaching: Photovoice as a Pedagogical Tool--Student Engagement in Undergraduate Introductory Chemistry for Nonscience Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stroud, Mary W.

2014-01-01

This study explores the use of Photovoice as a pedagogical tool in two introductory undergraduate chemistry courses for nonscience majors. Photovoice, historically linked to participatory action research, is a qualitative mode of inquiry in which the perspectives provided in narratives and pictures are generally personal, subjective, and unique.…

Introduction of Differential Scanning Calorimetry in a General Chemistry Laboratory Course: Determination of Heat Capacity of Metals and Demonstration of Law of Dulong and Petit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Amelia, Ronald P.; Stracuzzi, Vincent; Nirode, William F.

2008-01-01

Today's general chemistry students are introduced to many of the principles and concepts of thermodynamics. In first-year general chemistry undergraduate courses, thermodynamic properties such as heat capacity are frequently discussed. Classical calorimetric methods of analysis and thermal equilibrium experiments are used to determine heat…

Teaching Chemical Equilibrium and Thermodynamics in Undergraduate General Chemistry Classes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banerjee, Anil C.

1995-01-01

Discusses some of the conceptual difficulties encountered by undergraduate students in learning certain aspects of chemical equilibrium and thermodynamics. Discusses teaching strategies for dealing with these difficulties. (JRH)

Teaching Thermodynamics and Kinetics to Advanced General Chemistry Students and to Upper-Level Undergraduate Students Using PV Diagrams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iyengar, Srinivasan S.; deSouza, Romualdo T.

2014-01-01

We describe how complex concepts in macroscopic chemistry, namely, thermodynamics and kinetics, can be taught at considerable depth both at the first-year undergraduate as well as upper levels. We begin with a careful treatment of PV diagrams, and by pictorially integrating the appropriate area in a PV diagram, we introduce work. This starting…

Organic Chemistry Educators' Perspectives on Fundamental Concepts and Misconceptions: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duis, Jennifer M.

2011-01-01

An exploratory study was conducted with 23 organic chemistry educators to discover what general chemistry concepts they typically review, the concepts they believe are fundamental to introductory organic chemistry, the topics students find most difficult in the subject, and the misconceptions they observe in undergraduate organic chemistry…

Using Bad Science to Teach Good Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Epstein, Michael S.

1998-01-01

Describes the integration of topics dealing with "bad science"--pseudo, pathological, or deviant science--into introductory undergraduate courses in general and analytical chemistry, and provides extensive references for the chemistry instructor interested in these topics. The approach is to incorporate specific cases that address…

Cocrystal Controlled Solid-State Synthesis: A Green Chemistry Experiment for Undergraduate Organic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheney, Miranda L.; Zaworotko, Michael J.; Beaton, Steve; Singer, Robert D.

2008-01-01

Green chemistry has become an important area of concern for all chemists from practitioners in the pharmaceutical industry to professors and the students they teach and is now being incorporated into lectures of general and organic chemistry courses. However, there are relatively few green chemistry experiments that are easily incorporated into…

Design, Development, and Psychometric Analysis of a General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry Topic Inventory Based on the Identified Main Chemistry Topics Relevant to Nursing Clinical Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Corina E.

2013-01-01

This two-stage study focused on the undergraduate nursing course that covers topics in general, organic, and biological (GOB) chemistry. In the first stage, the central objective was to identify the main concepts of GOB chemistry relevant to the clinical practice of nursing. The collection of data was based on open-ended interviews of both nursing…

Physiology undergraduate degree requirements in the U.S.

PubMed

VanRyn, Valerie S; Poteracki, James M; Wehrwein, Erica A

2017-12-01

Course-level learning objectives and core concepts for undergraduate physiology teaching exist. The next step is to consider how these resources fit into generalizable program-level guidelines for Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees in Physiology. In the absence of program-level guidelines for Physiology degree programs, we compiled a selective internal report to review degree requirements from 18 peer BS programs entitled "Physiology" in the United States (U.S.). There was a range of zero to three required semesters of math, physics, physics laboratory, general biology, biology laboratory, general chemistry, chemistry laboratory, organic chemistry, organic chemistry laboratory, biochemistry, biochemistry laboratory, anatomy, anatomy laboratory, core systems physiology, and physiology laboratory. Required upper division credits ranged from 11 to 31 and included system-specific, exercise and environmental, clinically relevant, pathology/disease-related, and basic science options. We hope that this information will be useful for all programs that consider themselves to be physiology, regardless of name. Reports such as this can serve as a starting point for collaboration among BS programs to improve physiology undergraduate education and best serve our students. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Utilization of the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education in general chemistry by community college instructors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panther Bishoff, Jennifer

In recent years, higher education has undergone many changes. The advent of assessment, accountability, and a newfound focus on teaching have required faculty to examine how they are teaching. Administrators and faculty are beginning to recognize that learning is not a "one size fits all" enterprise. To this end, Chickering and Gamson developed an inventory that examined faculty utilization of the Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. The seven principles included by the authors included faculty-student interaction, cooperative learning, active learning, giving prompt feedback, emphasizing time on task, communicating high expectations, and respecting diverse talents and ways of learning. It was determined by Chickering and Gamson, as well as many other researchers, that these seven principles were hallmarks of successful undergraduate education. Community colleges are important institutions to study, as many students begin their higher education at two-year colleges. Most students are also required to take one or more science classes for their general education requirements; therefore, many students must take at least one general chemistry course. Both community colleges and chemistry are rarely studied in literature, which makes this study important. Community college general chemistry instructors were surveyed using an online version of Chickering and Gamson's Faculty Inventory for the Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. Responses were analyzed, and it was discovered that not only did instructors utilize the principles to a different extent, but there were also differences between genders as well as between the specific actions related to each principle.

Factors affecting the number and type of student research products for chemistry and physics students at primarily undergraduate institutions: A case study.

PubMed

Mellis, Birgit; Soto, Patricia; Bruce, Chrystal D; Lacueva, Graciela; Wilson, Anne M; Jayasekare, Rasitha

2018-01-01

For undergraduate students, involvement in authentic research represents scholarship that is consistent with disciplinary quality standards and provides an integrative learning experience. In conjunction with performing research, the communication of the results via presentations or publications is a measure of the level of scientific engagement. The empirical study presented here uses generalized linear mixed models with hierarchical bootstrapping to examine the factors that impact the means of dissemination of undergraduate research results. Focusing on the research experiences in physics and chemistry of undergraduates at four Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) from 2004-2013, statistical analysis indicates that the gender of the student does not impact the number and type of research products. However, in chemistry, the rank of the faculty advisor and the venue of the presentation do impact the number of research products by undergraduate student, whereas in physics, gender match between student and advisor has an effect on the number of undergraduate research products. This study provides a baseline for future studies of discipline-based bibliometrics and factors that affect the number of research products of undergraduate students.

Factors affecting the number and type of student research products for chemistry and physics students at primarily undergraduate institutions: A case study

PubMed Central

Soto, Patricia; Bruce, Chrystal D.; Lacueva, Graciela; Wilson, Anne M.; Jayasekare, Rasitha

2018-01-01

For undergraduate students, involvement in authentic research represents scholarship that is consistent with disciplinary quality standards and provides an integrative learning experience. In conjunction with performing research, the communication of the results via presentations or publications is a measure of the level of scientific engagement. The empirical study presented here uses generalized linear mixed models with hierarchical bootstrapping to examine the factors that impact the means of dissemination of undergraduate research results. Focusing on the research experiences in physics and chemistry of undergraduates at four Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) from 2004–2013, statistical analysis indicates that the gender of the student does not impact the number and type of research products. However, in chemistry, the rank of the faculty advisor and the venue of the presentation do impact the number of research products by undergraduate student, whereas in physics, gender match between student and advisor has an effect on the number of undergraduate research products. This study provides a baseline for future studies of discipline-based bibliometrics and factors that affect the number of research products of undergraduate students. PMID:29698502

Undergraduate Chemistry Students' Perceptions of and Misconceptions about Buffers and Buffer Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orgill, MaryKay; Sutherland, Aynsley

2008-01-01

Both upper- and lower-level chemistry students struggle with understanding the concept of buffers and with solving corresponding buffer problems. While it might be reasonable to expect general chemistry students to struggle with this abstract concept, it is surprising that upper-level students in analytical chemistry and biochemistry continue to…

SELECTED PAPERS FROM REGIONAL CONFERENCES 1966-67.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MARQUARDT, D.N.

REPORTED ARE 15 SELECTED PAPERS ON VARIOUS TOPICS OF CURRENT INTEREST WHICH WERE PRESENTED AT THE VARIOUS REGIONAL CONFERENCES DURING 1966 AND 1967. THE VARIOUS CONFERENCES HAVE AS THEIR MAJOR CONCERNS (1) RECENT TRENDS IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY, (2) CHEMISTRY FOR GENERAL EDUCATION, (3) TEACHING UNDERGRADUATE ORGANIC LABORATORIES, (4) THE INTEGRATED…

An Analysis of Undergraduate General Chemistry Students' Misconceptions of the Submicroscopic Level of Precipitation Reactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Resa M.; Barrera, Juliet H.; Mohamed, Saheed C.

2010-01-01

This study examined how 21 college-level general chemistry students, who had received instruction that emphasized the symbolic level of ionic equations, explained their submicroscopic-level understanding of precipitation reactions. Students' explanations expressed through drawings and semistructured interviews revealed the nature of the…

Web-Based Job Submission Interface for the GAMESS Computational Chemistry Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perri, M. J.; Weber, S. H.

2014-01-01

A Web site is described that facilitates use of the free computational chemistry software: General Atomic and Molecular Electronic Structure System (GAMESS). Its goal is to provide an opportunity for undergraduate students to perform computational chemistry experiments without the need to purchase expensive software.

Molecular Modeling and Computational Chemistry at Humboldt State University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paselk, Richard A.; Zoellner, Robert W.

2002-01-01

Describes a molecular modeling and computational chemistry (MM&CC) facility for undergraduate instruction and research at Humboldt State University. This facility complex allows the introduction of MM&CC throughout the chemistry curriculum with tailored experiments in general, organic, and inorganic courses as well as a new molecular modeling…

Self-Assembled Student Interactions in Undergraduate General Chemistry Clicker Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacArthur, James R.; Jones, Loretta

2013-01-01

Student interviews, focus groups, and classroom observations were used in an exploratory study of the nature of student interactions in a large (300+ students) general chemistry course taught with clickers. These data suggest that students are self-assembling their learning environment: choosing ways in which to interact with one another during…

The Role of Water Chemistry in Marine Aquarium Design: A Model System for a General Chemistry Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keaffaber, Jeffrey J.; Palma, Ramiro; Williams, Kathryn R.

2008-01-01

Water chemistry is central to aquarium design, and it provides many potential applications for discussion in undergraduate chemistry and engineering courses. Marine aquaria and their life support systems feature many chemical processes. A life support system consists of the entire recirculation system, as well as the habitat tank and all ancillary…

Forging Faculty-Student Relationships at the College Level Using a First-Year Research Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forbes, David C.; Davis, Patricia M.

2008-01-01

Coupling the scholarly activities of the chemistry research faculty with that of the first-year honors general chemistry laboratory has resulted in additional research experience for undergraduate students and a rise of productivity within the chemistry department. For seven years, first-year university honors students enrolled in the honors…

Teaching Assistants' Perceptions of a Training to Support an Inquiry-Based General Chemistry Laboratory Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wheeler, Lindsay B.; Maeng, Jennifer L.; Whitworth, Brooke A.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to better understand teaching assistants' (TAs') perceptions of training in a guided inquiry undergraduate general chemistry laboratory context. The training was developed using existing TA training literature and informed by situated learning theory. TAs engaged in training prior to teaching (~25…

Supporting Students' Learning to Learn in General Chemistry Using Moodle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonza´lez, Maritza Lau; Haza, Ulises Ja´uregui; Gramagtes, Aurora Pe´rez; Leo´n, Gloria Farin~as; Le Bolay, Nadine

2014-01-01

A combination of regular classroom teaching with the use of resources available on the Moodle platform has been designed to foster the development of skills for learning to learn for students in an undergraduate general chemistry course. The use of the Moodle platform essentially aimed at strengthening the students' prior knowledge of…

Playing with Light: Adventures in Optics and Spectroscopy for Honors and Majors General Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Staveren, Marie N.; Edwards, Kimberly D.; Apkarian, V. A.

2012-01-01

A lab was developed for use in an undergraduate honors and majors general chemistry laboratory to introduce students to optics, spectroscopy, and the underlying principles of quantum mechanics. This lab includes four mini-experiments exploring total internal reflection, the tunneling of light, spectra of sparklers and colored candles, and emission…

Examination of Bond Properties through Infrared Spectroscopy and Molecular Modeling in the General Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Csizmar, Clifford M.; Force, Dee Ann; Warner, Don L.

2012-01-01

A concerted effort has been made to increase the opportunities for undergraduate students to address scientific problems employing the processes used by practicing chemists. As part of this effort, an infrared (IR) spectroscopy and molecular modeling experiment was developed for the first-year general chemistry laboratory course. In the…

Introduction of Differential Scanning Calorimetry in a General Chemistry Laboratory Course: Determination of Thermal Properties of Organic Hydrocarbons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Amelia, Ronald; Franks, Thomas; Nirode, William F.

2007-01-01

In first-year general chemistry undergraduate courses, thermodynamics and thermal properties such as melting points and changes in enthalpy ([Delta]H) and entropy ([Delta]S) of phase changes are frequently discussed. Typically, classical calorimetric methods of analysis are used to determine [Delta]H of reactions. Differential scanning calorimetry…

Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume VIII, 2008

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stiner, K. S.; Graham, S.; Khan, M.

Th e Journal of Undergraduate Research (JUR) provides undergraduate interns the opportunity to publish their scientific innovation and to share their passion for education and research with fellow students and scientists. Fields in which these students worked include: Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Engineering; Environmental Science; General Sciences; Materials Sciences; Medical and Health Sciences; Nuclear Sciences; Physics; Science Policy; and Waste Management.

General chemistry courses that can affect achievement: An action research study in developing a plan to improve undergraduate chemistry courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shweikeh, Eman

Over the past 50 years, considerable research has been dedicated to chemistry education. In evaluating principal chemistry courses in higher education, educators have noted the learning process for first-year general chemistry courses may be challenging. The current study investigated perceptions of faculty, students and administrators on chemistry education at three institutions in Southern California. Via action research, the study sought to develop a plan to improve student engagement in general chemistry courses. A mixed method was utilized to analyze different perceptions on key factors determining the level of commitment and engagement in general chemistry education. The approach to chemistry learning from both a faculty and student perspective was examined including good practices, experiences and extent of active participation. The research study considered well-known measures of effective education with an emphasis on two key components: educational practices and student behavior. Institutional culture was inclusively assessed where cognitive expectations of chemistry teaching and learning were communicated. First, the extent in which faculty members are utilizing the "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" in their instruction was explored. Second, student attitudes and approaches toward chemistry learning were examined. The focus was on investigating student understanding of the learning process and the structure of chemistry knowledge. The seven categories used to measure students' expectations for learning chemistry were: effort, concepts, math link, reality link, outcome, laboratory, and visualization. This analysis represents the views of 16 faculty and 140 students. The results validated the assertion that students need some competencies and skills to tackle the challenges of the chemistry learning process to deeply engage in learning. A mismatch exists between the expectations of students and those of the faculty. Furthermore, improving attitudes and beliefs could be a potential for bringing about successful interventions to general chemistry learning. Importantly, the role of collaboration between chemistry educators is essential to forming instructional strategies. Additionally, shifting paradigms should be given utmost attention, including differences among student engagement in general chemistry, ways in which faculty can modify practices to meet student expectations, and the role of administrators in providing the necessary tools that stimulate chemistry education and research.

Interlocking Toy Building Blocks as Hands-On Learning Modules for Blind and Visually Impaired Chemistry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melaku, Samuel; Schreck, James O.; Griffin, Kameron; Dabke, Rajeev B.

2016-01-01

Interlocking toy building blocks (e.g., Lego) as chemistry learning modules for blind and visually impaired (BVI) students in high school and undergraduate introductory or general chemistry courses are presented. Building blocks were assembled on a baseplate to depict the relative changes in the periodic properties of elements. Modules depicting…

An Inquiry-Based Chemistry Laboratory Promoting Student Discovery of Gas Laws

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bopegedera, A. M. R. P.

2007-01-01

Gas laws are taught in most undergraduate general chemistry courses and even in some high school chemistry courses. This article describes the author's experience of using the laboratory to allow students to "discover" gas laws instead of the conventional approach of using the lecture to teach this concept. Students collected data using Vernier…

Determination of Niacinamide in Lotions and Creams Using Liquid-Liquid Extraction and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Usher, Karyn M.; Simmons, Carolyn R.; Keating, Daniel W.; Rossi, Henry F., III

2015-01-01

Chemical separations are an important part of an undergraduate chemistry curriculum. Sophomore students often get experience with liquid-liquid extraction in organic chemistry classes, but liquid-liquid extraction is not as often introduced as a quantitative sample preparation method in honors general chemistry or quantitative analysis classes.…

Two Methods of Determining Total Phenolic Content of Foods and Juices in a General, Organic, and Biological (GOB) Chemistry Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaver, Lee Alan; Leung, Sam H.; Puderbaugh, Amy; Angel, Stephen A.

2011-01-01

The determination of total phenolics in foods and fruit juices was used successfully as a laboratory experiment in our undergraduate general, organic, and biological (GOB) chemistry course. Two different colorimetric methods were used over three years and comparative student results indicate that a ferrous ammonium sulfate (FAS) indicator…

Alka-Seltzer Fizzing--Determination of Percent by Mass of NaHCO3 in Alka-Seltzer Tablets: An Undergraduate General Chemistry Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Yueh-Huey; Yaung, Jing-Fun

2002-01-01

Presents a general chemistry stoichiometry experiment using materials involved in everyday life. From this activity, students learn that a chemical reaction occurs when an Alka-Seltzer tablet is dropped into water. Students also practice plotting experimental data through the use of a graphing program. Interpretation of the graph helps them…

Emergence, Learning Difficulties, and Misconceptions in Chemistry Undergraduate Students' Conceptualizations of Acid Strength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tümay, Halil

2016-03-01

Philosophical debates about chemistry have clarified that the issue of emergence plays a critical role in the epistemology and ontology of chemistry. In this article, it is argued that the issue of emergence has also significant implications for understanding learning difficulties and finding ways of addressing them in chemistry. Particularly, it is argued that many misconceptions in chemistry may derive from students' failure to consider emergence in a systemic manner by taking into account all relevant factors in conjunction. Based on this argument, undergraduate students' conceptions of acids, and acid strength (an emergent chemical property) were investigated and it was examined whether or not they conceptualized acid strength as an emergent chemical property. The participants were 41 third- and fourth-year undergraduate students. A concept test and semi-structured interviews were used to probe students' conceptualizations and reasoning about acid strength. Findings of the study revealed that the majority of the undergraduate students did not conceptualize acid strength as an emergent property that arises from interactions among multiple factors. They generally focused on a single factor to predict and explain acid strength, and their faulty responses stemmed from their failure to recognize and consider all factors that affect acid strength. Based on these findings and insights from philosophy of chemistry, promoting system thinking and epistemologically sound argumentative discourses among students is suggested for meaningful chemical education.

Introducing Proper Chemical Hygiene and Safety in the General Chemistry Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Gordon J.; Heideman, Stephen A.; Greenbowe, Thomas J.

2000-09-01

Chemical safety is an important component of science education for everyone, not just for chemistry majors. Developing a responsible and knowledgeable attitude towards chemical safety best starts at the early stages of a student's career. In many colleges and universities, safety education in undergraduate chemistry has been relegated primarily to a few regulatory documents at the beginning of a laboratory course, or an occasional warning in the description of a specific experiment in a prelaboratory lecture. Safety issues are seldom raised in general chemistry or organic chemistry lecture-based chemistry courses. At Iowa State University we have begun to implement a program, Chemical Hygiene and Safety in the Laboratory, into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. This program is designed to increase the awareness and knowledge of proper chemical hygiene and laboratory safety issues among all students taking general chemistry and organic chemistry courses. Laboratory protocol, use of safety equipment, familiarity with MSD sheets, basics of first aid, some specific terminology surrounding chemical hygiene, EPA and OSHA requirements, and the use of the World Wide Web to search and locate chemical safety information are topics that are applied throughout the chemistry curriculum. The novelty of this approach is to incorporate MSD sheets and safety information that can be located on the World Wide Web in a series of safety problems and assignments, all related to the chemistry experiments students are about to perform. The fundamental idea of our approach is not only to teach students what is required for appropriate safety measures, but also to involve them in the enforcement of basic prudent practices.

Teaching Electrochemistry in the General Chemistry Laboratory through Corrosion Exercises

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanders, Richard W.; Crettol, Gregory L.; Brown, Joseph D.; Plummer, Patrick T.; Schendorf, Tara M.; Oliphant, Alex; Swithenbank, Susan B.; Ferrante, Robert F.; Gray, Joshua P.

2018-01-01

Electrochemistry is primarily taught in first-year undergraduate courses through batteries; this lab focuses instead on corrosion to apply electrochemical concepts of electrolytes, standard reduction potentials, galvanic cells, and other chemistry concepts including Le Chatelier's Principle and Henry's Law. Students investigate galvanic corrosion…

Undergraduate Chemistry Education: A Workshop Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sawyer, Keegan; Alper, Joe

2014-01-01

"Undergraduate Chemistry Education" is the summary of a workshop convened in May 2013 by the Chemical Science Roundtable of the National Research Council to explore the current state of undergraduate chemistry education. Research and innovation in undergraduate chemistry education has been done for many years, and one goal of this…

Analyzing General Chemistry Texts' Treatment of Rates of Change Concepts in Reaction Kinetics Reveals Missing Conceptual Links

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seethaler, Sherry; Czworkowski, John; Wynn, Lynda

2018-01-01

Change over time is a crosscutting theme in the sciences that is pivotal to reaction kinetics, an anchoring concept in undergraduate chemistry, and students' struggles with rates of change are well-documented. Informed by the education scholarship in chemistry, physics, and mathematics, a research team with members from complementary disciplinary…

Quantitative Determination of Iron in Limonite Using Spectroscopic Methods with Senior and General Chemistry Students: Geology-Inspired Chemistry Lab Explorations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bopegedera, A. M. R. P.; Coughenour, Christopher L.; Oswalt, Andrew J.

2016-01-01

Limonite is the field term for a mixed assemblage of ferric oxyhydroxides, often containing nonferric silicate impurities. It is abundant on Earth's surface, possesses variable iron content, and is easily recognized by distinctive yellow and ochre hues. Limonite is a unique centerpiece for undergraduate chemistry laboratories because each sample…

A Bridge between Two Cultures: Uncovering the Chemistry Concepts Relevant to the Nursing Clinical Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Corina E.; Henry, Melissa L. M.; Barbera, Jack; Hyslop, Richard M.

2012-01-01

This study focused on the undergraduate course that covers basic topics in general, organic, and biological (GOB) chemistry at a mid-sized state university in the western United States. The central objective of the research was to identify the main topics of GOB chemistry relevant to the clinical practice of nursing. The collection of data was…

Characterizing Students' Mechanistic Reasoning about London Dispersion Forces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becker, Nicole; Noyes, Keenan; Cooper, Melanie

2016-01-01

Characterizing how students construct causal mechanistic explanations for chemical phenomena can provide us with important insights into the ways that students develop understanding of chemistry concepts. Here, we present two qualitative studies of undergraduate general chemistry students' reasoning about the causes of London dispersion forces in…

Using Concept Mapping to Uncover Students' Knowledge Structures of Chemical Bonding Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burrows, Nikita L.; Mooring, Suazette Reid

2015-01-01

General chemistry is the first undergraduate course in which students further develop their understanding of fundamental chemical concepts. Many of these fundamental topics highlight the numerous conceptual interconnections present in chemistry. However, many students possess incoherent knowledge structures regarding these topics. Therefore,…

Exam Question Exchange.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, John J., Ed.

1978-01-01

Two exam questions are presented. One suitable for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate courses in organic chemistry, is on equivalent expressions for the description of several pericyclic reactions. The second, for general chemistry students, asks for an estimation of the rate of decay of a million-year-old Uranium-238 sample. (BB)

An approach to teaching general chemistry II that highlights the interdisciplinary nature of science.

PubMed

Sumter, Takita Felder; Owens, Patrick M

2011-01-01

The need for a revised curriculum within the life sciences has been well-established. One strategy to improve student preparation in the life sciences is to redesign introductory courses like biology, chemistry, and physics so that they better reflect their disciplinary interdependence. We describe a medically relevant, context-based approach to teaching second semester general chemistry that demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of biology and chemistry. Our innovative method provides a model in which disciplinary barriers are diminished early in the undergraduate science curriculum. The course is divided into three principle educational modules: 1) Fundamentals of General Chemistry, 2) Medical Approaches to Inflammation, and 3) Neuroscience as a connector of chemistry, biology, and psychology. We accurately anticipated that this modified approach to teaching general chemistry would enhance student interest in chemistry and bridge the perceived gaps between biology and chemistry. The course serves as a template for context-based, interdisciplinary teaching that lays the foundation needed to train 21st century scientists. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

An Approach to Teaching General Chemistry II that Highlights the Interdisciplinary Nature of Science*,†

PubMed Central

Sumter, Takita Felder; Owens, Patrick M.

2012-01-01

The need for a revised curriculum within the life sciences has been well-established. One strategy to improve student preparation in the life sciences is to redesign introductory courses like biology, chemistry, and physics so that they better reflect their disciplinary interdependence. We describe a medically relevant, context-based approach to teaching second semester general chemistry that demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of biology and chemistry. Our innovative method provides a model in which disciplinary barriers are diminished early in the undergraduate science curriculum. The course is divided into three principle educational modules: 1) Fundamentals of General Chemistry, 2) Medical Approaches to Inflammation, and 3) Neuroscience as a connector of chemistry, biology, and psychology. We accurately anticipated that this modified approach to teaching general chemistry would enhance student interest in chemistry and bridge the perceived gaps between biology and chemistry. The course serves as a template for context-based, interdisciplinary teaching that lays the foundation needed to train 21st century scientists. PMID:21445902

Programmed Lab Experiments for Biochemical Investigation of Quorum-Sensing Signal Molecules in Rhizospheric Soil Bacteria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nievas, Fiorela L.; Bogino, Pablo C.; Giordano, Walter

2016-01-01

Biochemistry courses in the Department of Molecular Biology at the National University of Río Cuarto, Argentina, are designed for undergraduate students in biology, microbiology, chemistry, agronomy, and veterinary medicine. Microbiology students typically have previous coursework in general, analytical, and organic chemistry. Programmed sequences…

A Comprehensive General Chemistry Demonstration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sweeder, Ryan D.; Jeffery, Kathleen A.

2013-01-01

This article describes the use of a comprehensive demonstration suitable for a high school or first-year undergraduate introductory chemistry class. The demonstration involves placing a burning candle in a container adjacent to a beaker containing a basic solution with indicator. After adding a lid, the candle will extinguish and the produced…

From UNIX to PC via X-Windows: Molecular Modeling for the General Chemistry Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavia, Donald; Wicholas, Mark

1997-04-01

The emphasis of molecular modeling in the undergraduate curriculum has generally been directed toward sophomore organic and higher-level chemistry instruction, especially when UNIX systems are used. When developing plans for incorporating molecular modeling into the curriculum, we decided to also include it in our first-year general chemistry course. Modeling would serve primarily as a visualization tool to augment the general chemistry coverage of bonding and structure. Our first thoughts were rather naive: we would set up a number of workstations and somehow get our general chemistry students, as many as 480 in one academic quarter, directly onto these machines at some time in a 1-2 week period during their weekly 3-hour lab. Further exploration of our options revealed that a better approach was to use PCs as dummy terminals for UNIX workstations. Described below are the hardware and software for this venture and the modeling experiment done by our students in general chemistry.

Promoting Chemistry Learning through Undergraduate Work Experience in the Chemistry Lab: A Practical Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Hong-Bin

2015-01-01

Hiring undergraduate lab assistants in chemistry departments is common in college. However, few studies have focused on promoting undergraduate chemistry learning and thinking skills through this work experience in chemistry teaching laboratories. This article discusses the strategy we implemented in the lab assistant program. The…

Infrared Spectroscopy as a Preview of Coming Attractions: Teaching Chemistry with Instrumental Methods at Two-Year Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, David R.; Bushey, Michelle

2010-01-01

Two-year colleges (2YCs) provide a significant amount of chemical education to undergraduates in the United States. By design, the charge of the 2YCs is to provide coursework at the lower-division level. Nonetheless, general chemistry courses in 2YCs can be enhanced with content to prepare future chemistry majors for upper-division education. The…

1985 Employment Outlook: Undergraduate Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chemical and Engineering News, 1984

1984-01-01

Provides data (obtained from an American Chemical Society survey) on undergraduate studies in chemistry. Lists and discusses chemistry, elective chemistry, and supporting courses (such as writing and physics) considered to be important by professional chemists. Also recommends that undergraduates pursue studies in biochemistry, polymer chemistry,…

Minding the Gap: Synthetic Strategies for Tuning the Energy Gap in Conjugated Molecules

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christensen, Dana; Cohn, Pamela G.

2016-01-01

While structure-property relationships are commonly developed in applications of physical organic chemistry to real-world problems at the graduate level, they have not been generally emphasized in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. For instance, the ability to modify the energy gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the…

Some Aspects of Rubberlike Elasticity Useful in Teaching Basic Concepts in Physical Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mark, J. E.

2002-01-01

Explains the benefits of including polymer topics in both graduate and undergraduate physical chemistry courses. Provides examples of how to use rubberlike elasticity to demonstrate some of the general and thermodynamic concepts including equations of state, Carnot cycles and mechanochemistry, gel collapse, energy storage and hysteresis, and…

Measuring meaningful learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galloway, Kelli R.

The undergraduate chemistry laboratory has been an essential component in chemistry education for over a century. The literature includes reports on investigations of singular aspects laboratory learning and attempts to measure the efficacy of reformed laboratory curriculum as well as faculty goals for laboratory learning which found common goals among instructors for students to learn laboratory skills, techniques, experimental design, and to develop critical thinking skills. These findings are important for improving teaching and learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory, but research is needed to connect the faculty goals to student perceptions. This study was designed to explore students' ideas about learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Novak's Theory of Meaningful Learning was used as a guide for the data collection and analysis choices for this research. Novak's theory states that in order for meaningful learning to occur the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains must be integrated. The psychomotor domain is inherent in the chemistry laboratory, but the extent to which the cognitive and affective domains are integrated is unknown. For meaningful learning to occur in the laboratory, students must actively integrate both the cognitive domain and the affective domains into the "doing" of their laboratory work. The Meaningful Learning in the Laboratory Instrument (MLLI) was designed to measure students' cognitive and affective expectations and experiences within the context of conducting experiments in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Evidence for the validity and reliability of the data generated by the MLLI were collected from multiple quantitative studies: a one semester study at one university, a one semester study at 15 colleges and universities across the United States, and a longitudinal study where the MLLI was administered 6 times during two years of general and organic chemistry laboratory courses. Results from these studies revealed students' narrow cognitive expectations for learning that go largely unmet by their experiences and diverse affective expectations and experiences. Concurrently, a qualitative study was carried out to describe and characterize students' cognitive and affective experiences in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Students were video recorded while performing one of their regular laboratory experiments and then interviewed about their experiences. The students' descriptions of their learning experiences were characterized by their overreliance on following the experimental procedure correctly rather than developing process-oriented problem solving skills. Future research could use the MLLI to intentionally compare different types of laboratory curricula or environments.

Video Episodes and Action Cameras in the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory: Eliciting Student Perceptions of Meaningful Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galloway, Kelli R.; Bretz, Stacey Lowery

2016-01-01

A series of quantitative studies investigated undergraduate students' perceptions of their cognitive and affective learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. To explore these quantitative findings, a qualitative research protocol was developed to characterize student learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Students (N = 13)…

Investigating the Influence of Gender on Student Perceptions of the Clicker in a Small Undergraduate General Chemistry Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niemeyer, Emily D.; Zewail-Foote, Maha

2018-01-01

The use of electronic response pads or "clickers" is a popular way to engage students and create an active-learning environment, especially within large chemistry courses. We examined students' perceptions of how the clicker affected their learning, participation, and engagement in the classroom, as well as their overall experience…

The ACS Exams Institute Undergraduate Chemistry Anchoring Concepts Content Map II: Organic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raker, Jeffrey; Holme, Thomas; Murphy, Kristen

2013-01-01

As a way to assist chemistry departments with programmatic assessment of undergraduate chemistry curricula, the ACS Examinations Institute is devising a map of the content taught throughout the undergraduate curriculum. The structure of the map is hierarchal, with large grain size at the top and more content detail as one moves "down"…

An Introductory Organic Chemistry Review Homework Exercise: Deriving Potential Mechanisms for Glucose Ring Opening in Mutarotation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murdock, Margaret; Holman, R. W.; Slade, Tyler; Clark, Shelley L. D.; Rodnick, Kenneth J.

2014-01-01

A unique homework assignment has been designed as a review exercise to be implemented near the end of the one-year undergraduate organic chemistry sequence. Within the framework of the exercise, students derive potential mechanisms for glucose ring opening in the aqueous mutarotation process. In this endeavor, 21 general review principles are…

Ion Exchange and Thin Layer Chromatographic Separation and Identification of Amino Acids in a Mixture: An Experiment for General Chemistry and Biotechnology Laboratories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brunauer, Linda S.; Caslavka, Katelyn E.; Van Groningen, Karinne

2014-01-01

A multiday laboratory exercise is described that is suitable for first-year undergraduate chemistry, biochemistry, or biotechnology students. Students gain experience in performing chromatographic separations of biomolecules, in both a column and thin layer chromatography (TLC) format. Students chromatographically separate amino acids (AA) in an…

Computer Based Instructional Techniques in Undergraduate Introductory Organic Chemistry: Rationale, Developmental Techniques, Programming Strategies and Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Culp, G. H.; And Others

Over 100 interactive computer programs for use in general and organic chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin have been prepared. The rationale for the programs is based upon the belief that computer-assisted instruction (CAI) can improve education by, among other things, freeing teachers from routine tasks, measuring entry skills,…

Affordances of instrumentation in general chemistry laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sherman, Kristin Mary Daniels

The purpose of this study is to find out what students in the first chemistry course at the undergraduate level (general chemistry for science majors) know about the affordances of instrumentation used in the general chemistry laboratory and how their knowledge develops over time. Overall, students see the PASCO(TM) system as a useful and accurate measuring tool for general chemistry labs. They see the probeware as easy to use, portable, and able to interact with computers. Students find that the PASCO(TM) probeware system is useful in their general chemistry labs, more advanced chemistry labs, and in other science classes, and can be used in a variety of labs done in general chemistry. Students learn the affordances of the probeware through the lab manual, the laboratory teaching assistant, by trial and error, and from each other. The use of probeware systems provides lab instructors the opportunity to focus on the concepts illustrated by experiments and the opportunity to spend time discussing the results. In order to teach effectively, the instructor must know the correct name of the components involved, how to assemble and disassemble it correctly, how to troubleshoot the software, and must be able to replace broken or missing components quickly. The use of podcasts or Web-based videos should increase student understanding of affordances of the probeware.

Making Data Management Accessible in the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reisner, Barbara A.; Vaughan, K. T. L.; Shorish, Yasmeen L.

2014-01-01

In the age of "big data" science, data management is becoming a key information literacy skill for chemistry professionals. To introduce this skill in the undergraduate chemistry major, an activity has been developed to familiarize undergraduates with data management. In this activity, students rename and organize cards that represent…

Beyond Graduation: Motivations and Career Aspirations of Undergraduate Chemistry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogunde, Jared C.; Overton, Tina L.; Thompson, Christopher D.; Mewis, Ruth; Boniface, Suzanne

2017-01-01

This study investigated undergraduate chemistry students' career aspirations and how these vary from one educational system to another in different geographic regions. The participants of this study were undergraduate chemistry students from various institutions located in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The study took place in the form of an…

Undergraduate chemistry students' conceptions of atomic structure, molecular structure and chemical bonding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, Erin Roberts

The process of chemical education should facilitate students' construction of meaningful conceptual structures about the concepts and processes of chemistry. It is evident, however, that students at all levels possess concepts that are inconsistent with currently accepted scientific views. The purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate chemistry students' conceptions of atomic structure, chemical bonding and molecular structure. A diagnostic instrument to evaluate students' conceptions of atomic and molecular structure was developed by the researcher. The instrument incorporated multiple-choice items and reasoned explanations based upon relevant literature and a categorical summarization of student responses (Treagust, 1988, 1995). A covalent bonding and molecular structure diagnostic instrument developed by Peterson and Treagust (1989) was also employed. The ex post facto portion of the study examined the conceptual understanding of undergraduate chemistry students using descriptive statistics to summarize the results obtained from the diagnostic instruments. In addition to the descriptive portion of the study, a total score for each student was calculated based on the combination of correct and incorrect choices made for each item. A comparison of scores obtained on the diagnostic instruments by the upper and lower classes of undergraduate students was made using a t-Test. This study also examined an axiomatic assumption that an understanding of atomic structure is important in understanding bonding and molecular structure. A Pearson Correlation Coefficient, ṟ, was calculated to provide a measure of the strength of this association. Additionally, this study gathered information regarding expectations of undergraduate chemistry students' understanding held by the chemical community. Two questionnaires were developed with items based upon the propositional knowledge statements used in the development of the diagnostic instruments. Subgroups of items from the questionnaires were formed from the combination of items found to measure different aspects of a specific topic area using a reliability analysis. Average scores for the subgroups were compared to results obtained by students on the diagnostic instrument targeting the same topic area. There were no significant differences of the scores on both of the diagnostic instruments between the levels of undergraduate chemistry students. There were, however, significant differences on certain items of the diagnostic instruments between upper and lower class students. Additionally, misconceptions were identified within all levels of these undergraduate students that corresponded to previous results reported in the literature. A significant relationship was found to exist between the scores obtained on the two diagnostic instruments, as well as strong correlations between specific items and the total scores of the instruments. Response to the expectations questionnaires revealed no differences between the chemical industry and chemical academia, but did provide information concerning the chemical community's expectations of undergraduate chemistry students. Results indicate that undergraduate students majoring in chemistry have conceptions that are inconsistent with currently accepted scientific views. The findings also support the hypothesis that an understanding of the general structure of the atom and the roles played by electrons in molecular bonding and structure is important to an understanding of chemical properties and behavior.

Undergraduate Professional Education in Chemistry: Guidelines and Evaluation Procedures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Chemical Society, Washington, DC.

Provided are guidelines for evaluating undergraduate professional education in chemistry. The guidelines summarize an approved program as including: 400 hours of classroom work; 500 hours of laboratory work; a core curriculum covering principles of analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry; 1 year of advanced work in chemistry or…

Computer-based, Jeopardy™-like game in general chemistry for engineering majors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ling, S. S.; Saffre, F.; Kadadha, M.; Gater, D. L.; Isakovic, A. F.

2013-03-01

We report on the design of Jeopardy™-like computer game for enhancement of learning of general chemistry for engineering majors. While we examine several parameters of student achievement and attitude, our primary concern is addressing the motivation of students, which tends to be low in a traditionally run chemistry lectures. The effect of the game-playing is tested by comparing paper-based game quiz, which constitutes a control group, and computer-based game quiz, constituting a treatment group. Computer-based game quizzes are Java™-based applications that students run once a week in the second part of the last lecture of the week. Overall effectiveness of the semester-long program is measured through pretest-postest conceptual testing of general chemistry. The objective of this research is to determine to what extent this ``gamification'' of the course delivery and course evaluation processes may be beneficial to the undergraduates' learning of science in general, and chemistry in particular. We present data addressing gender-specific difference in performance, as well as background (pre-college) level of general science and chemistry preparation. We outline the plan how to extend such approach to general physics courses and to modern science driven electives, and we offer live, in-lectures examples of our computer gaming experience. We acknowledge support from Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi

Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bretz, Stacey Lowery; Fay, Michael; Bruck, Laura B.; Towns, Marcy H.

2013-01-01

Forty chemistry faculty from American Chemical Society-approved departments were interviewed to determine their goals for undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Faculty were stratified by type of institution, departmental success with regard to National Science Foundation funding for laboratory reform, and level of laboratory course. Interview…

Learning to Argue and Arguing to Learn: Argument-Driven Inquiry as a Way to Help Undergraduate Chemistry Students Learn How to Construct Arguments and Engage in Argumentation during a Laboratory Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Joi Phelps; Sampson, Victor

2013-01-01

This study examines whether students enrolled in a general chemistry I laboratory course developed the ability to participate in scientific argumentation over the course of a semester. The laboratory activities that the students participated in during the course were designed using the Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI) an instructional model. This…

How Do Undergraduate Students Conceptualize Acid-Base Chemistry? Measurement of a Concept Progression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romine, William L.; Todd, Amber N.; Clark, Travis B.

2016-01-01

We developed and validated a new instrument, called "Measuring Concept progressions in Acid-Base chemistry" (MCAB) and used it to better understand the progression of undergraduate students' understandings about acid-base chemistry. Items were developed based on an existing learning progression for acid-base chemistry. We used the Rasch…

A Modular Laser Apparatus for Polarimetry, Nephelometry, and Fluorimetry in General Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jurzenski, Jessica; Darveau, Scott A.; Gindt, Yvonne; Mueller, Jessica; Vaverka, April; Barta, Cheri; Fitch, Anthony

2004-01-01

A novel apparatus that strengthens the connection between research and teaching laboratories and serves multiple purposes is described. A versatile laser apparatus suitable for the undergraduate teaching laboratory that may serve as polarimeter, nephelometer or fluorimeter is designed.

Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume IX, 2009

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stiner, K. S.; Graham, S.; Khan, M.

Each year more than 600 undergraduate students are awarded paid internships at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Laboratories. Th ese interns are paired with research scientists who serve as mentors in authentic research projects. All participants write a research abstract and present at a poster session and/or complete a fulllength research paper. Abstracts and selected papers from our 2007–2008 interns that represent the breadth and depth of undergraduate research performed each year at our National Laboratories are published here in the Journal of Undergraduate Research. The fields in which these students worked included: Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Engineering; Environmentalmore » Science; General Science; Materials Science; Medical and Health Sciences; Nuclear Science; Physics; Science Policy; and Waste Management.« less

Argumentation in Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Joi Phelps

2011-01-01

To address the need for reform in undergraduate science education a new instructional model called "Argument-Driven Inquiry" (ADI) was developed and then implemented in a undergraduate chemistry course at a community college in the southeastern United States (Sampson, Walker, & Grooms, 2009; Walker, Sampson, & Zimmerman, in press). The ADI…

Effectiveness of Analogy Instructional Strategy on Undergraduate Student's Acquisition of Organic Chemistry Concepts in Mutah University, Jordan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samara, Nawaf Ahmad Hasan

2016-01-01

This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of analogy instructional strategy on undergraduate students' acquisition of organic chemistry concepts in Mutah University, Jordan. A quasi-experimental design was used in the study; Participants were 97 students who enrolled in organic chemistry course at the department of chemistry during the…

Synthesis and Metalation of a Ligand: An Interdisciplinary Laboratory Experiment for Second-Year Organic and Introductory Inorganic Chemistry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kasting, Benjamin J.; Bowser, Andrew K.; Anderson-Wile, Amelia M.; Wile, Bradley M.

2015-01-01

An interdisciplinary laboratory experiment involving second-year undergraduate organic chemistry and introductory inorganic chemistry undergraduate students is described. Organic chemistry students prepare a series of amine-bis(phenols) via a Mannich reaction, and characterize their products using melting point; FTIR; and [superscript 1]H,…

Developing and Implementing a Reorganized Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum Based on the Foundational Chemistry Topics of Structure, Reactivity, and Quantitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaller, Chris P.; Graham, Kate J.; Johnson, Brian J.; Fazal, M. A.; Jones, T. Nicholas; McIntee, Edward J.; Jakubowski, Henry V.

2014-01-01

The recent revision of undergraduate curricular guidelines from the American Chemical Society Committee on Professional Training (ACS-CPT) has generated interest in examining new ways of organizing course sequences both for chemistry majors and for nonmajors. A radical reconstruction of the foundation-level chemistry curriculum is presented in…

Reinterpretation of Students' Ideas When Reasoning about Particle Model Illustrations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langbeheim, Elon

2015-01-01

The article, "Using Animations in Identifying General Chemistry Students' Misconceptions and Evaluating Their Knowledge Transfer Relating to Particle Position in Physical Changes" (Smith and Villarreal, 2015), reports that a substantial proportion of undergraduate students expressed misconceived ideas regarding the motion of particles in…

Industrial Chemistry: A Series of New Courses at the Undergraduate Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jasinski, Jerry P.; Miller, Robert E.

1985-01-01

Describes four courses in the undergraduate bachelor of science program in industrial chemistry at Keene State College (NH). They are (1) introduction to industrial chemistry; (2) polymers--synthesis and separation techniques; (3) inorganic industrial processes; and (4) organic industrial processes. (JN)

A Multistep Synthesis for an Advanced Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang Ji; Peters, Dennis G.

2006-01-01

Multistep syntheses are often important components of the undergraduate organic laboratory experience and a three-step synthesis of 5-(2-sulfhydrylethyl) salicylaldehyde was described. The experiment is useful as a special project for an advanced undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory course and offers opportunities for students to master a…

Integrating Computational Chemistry into the Physical Chemistry Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Lewis E.; Engel, Thomas

2011-01-01

Relatively few undergraduate physical chemistry programs integrate molecular modeling into their quantum mechanics curriculum owing to concerns about limited access to computational facilities, the cost of software, and concerns about increasing the course material. However, modeling exercises can be integrated into an undergraduate course at a…

Rethinking Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Stephen R.

2016-01-01

A summary of fundamental changes made to the undergraduate physical chemistry curriculum in the Chemistry Department at Gustavus Adolphus College (beginning in the 2013-2014 academic year) is presented. The yearlong sequence now consists of an introductory semester covering both quantum mechanics and thermodynamics/kinetics, followed by a second…

Information Competencies for Chemistry Undergraduates and Related Collaborative Endeavors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peters, Marion C.

2014-01-01

"Information Competencies for Chemistry Undergraduates: The Elements of Information Literacy", (2012-) now in its second edition and available as a Wikibook since 2012, resulted from collaboration by chemistry librarians participating in several professional organizations. Sections covering a) the library and scientific literature and b)…

Visualizing Chemical Phenomena in Microdroplets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Sunghee; Wiener, Joseph

2011-01-01

Phenomena that occur in microdroplets are described to the undergraduate chemistry community. Droplets having a diameter in the micrometer range can have unique and interesting properties, which arise because of their small size and, especially, their high surface area-to-volume ratio. Students are generally unfamiliar with the characteristics of…

Green Chemistry and Sustainability: An Undergraduate Course for Science and Nonscience Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gross, Erin M.

2013-01-01

An undergraduate lecture course in Green Chemistry and Sustainability has been developed and taught to a "multidisciplinary" group of science and nonscience majors. The course introduced students to the topics of green chemistry and sustainability and also immersed them in usage of the scientific literature. Through literature…

Transition from Traditional to ICT-Enhanced Learning Environments in Undergraduate Chemistry Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barak, Miri

2007-01-01

This paper describes a three-year study conducted among chemistry instructors (professors and teaching assistants) at a post-secondary institution. The goal was to explore the integration process of information and communication technologies (ICT) into traditional teaching. Four undergraduate chemistry courses incorporated a course website, an…

Nationwide Survey of the Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Laura J.; Roehrig, Gillian H.

2015-01-01

A nationwide survey of the undergraduate physical chemistry course was conducted to investigate the depth and breadth of content that is covered, how content is delivered, how student understanding is assessed, and the experiences and beliefs of instructors. The survey was administered to instructors of physical chemistry (N = 331) at American…

Integration of Computational Chemistry into the Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Esselman, Brian J.; Hill, Nicholas J.

2016-01-01

Advances in software and hardware have promoted the use of computational chemistry in all branches of chemical research to probe important chemical concepts and to support experimentation. Consequently, it has become imperative that students in the modern undergraduate curriculum become adept at performing simple calculations using computational…

Students' Understanding of Alkyl Halide Reactions in Undergraduate Organic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cruz-Ramirez de Arellano, Daniel

2013-01-01

Organic chemistry is an essential subject for many undergraduate students completing degrees in science, engineering, and pre-professional programs. However, students often struggle with the concepts and skills required to successfully solve organic chemistry exercises. Since alkyl halides are traditionally the first functional group that is…

Azeotropic Preparation of a "C"-Phenyl "N"-Aryl Imine: An Introductory Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silverberg, Lee J.; Coyle, David J.; Cannon, Kevin C.; Mathers, Robert T.; Richards, Jeffrey A.; Tierney, John

2016-01-01

Imines are important in biological chemistry and as intermediates in organic synthesis. An experiment for introductory undergraduate organic chemistry is presented in which benzaldehyde was condensed with "p"-methoxyaniline in toluene to give 4-methoxy-"N"-(phenylmethylene)benzenamine. Water was removed by azeotropic…

Students' Understanding of Alkyl Halide Reactions in Undergraduate Organic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cruz-Ramírez de Arellano, Daniel; Towns, Marcy H.

2014-01-01

Organic chemistry is an essential subject for many undergraduate students completing degrees in science, engineering, and pre-professional programs. However, students often struggle with the concepts and skills required to successfully solve organic chemistry exercises. Since alkyl halides are traditionally the first functional group that is…

Comparing Amide-Forming Reactions Using Green Chemistry Metrics in an Undergraduate Organic Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fennie, Michael W.; Roth, Jessica M.

2016-01-01

In this laboratory experiment, upper-division undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry majors investigate amide-bond-forming reactions from a green chemistry perspective. Using hydrocinnamic acid and benzylamine as reactants, students perform three types of amide-forming reactions: an acid chloride derivative route; a coupling reagent promoted…

Learn to Teach Chemistry Using Visual Media Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turkoguz, Suat

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate undergraduate students' attitudes to using visual media tools in the chemistry laboratory. One hundred and fifteen undergraduates studying science education at Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey participated in the study. They video-recorded chemistry experiments with visual media tools and assessed them on a…

An Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment in Bioinorganic Chemistry: Ligation States of Myoglobin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, James A.

2011-01-01

Although there are numerous inorganic model systems that are readily presented as undergraduate laboratory experiments in bioinorganic chemistry, there are few examples that explore the inorganic chemistry of actual biological molecules. We present a laboratory experiment using the oxygen-binding protein myoglobin that can be easily incorporated…

A New Project-Based Lab for Undergraduate Environmental and Analytical Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adami, Gianpiero

2006-01-01

A new project-based lab was developed for third year undergraduate chemistry students based on real world applications. The experience suggests that the total analytical procedure (TAP) project offers a stimulating alternative for delivering science skills and developing a greater interest for analytical chemistry and environmental sciences and…

Let There Be Light: Hypothesis-Driven Investigation of Ligand Effects in Photoredox Catalysis for the Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Shuming

2018-01-01

An undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory experiment that provides an introduction to the concepts and practices of photoredox catalysis is reported. While undergraduate-level photochemistry experiments typically place emphasis on analytical properties of catalysts rather than synthetic applications, this experiment showcases the power and…

Final-Year Education Projects for Undergraduate Chemistry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Page, Elizabeth

2011-01-01

The Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme provides an opportunity for students in their final year of the chemistry degree course at the University of Reading to choose an educational project as an alternative to practical research. The undergraduates work in schools where they can be regarded as role models and offer one way of inspiring pupils to…

Introducing Ethics to Chemistry Students in a "Research Experiences for Undergraduates" (REU) Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanson, Mark J.

2015-01-01

A three-day ethics seminar introduced ethics to undergraduate environmental chemistry students in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. The seminar helped students become sensitive to and understand the ethical and values dimensions of their work as researchers. It utilized a variety of resources to supplement lectures and…

Understanding Thermal Equilibrium through Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pathare, Shirish; Huli, Saurabhee; Nachane, Madhura; Ladage, Savita; Pradhan, Hemachandra

2015-01-01

Thermal equilibrium is a basic concept in thermodynamics. In India, this concept is generally introduced at the first year of undergraduate education in physics and chemistry. In our earlier studies (Pathare and Pradhan 2011 "Proc. episteme-4 Int. Conf. to Review Research on Science Technology and Mathematics Education" pp 169-72) we…

How Guidance Affects Student Engagement with an Interactive Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chamberlain, Julia M.; Lancaster, Kelly; Parson, Robert; Perkins, Katherine K.

2014-01-01

We studied how students engaged with an interactive simulation in a classroom setting and how that engagement was affected by the design of a guiding activity. Students (n = 210) completed a written activity using an interactive simulation in second semester undergraduate general chemistry recitations. The same simulation--PhET Interactive…

A Unit Cell Laboratory Experiment: Marbles, Magnets, and Stacking Arrangements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, David C.

2011-01-01

An undergraduate first-semester general chemistry laboratory experiment introducing face-centered, body-centered, and simple cubic unit cells is presented. Emphasis is placed on the stacking arrangement of solid spheres used to produce a particular unit cell. Marbles and spherical magnets are employed to prepare each stacking arrangement. Packing…

Undergraduate Professors' Pedagogical Content Knowledge: The Case of "Amount of Substance"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padilla, Kira; Ponce-de-Leon, Ana Maria; Rembado, Florencia Mabel; Garritz, Andoni

2008-01-01

This paper documents the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of four university professors in General Chemistry for the topic "amount of substance"; a fundamental quantity of the International System of Units (SI). The research method involved the development of a Content Representation and the application of Mortimer's Conceptual…

The Enantioselectivity of Odor Sensation: Some Examples for Undergraduate Chemistry Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kraft, Philip; Mannschreck, Albrecht

2010-01-01

This article discusses seven chiral odorants that demonstrate the enantioselectivity of odor sensation: carvone, Celery Ketone, camphor, Florhydral, 3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol, muscone, and methyl jasmonate. After a general introduction of the odorant-receptor interaction and the combinatorial code of olfaction, the olfactory properties of the…

Why Are Some Reactions Slower at Higher Temperatures?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Revell, Laura E.; Williamson, Bryce E.

2013-01-01

It is well understood by most chemistry students at advanced undergraduate levels that chemical reactions generally follow the Arrhenius law of temperature dependence with positive activation energies, proceeding faster at elevated temperatures. It is much less widely known that the rates of some Arrhenius-compliant reactions are retarded by…

Reforming a Large Foundational Course: Successes and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Talanquer, Vicente; Pollard, John

2017-01-01

Calls for educational reform in undergraduate STEM education have become more prominent in recent years, particularly in introductory/foundational courses. Such reform efforts were initiated 10 years ago in the general chemistry program at the University of Arizona. In this contribution, we describe the major successes and challenges encountered…

Receptor Surface Models in the Classroom: Introducing Molecular Modeling to Students in a 3-D World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geldenhuys, Werner J.; Hayes, Michael; Van der Schyf, Cornelis J.; Allen, David D.; Malan, Sarel F.

2007-01-01

A simple, novel and generally applicable method to demonstrate structure-activity associations of a group of biologically interesting compounds in relation to receptor binding is described. This method is useful for undergraduates and graduate students in medicinal chemistry and computer modeling programs.

Nickel-Catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling in a Green Alcohol Solvent for an Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory.

PubMed

Hie, Liana; Chang, Jonah J; Garg, Neil K

2015-03-10

A modern undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory experiment involving the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling is reported. Although Suzuki-Miyaura couplings typically employ palladium catalysts in environmentally harmful solvents, this experiment features the use of inexpensive nickel catalysis, in addition to a "green" alcohol solvent. The experiment employs heterocyclic substrates, which are important pharmaceutical building blocks. Thus, this laboratory procedure exposes students to a variety of contemporary topics in organic chemistry, including transition metal-catalyzed cross-couplings, green chemistry, and the importance of heterocycles in drug discovery, none of which are well represented in typical undergraduate organic chemistry curricula. The experimental protocol uses commercially available reagents and is useful in both organic and inorganic instructional laboratories.

Strengthening STEM performance and persistence: Influence of undergraduate teaching assistants on entry-level STEM students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Philipp, Stephanie B.

Increasing retention of students in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) programs of study is a priority for many colleges and universities. This study examines an undergraduate teaching assistant (UTA) program implemented in a general chemistry course for STEM majors to provide peer learning assistance to entrylevel students. This study measured the content knowledge growth of UTAs compared to traditional graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) over the semester, and described the development of peer learning assistance skills of the UTAs as an outcome of semesterlong training and support from both science education and STEM faculty. Impact of the UTA program on final exam grades, persistence of students to enroll in the next chemistry course required by their intended major, and STEM identity of students were estimated. The study sample comprised 284 students in 14 general chemistry recitation sections led by six UTAs and 310 students in 15 general chemistry recitation sections led by three traditional GTAs for comparison. Results suggested that both UTAs and GTAs made significant learning gains in general chemistry content knowledge, and there was no significant difference in content knowledge between UTA and GTA groups. Student evaluations, researcher observations, and chemistry faculty comments confirm UTAs were using the learning strategies discussed in the semester-long training program. UTA-led students rated their TAs significantly higher in teaching quality and student care and encouragement, which correlated with stronger STEM recognition by those students. The results of hierarchical linear model (HLM) analysis showed little variance in final exam grades explained by section-level variables; most variance was explained by student-level variables: mathematics ACT score, college GPA, and intention to enroll in the next general chemistry course. Students having higher college GPAs were helped more by having a UTA. Results from logistic regression of persistence outcome variable showed that students are three times more likely to persist to CHEM 202 if they had a UTA in CHEM 201. Other positive predictors of retention included having strong college grades, and having strong ACT math scores. Coupled with HLM analysis result that UTAs were more effective at helping students with higher college GPAs achieve higher grades, the stronger persistence of UTA-led students showed that the UTA program is an effective program for retention of introductory-level students in STEM majors.

National Chemistry Teacher Safety Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plohocki, Barbra A.

This study evaluated the status of secondary school instructional chemistry laboratory safety using a survey instrument which focused on Teacher background Information, Laboratory Safety Equipment, Facility Safety, General Safety, and a Safety Content Knowledge Survey. A fifty question survey instrument based on recent research and questions developed by the researcher was mailed to 500 secondary school chemistry teachers who participated in the 1993 one-week Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation Chemistry Institute conducted at Princeton University, New Jersey. The data received from 303 respondents was analyzed by t tests and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The level of significance for the study was set at ~\\ <.05. There was no significant mean difference in test performance on the Safety Content Knowledge Survey and secondary school chemistry teachers who have had undergraduate and/or graduate safety training and those who have not had undergraduate and/or graduate safety training. Secondary school chemistry teachers who attended school district sponsored safety inservices did not score higher on the Safety Content Knowledge Survey than teachers who did not attend school district sponsored safety inservice sessions. The type of school district (urban, suburban, or rural) had no significant correlation to the type of laboratory safety equipment found in the instructional chemistry laboratory. The certification area (chemistry or other type of certificate which may or may not include chemistry) of the secondary school teacher had no significant correlation to the type of laboratory equipment found in the instructional chemistry laboratory. Overall, this study indicated a majority of secondary school chemistry teachers were interested in attending safety workshops applicable to chemistry safety. Throughout this research project, many teachers indicated they were not adequately instructed on the collegiate level in science safety and had to rely on common sense and self-study in their future teaching careers.

Students' Understanding of Mathematical Expressions in Physical Chemistry Contexts: An Analysis Using Sherin's Symbolic Forms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becker, Nicole; Towns, Marcy

2012-01-01

Undergraduate physical chemistry courses require students to be proficient in calculus in order to develop an understanding of thermodynamics concepts. Here we present the findings of a study that examines student understanding of mathematical expressions, including partial derivative expressions, in two undergraduate physical chemistry courses.…

Synthesis and Characterization of Calixarene Tetraethers: An Exercise in Supramolecular Chemistry for the Undergraduate Organic Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Debbert, Stefan L.; Hoh, Bradley D.; Dulak, David J.

2016-01-01

In this experiment for an introductory undergraduate organic chemistry lab, students tetraalkylate tertbutylcalix[4]arene, a bowl-shaped macrocyclic oligophenol, and examine the supramolecular chemistry of the tetraether product by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Complexation with a sodium ion reduces the conformational…

Upper-Level Undergraduate Chemistry Students' Goals for Their Laboratory Coursework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeKorver, Brittland K.; Towns, Marcy H.

2016-01-01

Efforts to reform undergraduate chemistry laboratory coursework typically focus on the curricula of introductory-level courses, while upper-level courses are bypassed. This study used video-stimulated recall to interview 17 junior- and senior- level chemistry majors after they carried out an experiment as part of a laboratory course. It is assumed…

Investigating Affective Experiences in the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory: Students' Perceptions of Control and Responsibility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galloway, Kelli R.; Malakpa, Zoebedeh; Bretz, Stacey Lowery

2016-01-01

Meaningful learning requires the integration of cognitive and affective learning with the psychomotor, i.e., hands-on learning. The undergraduate chemistry laboratory is an ideal place for meaningful learning to occur. However, accurately characterizing students' affective experiences in the chemistry laboratory can be a very difficult task. While…

Using Undergraduate Facilitators for Active Learning in Organic Chemistry: A Preparation Course and Outcomes of the Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jardine, Hannah E.; Friedman, Lee A.

2017-01-01

In this study, we describe a course to educate and prepare undergraduate "facilitators" for small group problem solving sessions in a large, first semester, introductory undergraduate organic chemistry course. We then explore the outcomes of the facilitator experience for one cohort of facilitators through qualitative analysis of written…

A New Model for Transitioning Students from the Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory to the Research Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollenbeck, Jessica J.; Wixson, Emily N.; Geske, Grant D.; Dodge, Matthew W.; Tseng, T. Andrew; Clauss, Allen D.; Blackwell, Helen E.

2006-01-01

The transformation of 346 chemistry courses into a training experience that could provide undergraduate students with a skill set essential for a research-based chemistry career is presented. The course has an innovative structure that connects undergraduate students with graduate research labs at the semester midpoint and also includes new,…

Argument-Driven Inquiry as a Way to Help Undergraduate Students Write to Learn by Learning to Write in Chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sampson, Victor; Phelps Walker, Joi

2012-07-01

This exploratory study examined how undergraduate students' ability to write in science changed over time as they completed a series of laboratory activities designed using a new instructional model called argument-driven inquiry. The study was conducted in a single section of an undergraduate general chemistry lab course offered at a large two-year community college located in the southeast USA. The intervention took place over a 15-week semester and consisted of six laboratory activities. During each laboratory activity, the undergraduates wrote investigation reports, participated in a double-blind group peer review of the reports, and revised their reports based on the reviews. The reports written during each laboratory activity were used to examine changes in the students' writing skills over time and to identify aspects of scientific writing that were the most difficult for the undergraduates in this context. The reviews produced by the students during each report were used to evaluate how well undergraduates engage in the peer-review process. The results of a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the reports and reviews indicate that the participants made significant improvements in their ability to write in science and were able to evaluate the quality of their peers' writing with a relatively high degree of accuracy, but they also struggled with several aspects of scientific writing. The conclusions and implications of the study include recommendations for helping undergraduate students learn to write by writing to learn in science and new directions for future research.

A Study of Concept Mapping as an Instructional Intervention in an Undergraduate General Chemistry Calorimetry Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stroud, Mary W.

This investigation, rooted in both chemistry and education, considers outcomes occurring in a small-scale study in which concept mapping was used as an instructional intervention in an undergraduate calorimetry laboratory. A quasi-experimental, multiple-methods approach was employed since the research questions posed in this study warranted the use of both qualitative and quantitative perspectives and evaluations. For the intervention group of students, a convenience sample, post-lab concept maps, written discussions, quiz responses and learning surveys were characterized and evaluated. Archived quiz responses for non-intervention students were also analyzed for comparison. Students uniquely constructed individual concept maps containing incorrect, conceptually correct and "scientifically thin" calorimetry characterizations. Students more greatly emphasized mathematical relationships and equations utilized during the calorimetry experiment; the meaning of calorimetry concepts was demonstrated to a lesser extent.

A Study of Turkish Chemistry Undergraduates' Understandings of Entropy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sozbilir, Mustafa; Bennett, Judith M.

2007-01-01

Entropy is that fundamental concept of chemical thermodynamics, which explains the natural tendency of matter and energy in the Universe. The analysis presents the description of entropy, as understood by the Turkish chemistry undergraduates.

Introduction of Digital Computer Technology Into the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory. Final Technical Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perone, Sam P.

The objective of this project has been the development of a successful approach for the incorporation of on-line computer technology into the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. This approach assumes no prior programing, electronics or instrumental analysis experience on the part of the student; it does not displace the chemistry content with…

Attitude to the Study of Chemistry and Its Relationship with Achievement in an Introductory Undergraduate Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Stephen J.; White, Sue; Sharma, Bibhya; Wakeling, Lara; Naiker, Mani; Chandra, Shaneel; Gopalan, Romila; Bilimoria, Veena

2015-01-01

A positive attitude to a subject may be congruent with higher achievement; however, limited evidence supports this for students in undergraduate chemistry--this may result from difficulties in quantifying attitude. Therefore, in this study, the Attitude to the Study of Chemistry Inventory (ASCI)--a validated instrument to quantify attitude, was…

Report of the Polymer Core Course Committee: Polymer Principles in the Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Course, Part 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Chemical Education, 1985

1985-01-01

Demonstrates, with a set of definitive examples, how polymer principles can be introduced into the first undergraduate physical chemistry course in a very natural way. The intent is to encourage introduction of polymer-related material into conventional physical chemistry courses without sacrificing any rigor associated with such courses. (JN)

Integrating Bio-Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry into an Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erasmus, Daniel J.; Brewer, Sharon E.; Cinel, Bruno

2015-01-01

Undergraduate laboratories expose students to a wide variety of topics and techniques in a limited amount of time. This can be a challenge and lead to less exposure to concepts and activities in bio-inorganic chemistry and analytical chemistry that are closely-related to biochemistry. To address this, we incorporated a new iron determination by…

Development, Implementation, and Analysis of a National Survey of Faculty Goals for Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruck, Aaron D.; Towns, Marcy

2013-01-01

This work reports the development of a survey for laboratory goals in undergraduate chemistry, the analysis of reliable and valid data collected from a national survey of college chemistry faculty, and a synthesis of the findings. The study used a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design. Faculty goals for laboratory emerged across seven…

Fitting It All In: Adapting a Green Chemistry Extraction Experiment for Inclusion in an Undergraduate Analytical Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buckley, Heather L.; Beck, Annelise R.; Mulvihill, Martin J.; Douskey, Michelle C.

2013-01-01

Several principles of green chemistry are introduced through this experiment designed for use in the undergraduate analytical chemistry laboratory. An established experiment of liquid CO2 extraction of D-limonene has been adapted to include a quantitative analysis by gas chromatography. This facilitates drop-in incorporation of an exciting…

A Study of the Liquid-Liquid Partitioning Process Using Reverse-Phase Liquid Chromatography: An Undergraduate Analytical Chemistry Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lochmuller, C. H.; And Others

1980-01-01

Presents an undergraduate analytical chemistry experiment that promotes an interpretation of the molecular aspects of solute partitioning, enhancing student understanding of separation science and liquid chromatography. (CS)

Mini-Journal Inquiry Laboratory: A Case Study in a General Chemistry Kinetics Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhao, Ningfeng; Wardeska, Jeffrey G.

2011-01-01

The mini-journal curriculum for undergraduate science laboratories mirrors the format of scientific literature and helps students improve their learning through direct scientific practices. The lab embodies the essential features of scientific inquiry and replaces the traditional "cookbook" lab to engage students in active learning. A case study…

Synthesis and Characterization of Metal Complexes with Schiff Base Ligands

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkinson, Shane M.; Sheedy, Timothy M.; New, Elizabeth J.

2016-01-01

In order for undergraduate laboratory experiments to reflect modern research practice, it is essential that they include a range of elements, and that synthetic tasks are accompanied by characterization and analysis. This intermediate general chemistry laboratory exercise runs over 2 weeks, and involves the preparation of a Schiff base ligand and…

The Equilibrium Constant for Bromothymol Blue: A General Chemistry Laboratory Experiment Using Spectroscopy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klotz, Elsbeth; Doyle, Robert; Gross, Erin; Mattson, Bruce

2011-01-01

A simple, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly undergraduate laboratory experiment is described in which students use visible spectroscopy to determine a numerical value for an equilibrium constant, K[subscript c]. The experiment correlates well with the lecture topic of equilibrium even though the subject of the study is an acid-base…

Seeking Evidence for "Curricular Relevancy" within Undergraduate, Liberal Arts Chemistry Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naughton, Wendy; Schreck, James; Heikkinen, Henry

2008-01-01

Interviews with representatives of nine municipal agencies involved in air-quality education were analyzed for concepts and skills perceived as important for citizens in addressing air-quality concerns. Interviewees focused mainly on general air quality-related understandings (60.2%), although cognitive skills (22.0%) and specific concepts (17.8%)…

The Role of Multiple Representations in the Understanding of Ideal Gas Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madden, Sean P.; Jones, Loretta L.; Rahm, Jrene

2011-01-01

This study examined the representational competence of students as they solved problems dealing with the temperature-pressure relationship for ideal gases. Seven students enrolled in a first-semester general chemistry course and two advanced undergraduate science majors participated in the study. The written work and transcripts from videotaped…

On the Use of "Green" Metrics in the Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Lecture and Lab to Assess the Mass Efficiency of Organic Reactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andraos, John; Sayed, Murtuzaali

2007-01-01

A general analysis of reaction mass efficiency and raw material cost is developed using an Excel spread sheet format which can be applied to any chemical transformation. These new methods can be easily incorporated into standard laboratory exercises.

Determination of Rate Constants for Ouabain Inhibition of Adenosine Triphosphatase: An Undergraduate Biological Chemistry Laboratory Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sall, Eri; And Others

1978-01-01

Describes an undergraduate biological chemistry laboratory experiment which provides students with an example of pseudo-first-order kinetics with the cardiac glycoside inhibition of mammalism sodium and potassium transport. (SL)

ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy in the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory: Part II--A Physical Chemistry Laboratory Experiment on Surface Adsorption

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schuttlefield, Jennifer D.; Larsen, Sarah C.; Grassian, Vicki H.

2008-01-01

Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy is a useful technique for measuring the infrared spectra of solids and liquids as well as probing adsorption on particle surfaces. The use of FTIR-ATR spectroscopy in organic and inorganic chemistry laboratory courses as well as in undergraduate research was presented…

Aerobic Alcohol Oxidation Using a Copper(I)/TEMPO Catalyst System: A Green, Catalytic Oxidation Reaction for the Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Nicholas J.; Hoover, Jessica M.; Stahl, Shannon S.

2013-01-01

Modern undergraduate organic chemistry textbooks provide detailed discussion of stoichiometric Cr- and Mn-based reagents for the oxidation of alcohols, yet the use of such oxidants in instructional and research laboratories, as well as industrial chemistry, is increasingly avoided. This work describes a laboratory exercise that uses ambient air as…

Continuous Flow Science in an Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory: Photocatalytic Thiol-Ene Reaction Using Visible Light

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santandrea, Jeffrey; Kairouz, Vanessa; Collins, Shawn K.

2018-01-01

An undergraduate teaching laboratory experiment involving a continuous flow, photocatalytic thiol-ene reaction using visible-light irradiation is described that allows students to explore concepts of green chemistry, photochemistry, photocatalysis, and continuous flow chemistry.

Creating the Chemistry in Cellular Respiration Concept Inventory (CCRCI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forshee, Jay Lance, II

Students at our institution report cellular respiration to be the most difficult concept they encounter in undergraduate biology, but why students find this difficult is unknown. Students may find cellular respiration difficult because there is a large amount of steps, or because there are persistent, long-lasting misconceptions and misunderstandings surrounding their knowledge of chemistry, which affect their performance on cellular respiration assessments. Most studies of cellular respiration focus on student macro understanding of the process related to breathing, and matter and energy. To date, no studies identify which chemistry concepts are most relevant to students' development of an understanding of the process of cellular respiration or have developed an assessment to measure student understanding of them. Following the Delphi method, the researchers conducted expert interviews with faculty members from four-year, masters-, and PhD-granting institutions who teach undergraduate general biology, and are experts in their respective fields of biology. From these interviews, researchers identified twelve chemistry concepts important to understanding cellular respiration and using surveys, these twelve concepts were refined into five (electron transfer, energy transfer, thermodynamics (law/conservation), chemical reactions, and gradients). The researchers then interviewed undergraduate introductory biology students at a large Midwestern university to identify their knowledge and misconceptions of the chemistry concepts that the faculty had identified previously as important. The CCRCI was developed using the five important chemistry concepts underlying cellular respiration. The final version of the CCRCI was administered to n=160 introductory biology students during the spring 2017 semester. Reliability of the CCRCI was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha (=.7) and split-half reliability (=.769), and validity of the instrument was assessed through content validity via expert agreement, response process validity through student think-aloud interviews, and via the Delphi survey methodology. Included is a discussion of item function (difficulty, discrimination, and point-biserial correlation), persistent misconceptions and the interpretation, uses, and future directions of the CCRCI.

A Green Starting Material for Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution for the Undergraduate Organic Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones-Wilson, T. Michelle; Burtch, Elizabeth A.

2005-01-01

Electrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS) experiment is designed for the second-semester and undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory. In the EAS experiment, the principles of green chemistry are discussed and illustrated in conjunction with the presentation of electrophilic aromatic substitution.

Characterizing Teaching Assistants' Knowledge and Beliefs Following Professional Development Activities within an Inquiry-Based General Chemistry Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wheeler, Lindsay B.; Maeng, Jennifer L.; Whitworth, Brooke A.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this investigation was to explore changes in undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants' (TAs') content knowledge and beliefs about teaching within the context of an inquiry-based laboratory course. TAs received professional development (PD), which was informed by the TA training literature base and was designed for TAs…

Undergraduate Students' Earth Science Learning: Relationships among Conceptions, Approaches, and Learning Self-Efficacy in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Kuan-Ming; Lee, Min-Hsien; Tsai, Chin-Chung; Chang, Chun-Yen

2016-01-01

In the area of science education research, studies have attempted to investigate conceptions of learning, approaches to learning, and self-efficacy, mainly focusing on science in general or on specific subjects such as biology, physics, and chemistry. However, few empirical studies have probed students' earth science learning. This study aimed to…

Photolysis of 4-Phenyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-one: An Undergraduate Experiment in Free Radical Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Rick C.; Ma, Sha

1988-01-01

Describes a photochemistry experiment designed to introduce photochemical techniques and experience free radical chemistry. Selects Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy for the analysis. This activity is suggested for use in an upper level undergraduate organic course. (MVL)

An Advanced Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory Experiment Exploring NIR Spectroscopy and Chemometrics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wanke, Randall; Stauffer, Jennifer

2007-01-01

An advanced undergraduate chemistry laboratory experiment to study the advantages and hazards of the coupling of NIR spectroscopy and chemometrics is described. The combination is commonly used for analysis and process control of various ingredients used in agriculture, petroleum and food products.

The Implementation of a Service-Learning Component in an Organic Chemistry Laboratory Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glover, Sarah R.; Sewry, Joyce D.; Bromley, Candice L.; Davies-Coleman, Michael T.; Hlengwa, Amanda

2013-01-01

avenues for the implementation of service-learning into their curricula. A second-year undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory experiment, in which the undergraduate students make azo dyes, can provide a vehicle for a service-learning module in which university undergraduate…

A pharmacy student's role as a teaching assistant in an undergraduate medicinal chemistry course - Implementation, evaluation, and unexpected opportunities for educational outreach.

PubMed

DellaVecchia, Matthew J; Claudio, Alyssa M; Fairclough, Jamie L

2017-11-01

To describe 1) a pharmacy student's teaching assistant (TA) role in an undergraduate medicinal chemistry course, 2) an active learning module co-developed by the TA and instructor, and 3) the unexpected opportunities for pharmacy educational outreach that resulted from this collaboration. Medicinal Chemistry (CHM3413) is an undergraduate course offered each fall at Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA). As a TA for CHM3413, a pharmacy student from the Gregory School of Pharmacy (GSOP) at PBA co-developed and implemented an active learning module emphasizing foundational medicinal chemistry concepts as they pertain to performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). Surveys assessed undergraduate students' perceived knowledge of medicinal chemistry concepts, PEDs, and TA involvement. Students' (total n = 60, three fall semesters) perceived confidence in knowledge of medicinal chemistry concepts and PEDs increased significantly (p < 0.001) after the TA's module. Nearly 93% of students acknowledged this was their first interaction with a TA at PBA, ~ 82% "agreed/strongly agreed" that the TA provided effective instruction, and ~ 62% "agreed/strongly agreed" that TA availability raised overall confidence in CHM3413. Unexpected "side-effects" of this collaboration included opportunities for the TA and instructor to discuss health risks associated with PED usage with student-athletes and coaches at PBA. This collaboration developed the pharmacy student's teaching skills and reinforced knowledge of foundational pharmaceutical science concepts for both the TA and undergraduate students. Unexpected "side-effects" that resulted from this collaboration included opportunities for the TA and instructor to discuss health risks associated with PED usage with student-athletes in PBA's athletic department. Educational/interprofessional outreach opportunities resulted from a pharmacy student TA's involvement in an undergraduate medicinal chemistry course. An advanced pharmacy practice experience elective in sports pharmacy (based on Ambrose's model) begins Fall 2017. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Practical and Convenient Diffusion Apparatus: An Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clifford, Ben; Ochiai, E. I.

1980-01-01

Described is a diffusion apparatus to be used in an undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory experiment to determine the diffusion coefficients of aqueous solutions of sucrose and potassium dichromate. Included is the principle of the method, apparatus design and description, and experimental procedure. (Author/DS)

Excited-State Processes in Slow Motion: An Experiment in the Undergraduate Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galley, William C.; Tanchak, Oleh M.; Yager, Kevin G.; Wilczek-Vera, Grazyna

2010-01-01

Lasers have transformed chemistry and the everyday world. Therefore, it is not surprising that undergraduate chemistry students are frequently exposed to fairly advanced laser techniques. The usual topics studied with lasers are molecular spectroscopy and chemical kinetics. Static and dynamic fluorescence experiments seem to be particularly…

Making Science Real: Photo-Sharing in Biology and Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waycott, Jenny; Dalgarno, Barney; Kennedy, Gregor; Bishop, Andrea

2012-01-01

In this paper, we examine students' reflections about the value of two photo-sharing activities that were implemented in undergraduate Biology and Chemistry subjects. Both activities aimed, broadly, to provide support for authentic and meaningful learning experiences in undergraduate science. Although the activities were similar--both required…

Coloring a Superabsorbent Polymer with Metal Ions: An Undergraduate Chemistry Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yaung, Jing-Fun; Chen, Yueh-Huey

2009-01-01

A novel undergraduate chemistry experiment involving superabsorbent polymers commonly used in diapers and other personal care products is described. Students observe the removal of divalent transition-metal ions from aqueous solutions by the polymers. With the procedures provided, students are able to color the superabsorbent polymers with metal…

Undergraduate Introductory Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory Course: Interdisciplinary Group Projects in Phytoremediation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Engelen, Debra L.; Suljak, Steven W.; Hall, J. Patrick; Holmes, Bert E.

2007-01-01

The laboratory course around the phytoremediation is designed to develop both individual skills and promote cooperative learning while starting students work on projects in a specific area of environmental chemistry and analysis. Many research-active undergraduate institutions have developed courses, which are interdisciplinary in nature that…

Grade/Study-Performance Contracts, Enhanced Communication, Cooperative Learning, and Student Performance in Undergraduate Organic Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dougherty, Ralph C.

1997-01-01

Describes and evaluates a teaching strategy, designed to increase student retention while maintaining academic performance levels in undergraduate organic chemistry, that uses grade/study-performance contracts, enhanced communication using electronic mail, and cooperative learning. Concludes that a series of interventions can substantially…

Introductory Linear Regression Programs in Undergraduate Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gale, Robert J.

1982-01-01

Presented are simple programs in BASIC and FORTRAN to apply the method of least squares. They calculate gradients and intercepts and express errors as standard deviations. An introduction of undergraduate students to such programs in a chemistry class is reviewed, and issues instructors should be aware of are noted. (MP)

Borohydride Reduction of Estrone: Demonstration of Diastereoselectivity in the Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aditya, Animesh; Nichols, David E.; Loudon, G. Marc

2008-01-01

This experiment presents a guided-inquiry approach to the demonstration of diastereoselectivity in an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory. Chiral hindered ketones such as estrone, undergo facile reduction with sodium borohydride in a highly diastereoselective manner. The diastereomeric estradiols produced in the reaction can be analyzed and…

Can Flipping the Classroom Work? Evidence from Undergraduate Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casasola, Timothy; Nguyen, Tutrang; Warschauer, Mark; Schenke, Katerina

2017-01-01

Our study describes student outcomes from an undergraduate chemistry course that implemented a flipped format: a pedagogical model that consists of students watching recorded video lectures outside of the classroom and engaging in problem solving activities during class. We investigated whether (1) interest, study skills, and attendance as…

A Statistics Curriculum for the Undergraduate Chemistry Major

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlotter, Nicholas E.

2013-01-01

Our ability to statistically analyze data has grown significantly with the maturing of computer hardware and software. However, the evolution of our statistics capabilities has taken place without a corresponding evolution in the curriculum for the undergraduate chemistry major. Most faculty understands the need for a statistical educational…

Investigation of the Factors That Influence Undergraduate Student Chemistry Course Selection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hinds, Elsa M.; Shultz, Ginger V.

2018-01-01

The introductory chemistry sequence is a common pathway for undergraduates pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and prehealth careers. Student's academic decision-making has far-reaching consequences for their trajectory, including persistence in the major and ultimate career choice. This phenomenon was studied using a survey…

Chem-2-Chem: A One-to-One Supportive Learning Environment for Chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Báez-Galib, Rosita; Colón-Cruz, Héctor; Resto, Wilfredo; Rubin, Michael R.

2005-12-01

The Chem-2-Chem (C2C) tutoring mentoring program was developed at the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey, an undergraduate institution serving Hispanic students, to increase student retention and help students achieve successful general chemistry course outcomes. This program provides a supportive learning environment designed to address students' academic and emotional needs in a holistic way. Advanced chemistry students offered peer-led, personalized, and individualized learning experiences through tutoring and mentoring to approximately 21% of students enrolled in the general chemistry course. Final grades from official class lists of all general chemistry course sections were analyzed using Student's t -test, paired t -test, and χ 2 analysis. Results during the seven semesters studied show an increase of 29% in successful course outcomes defined as final letter grades of A, B, and C obtained by Chem-2-Chem participants. For each final grade, highly statistically significant differences between participants and nonparticipants were detected. There were also statistically significant differences between successful course outcomes obtained by participants and nonparticipants for each of the semesters studied. This research supports recent trends in chemical education to provide a social context for learning experiences. This peer-led learning strategy can serve as an effective model to achieve excellence in science courses at a wide range of educational institutions.

Strategies for Fostering Synergy between Neuroscience Programs and Chemistry Departments

PubMed Central

Ulness, Darin J.; Mach, Julie R.

2011-01-01

The successful model of the Neuroscience Program at Concordia College is used as a source of illustrative examples in a presentation of strategies to foster synergy between neuroscience programs and chemistry departments. Chemistry is an increasing voice in the dialog of modern neuroscience. To be well-prepared to engage in this dialog, students must have strong chemistry training and be comfortable applying it to situations in neuroscience. The strategies presented here are designed to stimulate thought and discussion in the undergraduate neuroscience education community. Hopefully this will lead to greater interaction between chemistry and neuroscience at the undergraduate level in other institutions. PMID:23626488

Using Latex Balls and Acrylic Resin Plates to Investigate the Stacking Arrangement and Packing Efficiency of Metal Crystals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohashi, Atsushi

2015-01-01

A high-school third-year or undergraduate first-semester general chemistry laboratory experiment introducing simple-cubic, face-centered cubic, body-centered cubic, and hexagonal closest packing unit cells is presented. Latex balls and acrylic resin plates are employed to make each atomic arrangement. The volume of the vacant space in each cell is…

Exploration of Thermochromic Materials Using Experimental and Theoretical Infrared and UV-Visible Spectroscopy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costello, Kelsey; Doan, Kevin Thinh; Organtini, Kari Lynn; Wilson, John; Boyer, Morgan; Gibbs, Greglynn; Tribe, Lorena

2014-01-01

This laboratory was developed by undergraduate students in collaboration with the course instructor as part of a peer-developed and peer-led lab curriculum in a general chemistry course. The goal was to explore the hypothesis that crystal violet lactone was responsible for the thermochromic properties of a sipping straw using a FT-IR for…

Research and Teaching: Transforming Discussion in General Chemistry with Authentic Experiences for Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crippen, Kent J.; Boyer, Treavor H.; Korolev, Maria; de Torres, Trisha; Brucat, Phil J.; Wu, Chang-Yu

2016-01-01

Undergraduate engineering education in the United States is in need of reform that addresses the recruitment and retention of a diverse population of students. Change Chem is a curriculum reform model that has been created to address this issue for freshman students. This article reports on a mixed method efficacy study of Change Chem, which uses…

Improving Student Perceptions of Science through the Use of State-of-the-Art Instrumentation in General Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aurentz, David J.; Kerns, Stefanie L.; Shibley, Lisa R.

2011-01-01

Access to state-of-the-art instrumentation, namely nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, early in the college curriculum was provided to undergraduate students in an effort to improve student perceptions of science. Proton NMR spectroscopy was introduced as part of an aspirin synthesis in a guided-inquiry approach to spectral…

Undergraduate Program: New Orleans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Betsock, Lori

2008-03-01

Undergraduate chemical science students—join us in New Orleans on April 6-7, 2008 for an educational program designed specifically for you. Attend symposia on chemistry in sports and health and learn how it impacts your life everyday; meet with graduate school recruiters. Focus on your professional future in chemistry by learning more about careers in public health and how to communicate and work effectively with cross-functional teams. Hear eminent scientist Richard B. Silverman (John Evans Professor of Chemistry, Northwestern University and author of The Organic Chemistry of Drug Design and Drug Action 2004) speak about "Drug Discovery: Ingenuity or Serendipity?" All events will take place at the Hilton Riverside Hotel in New Orleans, except the Undergraduate Research Poster Sessions and Sci-Mix, both of which will be held in Hall A of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Exploring General Versus Task-Specific Assessments of Metacognition in University Chemistry Students: A Multitrait-Multimethod Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chia-Yu

2015-08-01

The purpose of this study was to use multiple assessments to investigate the general versus task-specific characteristics of metacognition in dissimilar chemistry topics. This mixed-method approach investigated the nature of undergraduate general chemistry students' metacognition using four assessments: a self-report questionnaire, assessment of concurrent metacognitive skills, confidence judgment, and calibration accuracy. Data were analyzed using a multitrait-multimethod correlation matrix, supplemented with regression analyses, and qualitative interpretation. Significant correlations among task performance, calibration accuracy, and concurrent metacognition within a task suggest a converging relationship. Confidence judgment, however, was not associated with task performance or the other metacognitive measurements. The results partially support hypotheses of both general and task-specific metacognition. However, general and task-specific properties of metacognition were detected using different assessments. Case studies were constructed for two participants to illustrate how concurrent metacognition varied within different task demands. Considerations of how each assessment may appropriate different metacognitive constructs and the importance of the alignment of analytical constructs when using multiple assessments are discussed. These results may help lead to improvements in metacognition assessment and may provide insights into designs of effective metacognitive instruction.

Teaching microbiology to undergraduate students in the humanities and the social sciences.

PubMed

Oren, Aharon

2015-10-01

This paper summarizes my experiences teaching a 28-hour course on the bacterial world for undergraduate students in the humanities and the social sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This course was offered in the framework of a program in which students must obtain credit points for courses offered by other faculties to broaden their education. Most students had little biology in high school and had never been exposed to the basics of chemistry. Using a historical approach, highlighting the work of pioneers such as van Leeuwenhoek, Koch, Fleming, Pasteur, Winogradsky and Woese, I covered a broad area of general, medical, environmental and evolutionary microbiology. The lectures included basic concepts of organic and inorganic chemistry necessary to understand the principles of fermentations and chemoautotrophy, and basic molecular biology to explain biotechnology using transgenic microorganisms and molecular phylogeny. Teaching the basics of microbiology to intelligent students lacking any background in the natural sciences was a rewarding experience. Some students complained that, in spite of my efforts, basic concepts of chemistry remained beyond their understanding. But overall the students' evaluation showed that the course had achieved its goal. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A Hands-on Research Experience in Chemistry for Undergraduates in the Southwest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogg, John L.

1988-01-01

Describes a program in chemistry which was designed to encourage undergraduate minority students to enroll in graduate study. States that students attended meetings with their advisors and met as a group for a research lecture. The program included graduate students, staff, and professors who gave lectures and tours. (RT)

Room-Temperature C-H Functionalization Sequence under Benchtop Conditions for the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Shuming

2018-01-01

An iridium(III)-mediated C-H functionalization sequence involving a concerted cyclometalation-deprotonation/migratory insertion pathway is reported for the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. The air- and water-stable iridacycle intermediates are readily isolated and characterized by NMR spectroscopy. Both steps of the experiment are performed at…

Introducing Students to a Synthetic and Spectroscopic Study of the Free Radical Chlorine Dioxide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sutton, Sarah C.; Cleland, Walter E.; Hammer, Nathan I.

2017-01-01

This advanced undergraduate chemistry laboratory exercise takes advantage of the unique spectroscopic properties of the free radical chlorine dioxide to allow for a direct comparison of its symmetric stretch in both the ground and excited states. It incorporates several subject areas covered in an undergraduate chemistry degree (synthesis,…

Using Presentation Software to Flip an Undergraduate Analytical Chemistry Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitzgerald, Neil; Li, Luisa

2015-01-01

An undergraduate analytical chemistry course has been adapted to a flipped course format. Course content was provided by video clips, text, graphics, audio, and simple animations organized as concept maps using the cloud-based presentation platform, Prezi. The advantages of using Prezi to present course content in a flipped course format are…

Characterizing Instructional Practices in the Laboratory: The Laboratory Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Velasco, Jonathan B.; Knedeisen, Adam; Xue, Dihua; Vickrey, Trisha L.; Abebe, Marytza; Stains, Marilyne

2016-01-01

Chemistry laboratories play an essential role in the education of undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM students. The extent of student learning in any educational environment depends largely on the effectiveness of the instructors. In chemistry laboratories at large universities, the instructors of…

Nickel-Catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling in a Green Alcohol Solvent for an Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hie, Liana; Chang, Jonah J.; Garg, Neil K.

2015-01-01

A modern undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory experiment involving the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling is reported. Although Suzuki-Miyaura couplings typically employ palladium catalysts in environmentally harmful solvents, this experiment features the use of inexpensive nickel catalysis, in addition to a "green" alcohol solvent. The…

Spectroscopy 101: A Practical Introduction to Spectroscopy and Analysis for Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrill, Lucas A.; Kammeyer, Jacquelin K.; Garg, Neil K.

2017-01-01

An undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory that provides an introduction to various spectroscopic techniques is reported. Whereas organic spectroscopy is most often learned and practiced in the context of reaction analyses, this laboratory experiment allows students to become comfortable with [superscript 1]H NMR, [superscript 13]C NMR, and IR…

Faculty Beliefs about the Purposes for Teaching Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mack, Michael R.; Towns, Marcy H.

2016-01-01

We report the results of a phenomenographic analysis of faculty beliefs about the purposes for teaching upper-division physical chemistry courses in the undergraduate curriculum. A purposeful sampling strategy was used to recruit a diverse group of faculty for interviews. Collectively, the participating faculty regularly teach or have taught…

Incorporating Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences into Analytical Chemistry Laboratory Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerr, Melissa A.; Yan, Fei

2016-01-01

A continuous effort within an undergraduate university setting is to improve students' learning outcomes and thus improve students' attitudes about a particular field of study. This is undoubtedly relevant within a chemistry laboratory. This paper reports the results of an effort to introduce a problem-based learning strategy into the analytical…

ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy in the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory: Part I--Fundamentals and Examples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schuttlefield, Jennifer D.; Grassian, Vicki H.

2008-01-01

Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy is a useful technique for measuring the infrared spectra of solids and liquids as well as probing adsorption on particle surfaces. Several examples of the use of FTIR-ATR spectroscopy in different undergraduate chemistry laboratory courses are presented here. These…

The ACS Exams Institute Undergraduate Chemistry Anchoring Concepts Content Map III: Inorganic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marek, Keith A.; Raker, Jeffery R.; Holme, Thomas A.; Murphy, Kristen L.

2018-01-01

For the past eight years, the ACS Examinations Institute has been developing Anchoring Concepts Content Maps for the different subdisciplines taught throughout the undergraduate curriculum. The structure of the map consists of two top levels that are shared throughout the entire curriculum and two subdiscipline specific levels that contain…

Synthesis and Characterization of Copper Complexes with a Tridentate Nitrogen-Donor Ligand: An Integrated Research Experiment for Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bussey, Katherine A.; Cavalier, Annie R.; Connell, Jennifer R.; Mraz, Margaret E.; Holderread, Ashley S.; Oshin, Kayode D.; Pintauer, Tomislav

2015-01-01

An integrated laboratory experiment applying concepts and techniques developed in organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and instrumental analysis is presented for use by students interested in undergraduate research. The experiment incorporates some advanced laboratory practices such as multistep organic synthesis and purification, detailed…

Online Video Tutorials Increase Learning of Difficult Concepts in an Undergraduate Analytical Chemistry Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

He, Yi; Swenson, Sandra; Lents, Nathan

2012-01-01

Educational technology has enhanced, even revolutionized, pedagogy in many areas of higher education. This study examines the incorporation of video tutorials as a supplement to learning in an undergraduate analytical chemistry course. The concepts and problems in which students faced difficulty were first identified by assessing students'…

Development of an Assessment Tool to Measure Students' Meaningful Learning in the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galloway, Kelli R.; Bretz, Stacey Lowery

2015-01-01

Research on learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory necessitates an understanding of students' perspectives of learning. Novak's Theory of Meaningful Learning states that the cognitive (thinking), affective (feeling), and psychomotor (doing) domains must be integrated for meaningful learning to occur. The psychomotor domain is the…

An investigation of communication patterns and strategies between international teaching assistants and undergraduate students in university-level science labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gourlay, Barbara Elas

This research project investigates communication between international teaching assistants and their undergraduate students in university-level chemistry labs. During the fall semester, introductory-level chemistry lab sections of three experienced non-native speaking teaching assistants and their undergraduate students were observed. Digital audio and video recordings documented fifteen hours of lab communication, focusing on the activities and interactions in the first hour of the chemistry laboratory sessions. In follow-up one-on-one semi-structured interviews, the participants (undergraduates, teaching assistants, and faculty member) reviewed interactions and responded to a 10-item, 7-point Likert-scaled interview. Interactions were classified into success categories based on participants' opinions. Quantitative and qualitative data from the observations and interviews guided the analysis of the laboratory interactions, which examined patterns of conversational listening. Analysis of laboratory communication reveals that undergraduates initiated nearly two-thirds of laboratory communication, with three-fourths of interactions less than 30 seconds in duration. Issues of gender and topics of interaction activity were also explored. Interview data identified that successful undergraduate-teaching assistant communication in interactive science labs depends on teaching assistant listening comprehension skills to interpret and respond successfully to undergraduate questions. Successful communication in the chemistry lab depended on the coordination of visual and verbal sources of information. Teaching assistant responses that included explanations and elaborations were also seen as positive features in the communicative exchanges. Interaction analysis focusing on the listening comprehension demands placed on international teaching assistants revealed that undergraduate-initiated questions often employ deixis (exophoric reference), requiring teaching assistants to demonstrate skills at disambiguating undergraduate discourse. Interaction analysis reinforced that successful undergraduate-teaching assistant communication depends on the coordination of verbal and visual channels of communication, with the physical objects of the chemistry lab environment playing a pivotal role in expressing information and in mutual understanding. These results have implications for the evaluation of English proficiency and the preparation of non-native speaking teaching assistants by pointing out that teaching assistant listening comprehension skills and the use of contextual artifacts contribute to successful communication and are areas that, to date, have been underrepresented in the research literature on international teaching assistant communication.

Assessment of the benefits of a summer undergraduate research program for physics and chemistry majors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Chris; MacDonald, Gina

2006-11-01

Presently at James Madison University, there are slightly more than 100 physics majors and 150 chemistry majors. Each summer, a significant fraction of these students participate in either the chemistry or interdisciplinary materials science Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program on campus. This provides a large pool of students from which to draw data comparing the influence of undergraduate research on both classroom performance and attitudes toward science as a profession. By analyzing the grade point averages of chemistry and physics majors, we have shown slightly larger increases from spring semester to fall semester for students who participated in the REU than those who did not. We have also measured changes in attitudes using surveys of the students both at the beginning and at the end of the summer experience. An analysis of these surveys will be presented.

Reduced Graphene Oxide Joins Graphene Oxide to Teach Undergraduate Students Core Chemistry and Nanotechnology Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kondratowicz, Izabela; Nadolska, Malgorzata; Z?elechowska, Kamila

2018-01-01

Novel carbon nanomaterials such as reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and graphene oxide (GO) can be easily incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum to discuss basic chemistry and nanotechnology concepts. This paper describes a laboratory experiment designed to study the differences between GO and rGO regarding their physicochemical properties…

Thinking Processes Associated with Undergraduate Chemistry Students' Success at Applying a Molecular-Level Model in a New Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teichert, Melonie A.; Tien, Lydia T.; Dysleski, Lisa; Rickey, Dawn

2017-01-01

This study investigated relationships between the thinking processes that 28 undergraduate chemistry students engaged in during guided discovery and their subsequent success at reasoning through a transfer problem during an end-of-semester interview. During a guided-discovery laboratory module, students were prompted to use words, pictures, and…

A Simple Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) System for Use at Multiple Levels in the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Randall, David W.; Hayes, Ryan T.; Wong, Peter A.

2013-01-01

A LIBS (laser induced breakdown spectroscopy) spectrometer constructed by the instructor is reported for use in undergraduate analytical chemistry experiments. The modular spectrometer described here is based on commonly available components including a commercial Nd:YAG laser and a compact UV-vis spectrometer. The modular approach provides a…

Web-Based Undergraduate Chemistry Problem-Solving: The Interplay of Task Performance, Domain Knowledge and Web-Searching Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

She, Hsiao-Ching; Cheng, Meng-Tzu; Li, Ta-Wei; Wang, Chia-Yu; Chiu, Hsin-Tien; Lee, Pei-Zon; Chou, Wen-Chi; Chuang, Ming-Hua

2012-01-01

This study investigates the effect of Web-based Chemistry Problem-Solving, with the attributes of Web-searching and problem-solving scaffolds, on undergraduate students' problem-solving task performance. In addition, the nature and extent of Web-searching strategies students used and its correlation with task performance and domain knowledge also…

Using Free Computational Resources to Illustrate the Drug Design Process in an Undergraduate Medicinal Chemistry Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodrigues, Ricardo P.; Andrade, Saulo F.; Mantoani, Susimaire P.; Eifler-Lima, Vera L.; Silva, Vinicius B.; Kawano, Daniel F.

2015-01-01

Advances in, and dissemination of, computer technologies in the field of drug research now enable the use of molecular modeling tools to teach important concepts of drug design to chemistry and pharmacy students. A series of computer laboratories is described to introduce undergraduate students to commonly adopted "in silico" drug design…

A Survey of the Practices, Procedures, and Techniques in Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Teaching Laboratories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Christopher B.; Schmidt, Monica; Soniat, Michael

2011-01-01

A survey was conducted of four-year institutions that teach undergraduate organic chemistry laboratories in the United States. The data include results from over 130 schools, describes the current practices at these institutions, and discusses the statistical results such as the scale of the laboratories performed, the chemical techniques applied,…

Students' Attitudes, Self-Efficacy and Experiences in a Modified Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning Undergraduate Chemistry Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vishnumolakala, Venkat Rao; Southam, Daniel C.; Treagust, David F.; Mocerino, Mauro; Qureshi, Sheila

2017-01-01

This one-semester, mixed methods study underpinning social cognition and theory of planned behaviour investigated the attitudes, self-efficacy, and experiences of 559 first year undergraduate chemistry students from two cohorts in modified process-oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) classes. Versions of attitude toward the study of chemistry…

A Comprehensive Microfluidics Device Construction and Characterization Module for the Advanced Undergraduate Analytical Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piunno, Paul A. E.; Zetina, Adrian; Chu, Norman; Tavares, Anthony J.; Noor, M. Omair; Petryayeva, Eleonora; Uddayasankar, Uvaraj; Veglio, Andrew

2014-01-01

An advanced analytical chemistry undergraduate laboratory module on microfluidics that spans 4 weeks (4 h per week) is presented. The laboratory module focuses on comprehensive experiential learning of microfluidic device fabrication and the core characteristics of microfluidic devices as they pertain to fluid flow and the manipulation of samples.…

An Integrated Visualization and Basic Molecular Modeling Laboratory for First-Year Undergraduate Medicinal Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayes, Joseph M.

2014-01-01

A 3D model visualization and basic molecular modeling laboratory suitable for first-year undergraduates studying introductory medicinal chemistry is presented. The 2 h practical is embedded within a series of lectures on drug design, target-drug interactions, enzymes, receptors, nucleic acids, and basic pharmacokinetics. Serving as a teaching aid…

Characterization of High Explosives and Other Energetic Compounds by Computational Chemistry and Molecular Modeling: Experiments for Undergraduate Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bumpus, John A.; Lewis, Anne; Stotts, Corey; Cramer, Christopher J.

2007-01-01

Experiments suited for the undergraduate instructional laboratory in which the heats of formation of several aliphatic and aromatic compounds are calculated, are described. The experiments could be used to introduce students to commercially available computational chemistry and its thermodynamics, while assess and compare the energy content of…

Integrating Chemistry Laboratory Instrumentation into the Industrial Internet: Building, Programming, and Experimenting with an Automatic Titrator

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Famularo, Nicole; Kholod, Yana; Kosenkov, Dmytro

2016-01-01

This project is designed to improve physical chemistry and instrumental analysis laboratory courses for undergraduate students by employing as teaching tools novel technologies in electronics and data integration using the industrial Internet. The project carried out by upper-division undergraduates is described. Students are exposed to a complete…

Evaluation of a Voluntary Tutoring Program in Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics for First-Year Undergraduates at Universidad Andres Bello, Chile

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiménez, Verónica A.; Acuña, Fabiola C.; Quiero, Felipe J.; López, Margarita; Zahn, Carmen I.

2015-01-01

This work describes the preliminary results of a tutoring program that provides personalized academic assistance to first-year undergraduates enrolled in introductory chemistry, physics and mathematics courses at Universidad Andres Bello (UNAB), in Concepción, Chile. Intervened courses have historically large enrolments, diverse student population…

Investigation of the Regioselectivity of Alkene Hydrations for the Undergraduate Organic Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bichler, Katherine A.; Van Ornum, Scott G.; Franz, Margaret C.; Imhoff, Andrea M.

2015-01-01

Due to a lack of time and, thus, an inability to present every possibility in a chemical reaction, organic chemistry professors tend to present each reaction with a single outcome. In practice, this is clearly not the case. A first-semester, three-week laboratory experiment designed for undergraduate organic chemistry students is described in…

Synthesis and Characterization of Europium(III) and Terbium(III) Complexes: An Advanced Undergraduate Inorganic Chemistry Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swavey, Shawn

2010-01-01

Undergraduate laboratories rarely involve lanthanide coordination chemistry. This is unfortunate in light of the ease with which many of these complexes are made and the interesting and instructive photophysical properties they entail. The forbidden nature of the 4f transitions associated with the lanthanides is overcome by incorporation of…

Ab Initio Determinations of Photoelectron Spectra Including Vibronic Features: An Upper-Level Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lord, Richard L.; Davis, Lisa; Millam, Evan L.; Brown, Eric; Offerman, Chad; Wray, Paul; Green, Susan M. E.

2008-01-01

We present a first-principles determination of the photoelectron spectra of water and hypochlorous acid as a laboratory exercise accessible to students in an undergraduate physical chemistry course. This paper demonstrates the robustness and user-friendliness of software developed for the Franck-Condon factor calculation. While the calculator is…

Chemkarta: A Card Game for Teaching Functional Groups in Undergraduate Organic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knudtson, Christopher A.

2015-01-01

Students in undergraduate organic chemistry courses are frequently overwhelmed by the volume and complexity of information they are expected to learn. To aid in students' learning of organic functional groups, a novel card game "ChemKarta" is reported that can serve as a useful alternative to flashcards. This pedagogy is a simple…

Aligning the Undergraduate Organic Laboratory Experience with Professional Work: The Centrality of Reliable and Meaningful Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alaimo, Peter J.; Langenhan, Joseph M.; Suydam, Ian T.

2014-01-01

Many traditional organic chemistry lab courses do not adequately help students to develop the professional skills required for creative, independent work. The overarching goal of the new organic chemistry lab series at Seattle University is to teach undergraduates to think, perform, and behave more like professional scientists. The conversion of…

The Cyclohexanol Cycle and Synthesis of Nylon 6,6: Green Chemistry in the Undergraduate Organic Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dintzner, Matthew R.; Kinzie, Charles R.; Pulkrabek, Kimberly; Arena, Anthony F.

2012-01-01

A one-term synthesis project that incorporates many of the principles of green chemistry is presented for the undergraduate organic laboratory. In this multistep scheme of reactions, students react, recycle, and ultimately convert cyclohexanol to nylon 6,6. The individual reactions in the project employ environmentally friendly methodologies, and…

Synthesis of 10-Ethyl Flavin: A Multistep Synthesis Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiment for Upper-Division Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sichula, Vincent A.

2015-01-01

A multistep synthesis of 10-ethyl flavin was developed as an organic chemistry laboratory experiment for upper-division undergraduate students. Students synthesize 10-ethyl flavin as a bright yellow solid via a five-step sequence. The experiment introduces students to various hands-on experimental organic synthetic techniques, such as column…

Utilization of the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education in General Chemistry by Community College Instructors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Panther Bishoff, Jennifer

2010-01-01

In recent years, higher education has undergone many changes. The advent of assessment, accountability, and a newfound focus on teaching have required faculty to examine how they are teaching. Administrators and faculty are beginning to recognize that learning is not a "one size fits all" enterprise. To this end, Chickering and Gamson developed an…

Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume VI, 2006

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Faletra, P.; Schuetz, A.; Cherkerzian, D.

Students who conducted research at DOE National Laboratories during 2005 were invited to include their research abstracts, and for a select few, their completed research papers in this Journal. This Journal is direct evidence of students collaborating with their mentors. Fields in which these students worked include: Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Engineering; Environmental Science; General Sciences; Materials Sciences; Medical and Health Sciences; Nuclear Sciences; Physics; and Science Policy.

"What Does the Term Critical Thinking Mean to You?" A Qualitative Analysis of Chemistry Undergraduate, Teaching Staff and Employers' Views of Critical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Danczak, S. M.; Thompson, C. D.; Overton, T. L.

2017-01-01

Good critical thinking is important to the development of students and a valued skill in commercial markets and wider society. There has been much discussion regarding the definition of critical thinking and how it is best taught in higher education. This discussion has generally occurred between philosophers, cognitive psychologists and education…

Analytical Thinking, Analytical Action: Using Prelab Video Demonstrations and e-Quizzes to Improve Undergraduate Preparedness for Analytical Chemistry Practical Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jolley, Dianne F.; Wilson, Stephen R.; Kelso, Celine; O'Brien, Glennys; Mason, Claire E.

2016-01-01

This project utilizes visual and critical thinking approaches to develop a higher-education synergistic prelab training program for a large second-year undergraduate analytical chemistry class, directing more of the cognitive learning to the prelab phase. This enabled students to engage in more analytical thinking prior to engaging in the…

Binary Solid-Liquid Phase Diagram of Phenol and t-Butanol: An Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Xinhua; Wang, Xiaogang; Wu, Meifen

2014-01-01

The determination of the solid-liquid phase diagram of a binary system is always used as an experiment in the undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory courses. However, most phase diagrams investigated in the lab are simple eutectic ones, despite the fact that complex binary solid-liquid phase diagrams are more common. In this article, the…

Using Raman Spectroscopy and Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering to Identify Colorants in Art: An Experiment for an Upper-Division Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayhew, Hannah E.; Frano, Kristen A.; Svoboda, Shelley A.; Wustholz, Kristin L.

2015-01-01

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) studies of art represent an attractive way to introduce undergraduate students to concepts in nanoscience, vibrational spectroscopy, and instrumental analysis. Here, we present an undergraduate analytical or physical chemistry laboratory wherein a combination of normal Raman and SERS spectroscopy is used to…

What Lies at the Heart of Good Undergraduate Teaching? A Case Study in Organic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davidowitz, Bette; Rollnick, Marissa

2011-01-01

Teaching organic chemistry at the undergraduate level has long been regarded as challenging and students are often alienated by the mass of detail which seems to characterise the subject. In this paper we investigate the practice of an accomplished lecturer by trying to capture and portray his pedagogical content knowledge, PCK, in order to reveal…

Sol-Gel Synthesis of a Biotemplated Inorganic Photocatalyst: A Simple Experiment for Introducing Undergraduate Students to Materials Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boffa, Vittorio; Yue, Yuanzheng; He, Wen

2012-01-01

As part of a laboratory course, undergraduate students were asked to use baker's yeast cells as biotemplate in preparing TiO[subscript 2] powders and to test the photocatalytic activity of the resulting materials. This laboratory experience, selected because of the important environmental implications of soft chemistry and photocatalysis, provides…

Synthesis of (3-Methoxycarbonyl)coumarin in an Ionic Liquid: An Advanced Undergraduate Project for Green Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verdía, Pedro; Santamarta, Francisco; Tojo, Emilia

2017-01-01

An experiment for an undergraduate organic chemistry class based on the application of an ionic liquid as solvent and catalyst of an organic reaction is reported. The whole experiment requires three 3-h lab sessions. First, students prepare the ionic liquid dimethylimidazolium methylsulfate, which is then used as a recyclable catalyst/reaction…

An Evaluation of the Chemical Origin of Life as a Context for Teaching Undergraduate Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Venkataraman, Bhawani

2011-01-01

The chemical origin of life on earth has been used as a conceptual framework in an introductory, undergraduate chemistry course. The course explores the sequence of events through which life is believed to have emerged, from atoms to molecules to macromolecular systems, and uses this framework to teach basic chemical concepts. The results of this…

Ligand-Free Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling Reactions Using an Inexpensive Aqueous Palladium Source: A Synthetic and Computational Exercise for the Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Nicholas J.; Bowman, Matthew D.; Esselman, Brian J.; Byron, Stephen D.; Kreitinger, Jordan; Leadbeater, Nicholas E.

2014-01-01

An inexpensive procedure for introducing the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction into a high-enrollment undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory course is described. The procedure employs an aqueous palladium solution as the catalyst and a range of para-substituted aryl bromides and arylboronic acids as substrates. The coupling reactions proceed…

X-Ray Crystallography Analysis of Complexes Synthesized with Tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine: A Laboratory Experiment for Undergraduate Students Integrating Interdisciplinary Concepts and Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bazley, Isabel J.; Erie, Ellen A.; Feiereisel, Garrett M.; LeWarne, Christopher J.; Peterson, Jack M.; Sandquist, Katherine L.; Oshin, Kayode D.; Zeller, Matthias

2018-01-01

An integrated laboratory experiment applying concepts and techniques from organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and instrumental analysis is presented for use in the undergraduate curriculum. This experiment highlights the synthesis, characterization, and use of tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (TPMA) to make complexes with different metal salts. It…

Measuring Heterogeneous Reaction Rates with ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy to Evaluate Chemical Fates in an Atmospheric Environment: A Physical Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry Laboratory Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Jason E.; Zeng, Guang; Maron, Marta K.; Mach, Mindy; Dwebi, Iman; Liu, Yong

2016-01-01

This paper reports an undergraduate laboratory experiment to measure heterogeneous liquid/gas reaction kinetics (ozone-oleic acid and ozone-phenothrin) using a flow reactor coupled to an attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectrometer. The experiment is specially designed for an upper-level undergraduate Physical…

Training Undergraduate Physics Peer Tutors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nossal, S. M.; Jacob, A. T.

2004-05-01

The University of Wisconsin's Physics Peer Mentor Tutor Program matches upper level undergraduate physics students in small study groups with students studying introductory algebra-based physics. We work with students who are potentially at-risk for having academic trouble with the course. They include students with a low exam score, learning disabilities, no high school physics, weak math backgrounds, and/or on academic probation. We also work with students from groups under represented in the sciences and who may be feeling isolated or marginal on campus such as minority, returning adult, and international students. The tutors provide a supportive learning environment, extra practice problems, and an overview of key concepts. In so doing, they help our students to build confidence and problem solving skills applicable to physics and other areas of their academic careers. The Physics Peer Mentor Tutor Program is modeled after a similar program for chemistry created by the University of Wisconsin's Chemistry Learning Center. Both programs are now run in collaboration. The tutors are chosen for their academic strength and excellent communication skills. Our tutors are majoring in physics, math, and secondary-level science education. The tutors receive ongoing training and supervision throughout the year. They attend weekly discipline-specific meetings to discuss strategies for teaching the content currently being discussed in the physics course. They also participate in a weekly teaching seminar with science tutors from chemistry and biochemistry to discuss teaching methods, mentoring, and general information relating to the students with whom we work. We will describe an overview of the Physics Peer Mentor Tutor Program with a focus on the teacher training program for our undergraduate tutors.

Attitude to the subject of chemistry in undergraduate nursing students at Fiji National University and Federation University, Australia.

PubMed

Brown, Stephen; Wakeling, Lara; Peck, Blake; Naiker, Mani; Hill, Dolores; Naidu, Keshni

2015-01-01

Attitude to the subject of chemistry was quantified in first-year undergraduate nursing students, at two geographically distinct universities. A purpose-designed diagnostic instrument (ASCI) was given to students at Federation University, Australia (n= 114), and at Fiji National University, Fiji (n=160). Affective and cognitive sub-scales within ASCI showed reasonable internal consistency. Cronbach's alpha for the cognitive sub-scale was 0.786 and 0.630, and 0.787 and 0.788 for affective sub-scale for the Federation University and Fiji National University students, respectively. Mean (SD) score for the cognitive sub-scale was 10.5 (5.6) and 15.2 (4.1) for students at Federation University and Fiji National University, respectively (P<0.001, t-test). Mean (SD) score for the affective sub-scale was 13.1 (5.1) and 20.7 (4.3) for students at Federation University and Fiji National University, respectively (P < 0.001, t-test). An exploratory factor analysis (n=274) confirmed a two-factor solution consistent with affective and cognitive sub-scales, each with good internal consistency. Quantifying attitude to chemistry in undergraduate nursing students using ASCI may have utility in assessing the impact of novel teaching strategies used in the education of nursing students in areas of bioscience and chemistry. However, geographically distinct populations of undergraduate nurses may show very different attitudes to chemistry.

Tetraglyme Trap for the Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds in Urban Air: Projects for Undergraduate Analytical Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hope, Wilbert W.; Johnson, Clyde; Johnson, Leon P.

2004-01-01

The differences in the levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), in the ambient air from the two urban locations, were studied by the undergraduate analytical chemistry students. Tetraglyme is very widely used due to its simplicity and its potential for use to investigate VOCs in ambient and indoor air employing a purge-and-trap concentrator…

Using Mole Ratios of Electrolytic Products of Water for Analysis of Household Vinegar: An Experiment for the Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dabke, Rajeev B.; Gebeyehu, Zewdu

2012-01-01

A simple 3-h physical chemistry undergraduate experiment for the quantitative analysis of acetic acid in household vinegar is presented. The laboratory experiment combines titration concept with electrolysis and an application of the gas laws. A vinegar sample was placed in the cathode compartment of the electrolysis cell. Electrolysis of water…

Thiourea in the Construction of C-S Bonds as Part of an Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Guo-ping; Chen, Fei; Cai, Chun

2017-01-01

The nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction and thia-Michael addition using thiourea as an odorless, cheap, and easy-to-handle sulfur source in water are described, which can be used to teach upper-division undergraduates the role of thiourea in the formation of C-S bonds and the principles of green chemistry. The use of a cheap, nontoxic…

A Python Program for Solving Schro¨dinger's Equation in Undergraduate Physical Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Srnec, Matthew N.; Upadhyay, Shiv; Madura, Jeffry D.

2017-01-01

In undergraduate physical chemistry, Schrödinger's equation is solved for a variety of cases. In doing so, the energies and wave functions of the system can be interpreted to provide connections with the physical system being studied. Solving this equation by hand for a one-dimensional system is a manageable task, but it becomes time-consuming…

Effectiveness of E-Content Package on Teaching IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry at Undergraduate Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Devendiran, G.; Vakkil, M.

2017-01-01

This study attempts to discover the effectiveness of an e-content package when teaching IUPAC nomenclature of organic chemistry at the undergraduate level. The study consisted of a Pre-test-Post-test Non Equivalent Groups Design, and the sample of 71 (n = 71) students were drawn from two colleges. The overall study was divided into two groups, an…

Determining the Transference Number of H[superscript +](aq) by a Modified Moving Boundary Method: A Directed Study for the Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dabke, Rajeev B.; Gebeyehu, Zewdu; Padelford, Jonathan

2012-01-01

A directed study for the undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory for determining the transference number of H[superscript +](aq) using a modified moving boundary method is presented. The laboratory study combines Faraday's laws of electrolysis with mole ratios and the perfect gas equation. The volume of hydrogen gas produced at the cathode is…

Enhancing Women's Undergraduate Experience in Physics and Chemistry Through a PUI/MRSEC Collaboration Emphasizing Materials Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldberg, Velda; Malliaras, George; Schember, Helene; Singhota, Nevjinder

2002-04-01

This three-year collaboration between a predominately undergraduate women's college (Simmons College) and a NSF-supported Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR)) provides opportunities for physics and chemistry students to participate in materials-related research throughout their undergraduate careers, have access to sophisticated instrumentation, and gain related work experience in industrial settings. As part of the project, undergraduate students are involved in all aspects of a collaborative Simmons/Cornell research program concentrating on degradation processes in electroluminescent materials. This work is particularly interesting because an understanding and control of these processes will ultimately influence the use of these materials in various types of consumer products.

a Low-Cost Chirped-Pulse Fourier Transform Microwave Spectrometer for Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carroll, Brandon; Finneran, Ian; Blake, Geoffrey

2014-06-01

We present the design and construction of a simple and low-cost waveguide chirped pulse Fourier transform microwave (CP-FTMW) spectrometer suitable for gas-phase rotational spectroscopy experiments in undergraduate physical chemistry labs as well as graduate level research. The spectrometer operates with modest bandwidth, using phased locked loop (PLL) microwave sources and a direct digital synthesis (DDS) chirp source, making it an affordable for undergraduate labs. The performance of the instrument is benchmarked by acquiring the pure rotational spectrum of the J = 1 - 0 transition OCS and its isotopologues from 11-12.5 GHz.

Introducing ethics to chemistry students in a "Research Experiences for Undergraduates" (REU) program.

PubMed

Hanson, Mark J

2015-01-01

A three-day ethics seminar introduced ethics to undergraduate environmental chemistry students in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. The seminar helped students become sensitive to and understand the ethical and values dimensions of their work as researchers. It utilized a variety of resources to supplement lectures and class discussion on a variety of issues. Students learned about the relevance of ethics to research, skills in moral reasoning, and the array of ethical issues facing various aspects of scientific research. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Jigsaw Cooperative Learning: Acid-Base Theories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tarhan, Leman; Sesen, Burcin Acar

2012-01-01

This study focused on investigating the effectiveness of jigsaw cooperative learning instruction on first-year undergraduates' understanding of acid-base theories. Undergraduates' opinions about jigsaw cooperative learning instruction were also investigated. The participants of this study were 38 first-year undergraduates in chemistry education…

Students' perceptions of academic dishonesty in the chemistry classroom laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

del Carlo, Dawn I.; Bodner, George M.

2004-01-01

Although the literature on both academic dishonesty and scientific misconduct is extensive, research on academic dishonesty has focused on quizzes, exams, and papers, with the virtual exclusion of the classroom laboratory. This study examined the distinctions undergraduate chemistry majors made between academic dishonesty in the classroom laboratory and scientific misconduct in the research laboratory. Across the spectrum of undergraduate chemistry courses, from the introductory course for first-semester chemistry majors to the capstone course in instrumental analysis, we noted that students believe the classroom lab is fundamentally different from a research or industrial lab. This difference is so significant that it carries over into students' perceptions of dishonesty in these two environments.

What Knowledge of Responsible Conduct of Research Do Undergraduates Bring to Their Undergraduate Research Experiences?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mabrouk, Patricia Ann

2016-01-01

Over a three-year period, chemistry and engineering students participating in six Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs were surveyed before and after participating in a research ethics training workshop. The goal was to learn what undergraduate students already knew about key concepts in research ethics at the start of their…

Synthesis-Spectroscopy Roadmap Problems: Discovering Organic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurth, Laurie L.; Kurth, Mark J.

2014-01-01

Organic chemistry problems that interrelate and integrate synthesis with spectroscopy are presented. These synthesis-spectroscopy roadmap (SSR) problems uniquely engage second-year undergraduate organic chemistry students in the personal discovery of organic chemistry. SSR problems counter the memorize-or-bust strategy that many students tend to…

Integrating Computational Chemistry into a Course in Classical Thermodynamics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martini, Sheridan R.; Hartzell, Cynthia J.

2015-01-01

Computational chemistry is commonly addressed in the quantum mechanics course of undergraduate physical chemistry curricula. Since quantum mechanics traditionally follows the thermodynamics course, there is a lack of curricula relating computational chemistry to thermodynamics. A method integrating molecular modeling software into a semester long…

The Evolution of Library Instruction Delivery in the Chemistry Curriculum Informed by Mixed Assessment Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mandernach, Meris A.; Shorish, Yasmeen; Reisner, Barbara A.

2014-01-01

As information continues to evolve over time, the information literacy expectations for chemistry students also change. This article examines transformations to an undergraduate chemistry course that focuses on chemical literature and information literacy and is co-taught by a chemistry professor and a chemistry librarian. This article also…

Theoretical Hammett Plot for the Gas-Phase Ionization of Benzoic Acid versus Phenol: A Computational Chemistry Lab Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ziegler, Blake E.

2013-01-01

Computational chemistry undergraduate laboratory courses are now part of the chemistry curriculum at many universities. However, there remains a lack of computational chemistry exercises available to instructors. This exercise is presented for students to develop skills using computational chemistry software while supplementing their knowledge of…

Inter-Institutional Partnerships Propel A Successful Collaborative Undergraduate Degree Program In Chemistry

PubMed Central

Wang, Qiquan

2013-01-01

Small private liberal arts colleges are increasingly tuition-dependent and mainly attract students by creating student-centered learning communities. On the other hand, larger universities tend to be trendsetters where its faculty tend to seek intellectual independence and are involved in career focused cutting-edge research. The Institutional Development Awards (IDeA) and Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) are federal-state-university partnerships that builds basic research infrastructure and coax the state-wide higher education institutions to collaborate with each other in order to enhance their competitiveness. As a result in Delaware, Wesley College instituted curricular and operational changes to launch an undergraduate program in biological chemistry where its students take three upper division chemistry courses and can choose to participate in annual summer undergraduate internships at nearby Delaware State University. PMID:24273464

Enhancing undergraduate students' chemistry understanding through project-based learning in an IT environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barak, Miri; Dori, Yehudit Judy

2005-01-01

Project-based learning (PBL), which is increasingly supported by information technologies (IT), contributes to fostering student-directed scientific inquiry of problems in a real-world setting. This study investigated the integration of PBL in an IT environment into three undergraduate chemistry courses, each including both experimental and control students. Students in the experimental group volunteered to carry out an individual IT-based project, whereas the control students solved only traditional problems. The project included constructing computerized molecular models, seeking information on scientific phenomena, and inquiring about chemistry theories. The effect of the PBL was examined both quantitatively and qualitatively. The quantitative analysis was based on a pretest, a posttest, and a final examination, which served for comparing the learning gains of the two research groups. For the qualitative analysis, we looked into the experimental students' performance, as reflected by the projects they had submitted. In addition, think alou interviews and observations helped us gain insight into the students' conceptual understanding of molecular structures. Students who participated in the IT-enhanced PBL performed significantly better than their control classmates not only on their posttest but also on their course final examination. Analyzing the qualitative findings, we concluded that the construction of computerized models and Web-based inquiry activities helped promote students' ability of mentally traversing the four levels of chemistry understanding: symbolic, macroscopic, microscopic, and process. More generally, our results indicated that incorporating IT-rich PBL into freshmen courses can enhance students' understanding of chemical concepts, theories, and molecular structures.

Investigating Undergraduate Science Students’ Conceptions and Misconceptions of Ocean Acidification

PubMed Central

Danielson, Kathryn I.; Tanner, Kimberly D.

2015-01-01

Scientific research exploring ocean acidification has grown significantly in past decades. However, little science education research has investigated the extent to which undergraduate science students understand this topic. Of all undergraduate students, one might predict science students to be best able to understand ocean acidification. What conceptions and misconceptions of ocean acidification do these students hold? How does their awareness and knowledge compare across disciplines? Undergraduate biology, chemistry/biochemistry, and environmental studies students, and science faculty for comparison, were assessed on their awareness and understanding. Results revealed low awareness and understanding of ocean acidification among students compared with faculty. Compared with biology or chemistry/biochemistry students, more environmental studies students demonstrated awareness of ocean acidification and identified the key role of carbon dioxide. Novel misconceptions were also identified. These findings raise the question of whether undergraduate science students are prepared to navigate socioenvironmental issues such as ocean acidification. PMID:26163563

Impact of Chemistry Teachers' Knowledge and Practices on Student Achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scantlebury, Kathryn

2008-10-01

Professional development programs promoting inquiry-based teaching are challenged with providing teachers content knowledge and using pedagogical approaches that model standards based instruction. Inquiry practices are also important for undergraduate students. This paper focuses on the evaluation of an extensive professional development program for chemistry teachers that included chemistry content tests for students and the teachers and the impact of undergraduate research experiences on college students' attitudes towards chemistry. Baseline results for the students showed that there were no gender differences on the achievement test but white students scored significantly higher than non-white students. However, parent/adult involvement with chemistry homework and projects, was a significant negative predictor of 11th grade students' test chemistry achievement score. This paper will focus on students' achievement and attitude results for teachers who are mid-way through the program providing evidence that on-going, sustained professional development in content and pedagogy is critical for improving students' science achievement.

Campus as a Living Laboratory for Sustainability: The Chemistry Connection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindstrom, Timothy; Middlecamp, Catherine

2017-01-01

In the undergraduate curriculum, chemistry and sustainability connect easily and well. Topics in chemistry provide instructors with opportunities to engage students in learning about sustainability; similarly, topics in sustainability provide instructors with opportunities to engage students in learning chemistry. One's own college or university…

Organic Chemistry Self Instructional Package 2: Methane.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zdravkovich, V.

This booklet, one of a series of 17 developed at Prince George's Community College, Largo, Maryland, provides an individualized, self-paced undergraduate organic chemistry instruction module designed to augment any course in organic chemistry but particularly those taught using the text "Organic Chemistry" by Morrison and Boyd. The…

Design of a Dynamic Undergraduate Green Chemistry Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Sarah A.

2016-01-01

The green chemistry course taught at Westminster College (PA) incorporates nontraditional teaching techniques and texts to educate future chemists about the importance of using green chemistry principles. The course is designed to introduce green chemistry concepts and demonstrate their inherent necessity by discussing historical missteps by the…

Greener Approaches to Undergraduate Chemistry Experiments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirchhoff, Mary, Ed.; Ryan, Mary Ann, Ed.

This laboratory manual introduces the idea of Green Chemistry, which is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. Instructional samples are included to help teachers integrate green chemistry into the college chemistry curriculum. Each laboratory includes: (1) a…

Exploring Conceptual Frameworks of Models of Atomic Structures and Periodic Variations, Chemical Bonding, and Molecular Shape and Polarity: A Comparison of Undergraduate General Chemistry Students with High and Low Levels of Content Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Chia-Yu; Barrow, Lloyd H.

2013-01-01

The purpose of the study was to explore students' conceptual frameworks of models of atomic structure and periodic variations, chemical bonding, and molecular shape and polarity, and how these conceptual frameworks influence their quality of explanations and ability to shift among chemical representations. This study employed a purposeful sampling…

Alternative Methods for Teaching Chemical Information to Undergraduates.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Wade M.; Wiggins, Gary

1997-01-01

Discusses whether to provide library instruction for undergraduate chemistry majors as a separate class or integrated into courses, particularly for those who receive a degree certified by the American Chemical Society. The authors suggest that a librarian coordinate course-integrated instruction throughout the undergraduate curriculum. (LRW)

A Discovery Chemistry Experiment on Buffers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kulevich, Suzanne E.; Herrick, Richard S.; Mills, Kenneth V.

2014-01-01

The Holy Cross Chemistry Department has designed and implemented an experiment on buffers as part of our Discovery Chemistry curriculum. The pedagogical philosophy of Discovery Chemistry is to make the laboratory the focal point of learning for students in their first two years of undergraduate instruction. We first pose questions in prelaboratory…

Making a Natural Product Chemistry Course Meaningful with a Mini Project Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hakim, Aliefman; Liliasari; Kadarohman, Asep; Syah, Yana Maolana

2016-01-01

This paper discusses laboratory activities that can improve the meaningfulness of natural product chemistry course. These laboratory activities can be useful for students from many different disciplines including chemistry, pharmacy, and medicine. Students at the third-year undergraduate level of chemistry education undertake the project to…

Organic Chemistry Self Instructional Package 10: Alkenes-Reactions 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zdravkovich, V.

This booklet, one of a series of 17 developed at Prince George's Community College, Largo, Maryland, provides an individualized, self-paced undergraduate organic chemistry instruction module designed to augment any course in organic chemistry but particularly those taught using the text "Organic Chemistry" by Morrison and Boyd. The…

Organic Chemistry Self Instructional Package 15: Benzene, Aromaticity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zdravkovich, V.

This booklet, one of a series of 17 developed at Prince George's Community College, Largo, Maryland, provides an individualized, self-paced undergraduate organic chemistry instruction module designed to augment any course in organic chemistry but particularly those taught using the text "Organic Chemistry" by Morrison and Boyd. The…

Marine Natural Product Chemistry and the Interim: A Novel Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bland, Jeffrey S.; Medcalf, Darrell G.

1974-01-01

Describes a course designed to strengthen a student's background in organic chemistry, demonstrate the interfacing of chemistry and biology, expose undergraduates to graduate research, provide familiarity with instrumentation, and provide a novel field experience. (Author/GS)

A Pharmacology-Based Enrichment Program for Undergraduates Promotes Interest in Science

PubMed Central

Godin, Elizabeth A.; Wormington, Stephanie V.; Perez, Tony; Barger, Michael M.; Snyder, Kate E.; Richman, Laura Smart; Schwartz-Bloom, Rochelle; Linnenbrink-Garcia, Lisa

2015-01-01

There is a strong need to increase the number of undergraduate students who pursue careers in science to provide the “fuel” that will power a science and technology–driven U.S. economy. Prior research suggests that both evidence-based teaching methods and early undergraduate research experiences may help to increase retention rates in the sciences. In this study, we examined the effect of a program that included 1) a Summer enrichment 2-wk minicourse and 2) an authentic Fall research course, both of which were designed specifically to support students' science motivation. Undergraduates who participated in the pharmacology-based enrichment program significantly improved their knowledge of basic biology and chemistry concepts; reported high levels of science motivation; and were likely to major in a biological, chemical, or biomedical field. Additionally, program participants who decided to major in biology or chemistry were significantly more likely to choose a pharmacology concentration than those majoring in biology or chemistry who did not participate in the enrichment program. Thus, by supporting students' science motivation, we can increase the number of students who are interested in science and science careers. PMID:26538389

Asymmetric translation between multiple representations in chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yulan I.; Son, Ji Y.; Rudd, James A., II

2016-03-01

Experts are more proficient in manipulating and translating between multiple representations (MRs) of a given concept than novices. Studies have shown that instruction using MR can increase student understanding of MR, and one model for MR instruction in chemistry is the chemistry triplet proposed by Johnstone. Concreteness fading theory suggests that presenting concrete representations before abstract representations can increase the effectiveness of MR instruction; however, little work has been conducted on varying the order of different representations during instruction and the role of concreteness in assessment. In this study, we investigated the application of concreteness fading to MR instruction and assessment in teaching chemistry. In two experiments, undergraduate students in either introductory psychology courses or general chemistry courses were given MR instruction on phase changes using different orders of presentation and MR assessment questions based on the representations in the chemistry triplet. Our findings indicate that the order of presentation based on levels of concreteness in MR chemistry instruction is less important than implementation of comprehensive MR assessments. Even after MR instruction, students display an asymmetric understanding of the chemical phenomenon on the MR assessments. Greater emphasis on MR assessments may be an important component in MR instruction that effectively moves novices toward more expert MR understanding.

Assessing Advanced High School and Undergraduate Students' Thinking Skills: The Chemistry--From the Nanoscale to Microelectronics Module

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dori, Yehudit Judy; Dangur, Vered; Avargil, Shirly; Peskin, Uri

2014-01-01

Chemistry students in Israel have two options for studying chemistry: basic or honors (advanced placement). For instruction in high school honors chemistry courses, we developed a module focusing on abstract topics in quantum mechanics: Chemistry--From the Nanoscale to Microelectronics. The module adopts a visual-conceptual approach, which…

Anisotropic Rotational Diffusion Studied by Nuclear Spin Relaxation and Molecular Dynamics Simulation: An Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuson, Michael M.

2017-01-01

Laboratories studying the anisotropic rotational diffusion of bromobenzene using nuclear spin relaxation and molecular dynamics simulations are described. For many undergraduates, visualizing molecular motion is challenging. Undergraduates rarely encounter laboratories that directly assess molecular motion, and so the concept remains an…

Lowering Barriers to Undergraduate Research through Collaboration with Local Craft Breweries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDermott, M. Luke

2016-01-01

Laboratory research experiences are highly impactful learning environments for undergraduate students. However, a surprising number of chemistry students do not research. These students often do not research because they lack the time, interest, opportunity, or awareness. Course-based undergraduate research experiences can reach out to these…

Evaluating the efficacy of a chemistry video game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shapiro, Marina

A quasi-experimental design pre-test/post-test intervention study utilizing a within group analysis was conducted with 45 undergraduate college chemistry students that investigated the effect of implementing a game-based learning environment into an undergraduate college chemistry course in order to learn if serious educational games (SEGs) can be used to achieve knowledge gains of complex chemistry concepts and to achieve increase in students' positive attitude toward chemistry. To evaluate if students learn chemistry concepts by participating in a chemistry game-based learning environment, a one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted across three time points (pre-test, post-test, delayed post-test which were chemistry content exams). Results showed that there was an increase in exam scores over time. The results of the ANOVA indicated a statistically significant time effect. To evaluate if students' attitude towards chemistry increased as a result of participating in a chemistry game-based learning environment a paired samples t-test was conducted using a chemistry attitudinal survey by Mahdi (2014) as the pre- and post-test. Results of the paired-samples t-test indicated that there was no significant difference in pre-attitudinal scores and post-attitudinal scores.

Striking a Balance: Experiment and Concept in Undergraduate Inorganic Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frey, John E.

1990-01-01

Described is an inorganic chemistry course based on the premise that a balanced understanding of inorganic chemistry requires knowledge of the experimental, theoretical, and technological aspects of the subject. A detailed description of lectures and laboratories is included. (KR)

Multimedia and Understanding: Expert and Novice Responses To Different Representations of Chemical Phenomena.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kozma, Robert B.; Russell, Joel

1997-01-01

Examines how professional chemists and undergraduate chemistry students respond to chemistry-related video segments, graphs, animations, and equations. Discusses the role that surface features of representations play in the understanding of chemistry. Contains 36 references. (DDR)

Great expectations: using an analysis of current practices to propose a framework for the undergraduate inorganic curriculum.

PubMed

Reisner, Barbara A; Smith, Sheila R; Stewart, Joanne L; Raker, Jeffrey R; Crane, Johanna L; Sobel, Sabrina G; Pesterfield, Lester L

2015-09-21

The undergraduate inorganic chemistry curriculum in the United States mirrors the broad diversity of the inorganic research community and poses a challenge for the development of a coherent curriculum that is thorough, rigorous, and engaging. A recent large survey of the inorganic community has provided information about the current organization and content of the inorganic curriculum from an institutional level. The data reveal shared "core" concepts that are broadly taught, with tremendous variation in content coverage beyond these central ideas. The data provide an opportunity for a community-driven discussion about how the American Chemical Society's Committee on Professional Training's vision of a foundation and in-depth course for each of the five subdisciplines maps onto an inorganic chemistry curriculum that is consistent in its coverage of the core inorganic concepts, yet reflects the diversity and creativity of the inorganic community. The goal of this Viewpoint is to present the current state of the diverse undergraduate curriculum and lay a framework for an effective and engaging curriculum that illustrates the essential role inorganic chemistry plays within the chemistry community.

A Quantum Chemistry Concept Inventory for Physical Chemistry Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dick-Perez, Marilu; Luxford, Cynthia J.; Windus, Theresa L.; Holme, Thomas

2016-01-01

A 14-item, multiple-choice diagnostic assessment tool, the quantum chemistry concept inventory or QCCI, is presented. Items were developed based on published student misconceptions and content coverage and then piloted and used in advanced physical chemistry undergraduate courses. In addition to the instrument itself, data from both a pretest,…

Mixed-Methods Study of Online and Written Organic Chemistry Homework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malik, Kinza; Martinez, Nylvia; Romero, Juan; Schubel, Skyler; Janowicz, Philip A.

2014-01-01

Connect for organic chemistry is an online learning tool that gives students the opportunity to learn about all aspects of organic chemistry through the ease of the digital world. This research project consisted of two fundamental questions. The first was to discover whether there was a difference in undergraduate organic chemistry content…

A Comparison of How Undergraduates, Graduate Students, and Professors Organize Organic Chemistry Reactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galloway, Kelli R.; Leung, Min Wah; Flynn, Alison B.

2018-01-01

To explore the differences between how organic chemistry students and organic chemistry professors think about organic chemistry reactions, we administered a card sort task to participants with a range of knowledge and experience levels. Beginning students created a variety of categories ranging from structural similarities to process oriented…

Understanding of Words and Symbols by Chemistry University Students in Croatia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vladušic, Roko; Bucat, Robert; Ožic, Mia

2016-01-01

This article reports on a study conducted in Croatia on students' understanding of scientific words and representations, as well as everyday words used in chemistry teaching. A total of 82 undergraduate chemistry students and 36 pre-service chemistry teachers from the Faculty of Science, University of Split, were involved. Students' understanding…

Integrating Chemical Information Instruction into the Chemistry Curriculum on Borrowed Time: A Multiyear Case Study of a Capstone Research Report for Organic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobs, Danielle L.; Dalal, Heather A.; Dawson, Patricia H.

2016-01-01

To develop information literacy skills in chemistry and biochemistry majors at a primarily undergraduate institution, a multiyear collaboration between chemistry faculty and librarians has resulted in the establishment of a semester-long capstone project for Organic Chemistry II. Information literacy skills were instilled via a progressive…

A Synthesis of "o"-Chlorocinnamic Acid Utilizing a Meerwein Reaction: An Undergraduate Organic Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cleland, George H.

1978-01-01

The Meerwein reaction is often omitted from undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory books. This experiment, the preparation of "o"-chlorocinnamic acid from "o"-chloroanaline, illustrates this section. (BB)

A Monumental Experience: The Undergraduate Program in Washington, DC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Betsock, Lori

2009-08-01

All undergraduate chemical science students are invited to attend the Undergraduate Program at the 238th ACS National Meeting in Washington, DC on August 16-17, 2009. This educational and career-oriented program is designed to increase our understanding of the world with chemistry. Symposia will focus on the chemistry of our oceans and atmosphere. Nobel Laureate Susan Solomon will be the featured Eminent Scientist speaker. Attend the Graduate School Reality Check and graduate school networking events to meet and talk with graduate school recruiters. All events will take place in the Capital Hilton (1001 16th Street NW), except for the Undergraduate Poster Session and Sci-Mix, which will be held in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, located between 7th and 9th Streets and N Street and Mt. Vernon Place (approximately K Street).

A Safer and Convenient Synthesis of Sulfathiazole for Undergraduate Organic and Medicinal Chemistry Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyle, Jeff; Otty, Sandra; Sarojini, Vijayalekshmi

2012-01-01

A safer method for the synthesis of the sulfonamide drug sulfathiazole, for undergraduate classes, is described. This method improves upon procedures currently followed in several undergraduate teaching laboratories for the synthesis of sulfathiazole. Key features of this procedure include the total exclusion of pyridine, which has potential…

A Biochemistry of Human Disease Course for Undergraduate and Graduate Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glew, Robert H.; VanderJagt, David L.

2001-01-01

Describes the experiences of a medical school faculty who have been offering for more than 10 years a two-course series in the biochemistry of human disease to undergraduate students majoring in biochemistry, biology, or chemistry. Recommends the teaching of specialized, advanced courses to undergraduate, pre-professional students. (DDR)

Identifying Alternative Conceptions of Chemical Kinetics among Secondary School and Undergraduate Students in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cakmakci, Gultekin

2010-01-01

This study identifies some alternative conceptions of chemical kinetics held by secondary school and undergraduate students (N = 191) in Turkey. Undergraduate students who participated are studying to become chemistry teachers when they graduate. Students' conceptions about chemical kinetics were elicited through a series of written tasks and…

Computational Chemistry Using Modern Electronic Structure Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Stephen; Dines, Trevor J.; Chowdhry, Babur Z.; Withnall, Robert

2007-01-01

Various modern electronic structure methods are now days used to teach computational chemistry to undergraduate students. Such quantum calculations can now be easily used even for large size molecules.

Investigating Students' Success in Solving and Attitudes towards Context-Rich Open-Ended Problems in Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Overton, Tina L.; Potter, Nicholas M.

2011-01-01

Much research has been carried out on how students solve algorithmic and structured problems in chemistry. This study is concerned with how students solve open-ended, ill-defined problems in chemistry. Over 200 undergraduate chemistry students solved a number of open-ended problem in groups and individually. The three cognitive variables of…

Learning Quantum Chemistry via a Visual-Conceptual Approach: Students' Bidirectional Textual and Visual Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dangur, Vered; Avargil, Shirly; Peskin, Uri; Dori, Yehudit Judy

2014-01-01

Most undergraduate chemistry courses and a few high school honors courses, which focus on physical chemistry and quantum mechanics, are highly mathematically-oriented. At the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, we developed a new module for high school students, titled "Chemistry--From 'the Hole' to 'the Whole': From the Nanoscale to…

"Named Small but Doing Great": An Investigation of Small-Scale Chemistry Experimentation for Effective Undergraduate Practical Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tesfamariam, Gebrekidan Mebrahtu; Lykknes, Annette; Kvittingen, Lise

2017-01-01

In theory, practical work is an established part of university-level chemistry courses. However, mainly due to budget constraints, large class size, time constraints and inadequate teacher preparations, practical activities are frequently left out from chemistry classroom instruction in most developing countries. Small-scale chemistry (SSC)…

Emergence, Learning Difficulties, and Misconceptions in Chemistry Undergraduate Students' Conceptualizations of Acid Strength

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tümay, Halil

2016-01-01

Philosophical debates about chemistry have clarified that the issue of emergence plays a critical role in the epistemology and ontology of chemistry. In this article, it is argued that the issue of emergence has also significant implications for understanding learning difficulties and finding ways of addressing them in chemistry. Particularly, it…

Let Students Derive, by Themselves, Two-Dimensional Atomic and Molecular Quantum Chemistry from Scratch

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ge, Yingbin

2016-01-01

Hands-on exercises are designed for undergraduate physical chemistry students to derive two-dimensional quantum chemistry from scratch for the H atom and H[subscript 2] molecule, both in the ground state and excited states. By reducing the mathematical complexity of the traditional quantum chemistry teaching, these exercises can be completed…

In This Issue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1996-06-01

Organic Chemistry--New Challenges Perhaps more than any other of the chemical subdisciplines, the scope and focus of organic chemistry has been changed by modern technology and theoretical advances, and these changes have had an equally striking effect on the undergraduate curriculum. The main challenge in organic chemistry classes has shifted, in less than a generation, from memorizing all the groups, naming conventions, and classes of reactions to understanding complex interactions at the structural and electronic orbital level. As biochemistry and polymer chemistry have grown from being the purview of a few specialists to full-blown disciplines of their own, they have also migrated from interesting, but optional, chapters at the back of the book to separate courses in the curriculum. The availability of inexpensive instrumentation means undergraduates routinely use NMR and mass spec instead of melting points to identify their products. And the changes are continuing: segments of biochemistry are metamorphizing into molecular biology and polymer chemistry is finding interconnections with materials science. In fact, as our understanding of chemical reactions at molecular and electronic levels expands, it becomes more and more difficult to decide on demarcations between the subdisciplines. Organic chemistry is an organizational construct that once was useful for segregating certain topics into a coherent two-semester introductory course. Today, it covers so much territory that no one who is an "organic chemist" can know even a small fraction of the territory and faces unique challenges when designing and teaching undergraduate courses. In a wide spectrum of articles in this issue that fall under the "organic" umbrella--from environmental chemistry to new polymer products--teachers share their specific experiences and creative solutions to these challenges, providing their colleagues with new ideas, processes, and pedagogic approaches. To start off, we can examine where it all started: benzene. Warnhoff (page 494) shows how the 19th century investigations of benzene and cyclohexane were intertwined. An article such as this gives a unique perspective on the development of organic chemistry and reveals how far it has come--some of the most famous chemists of that time spent a significant portion of their careers in settling issues that are now covered in a few brief paragraphs of an introductory text but which establish the foundations for all subsequent work. In the organic laboratory, the first revolution was Wohler's synthesis of a natural compound--urea--from inorganic compounds. Toth (page 539) has turned this famous reaction into a demonstration that will bring this seminal experiment off the history pages and into the classroom. Another demonstration, useful in either the general or organic class, has been designed by Pravia and Maynard (page 497) to illustrate why water and oil don't mix. Thall (page 481) gives his teaching colleagues some fascinating examples to use when teaching stereochemical concepts; "When Drug Molecules Look in the Mirror" they often see a stereoisomer with very different and interesting properties. Topics relating to polymer and biochemistry are being integrated into beginning courses, even at the secondary level, because of their importance in everyday life as well as being at the cutting edge of research. "Superabsorbent Polymers: An Idea Whose Time Has Come" by Buchholz (page 512) provides information about polymers with interesting properties that are finally finding a commercial application. Those teaching biochemistry will find Barmettler's summary of "Biochemical Data on the Web" (page 520) useful as well as experiments such as "Research in Undergraduate Instruction: A Biotech Lab Project for Recombinant DNA Protein Expression in Bacteria" by Brockman, Ordman, and Campbell (page 542); "A Simple Method for Isolation of Caffeine from Black Tea Leaves: Use of a Dichloromethane-Alkaline Water Mixture as an Extractant" by Onami and Kanazawa (page 556); and "The Analysis of Riboflavin in Urine Using Fluorescence" by Henderleiter and Hyslop (page 563). For the general undergraduate organic laboratory a wide range of topics and techniques are represented by "Epoxidation of Alpha-Methylstyrene and Its Lewis Acid Rearrangement to 2-Phenylpropanal" by Garin, Gamber, and Rowe (page 555); "Use of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) in Nonscience Major Course Laboratory Experiments" by Kostecka, Lerman, and Angelos (page 565); "Examination of a Reaction Mechanism by Polarimetry" by Mosher, Kelly, and Mosher (page 567); and "GS-MS and GC-FTIR Characterization of Products" by Amenta, DeVore, Gallaher, Zook, and Mosbo. Undergraduate laboratories are using more and more microscale experiments. The Microscale Laboratory feature brings new ideas regularly; this month features "Preparation and Properties of a Stable Organic Cation" by Manfredi and McGrew (page A124). Another microscale experiment "1H NMR Analysis of R/S Ibuprofen by the Formation of Diastereomeric Pairs" is provided by Sen and Aniker (page 569).

New Guidelines for Undergraduate Chemistry Curricula Examined.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Worthy, Ward

1989-01-01

Reviews current biochemistry, education, and polymer course options found in chemistry programs. Proposes a new core curriculum with 28 semester hours with courses in inorganic, chemical, and instrumental analysis, organic, bioorganic, and physical chemistry. Notes that the new curriculum would better prepare students for the existing employment…

"CHEM"opera for Chemistry Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chung, Yong Hee

2013-01-01

"CHEM"opera is an opera blended with demonstrations of chemical reactions. It has been produced and performed twice by chemistry undergraduate students at Hallym University in South Korea. It aims to demonstrate interesting chemical reactions to chemistry students, children and the public and to facilitate their understanding of the role…

A Course in Chemistry of Silicates for Beginning Undergraduate Students: An Interdisciplinary Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunstone, John

1973-01-01

The course was designed: (1) to broaden the base for chemistry majors to build their courses; (2) to illustrate how some chemistry principles are applied to real situations; and (3) to serve as an introduction to geochemistry for geology majors. (DF)

Creatine Synthesis: An Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Andri L.; Tan, Paula

2006-01-01

Students in introductory chemistry classes typically appreciate seeing the connection between course content and the "real world". For this reason, we have developed a synthesis of creatine monohydrate--a popular supplement used in sports requiring short bursts of energy--for introductory organic chemistry laboratory courses. Creatine monohydrate…

Comparing Carbonyl Chemistry in Comprehensive Introductory Organic Chemistry Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Donna J.; Kumar, Ravi; Ramasamy, Saravanan

2015-01-01

Learning the chemistry of compounds containing carbonyl groups is difficult for undergraduate students partly because of a convolution of multiple possible reaction sites, competitive reactions taking place at those sites, different criteria needed to discern between the mechanisms of these reactions, and no straightforward selection method…

Write on the Edge: Using a Chemistry Corpus to Develop Academic Writing Skills Resources for Undergraduate Chemists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruce, M. L.; Coffer, P. K.; Rees, S.; Robson, J. M.

2016-01-01

Many undergraduate students find the production of an extended piece of academic writing challenging. This challenge is more acute in the sciences where production of extended texts is infrequent throughout undergraduate studies. This paper reports the development of a new English for Academic Purposes (EAP) workshop and associated resources for…

Chemical Analysis of Soils: An Environmental Chemistry Laboratory for Undergraduate Science Majors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willey, Joan D.; Avery, G. Brooks, Jr.; Manock, John J.; Skrabal, Stephen A.; Stehman, Charles F.

1999-01-01

Describes a laboratory exercise for undergraduate science students in which they evaluate soil samples for various parameters related to suitability for crop production and capability for retention of contaminants. (Contains 18 references.) (WRM)

Integrating bio-inorganic and analytical chemistry into an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory.

PubMed

Erasmus, Daniel J; Brewer, Sharon E; Cinel, Bruno

2015-01-01

Undergraduate laboratories expose students to a wide variety of topics and techniques in a limited amount of time. This can be a challenge and lead to less exposure to concepts and activities in bio-inorganic chemistry and analytical chemistry that are closely-related to biochemistry. To address this, we incorporated a new iron determination by atomic absorption spectroscopy exercise as part of a five-week long laboratory-based project on the purification of myoglobin from beef. Students were required to prepare samples for chemical analysis, operate an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, critically evaluate their iron data, and integrate these data into a study of myoglobin. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

The effect of parental education, prior achievement, self-efficacy, goal orientation, and effort on undergraduate science performance of Latinos and Caucasians

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stansbury, Sydney Lynn

Compared with majority students, underrepresented minorities have demonstrated weaker undergraduate science performance. Previous research has attributed the weaker performance to socioeconomic factors that influence poorer precollege preparation. Studies also have found that, compared with majority students, underrepresented minorities are less confident about their science skills and more interested in extrinsic rewards of science careers. Social Cognitive Theory posits that low self-efficacy coupled with high extrinsic goal orientation diminishes cognitive engagement, resulting in weak performance. Applying motivational characteristics of underrepresented minority students to a Social Cognitive Model may explain why their performance is weaker than that of Caucasians. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the degree to which motivation variables account for the difference between underrepresented minority and majority students' undergraduate science performance. The study was conducted at a large, predominantly Caucasian, private university located in an urban setting in the Southwest. Two hundred twenty-two students--154 Caucasians and 68 Latinos--enrolled in a general chemistry course participated. Students were administered the Motivation for Learning Questionnaire, designed specifically for this study, consisting of scales measuring the following variables: ethnicity, level of parental education, and effort exertion; self-efficacy, effort regulation, intrinsic goal orientation, and extrinsic goal orientation, measures from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich, Smith, Garcia, & McKeachie, 1991); and ability orientation, a measure from the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Survey (Midgley, Maehr, & Urdan, 1995). Financial aid information, chemistry and math placement test scores, and chemistry grades were obtained from other on-campus departments. Results demonstrated that the hypotheses were only partially confirmed by the model. Motivation variables did account for a portion of the variance in performance, but not in the ways predicted. Increasing the number of subjects in each group and adding the following variables to the model would clarify the role that motivation plays in performance: realistic self-appraisal; perceived competition; and elaboration, organization, and rehearsal strategies. Based on results, the following interventions were recommended to increase undergraduate science performance: assessment in realistic self-appraisal of science skills; instruction in elaboration and organization strategies; and encouragement of intrinsic interest in science.

Contextualising Nanotechnology in Chemistry Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Christine; Hayden, Hugh

2008-01-01

In recent years nanotechnology has become part of the content of many undergraduate chemistry and physics degree courses. This paper deals with the role of contextualisation of nanotechnology in the delivery of the content, as nanotechnology is only now being slowly integrated into many chemistry degree courses in Ireland and elsewhere. An…

Extraction and Antibacterial Properties of Thyme Leaf Extracts: Authentic Practice of Green Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purcell, Sean C.; Pande, Prithvi; Lin, Yingxin; Rivera, Ernesto J.; Paw U, Latisha; Smallwood, Luisa M.; Kerstiens, Geri A.; Armstrong, Laura B.; Robak, MaryAnn T.; Baranger, Anne M.; Douskey, Michelle C.

2016-01-01

In this undergraduate analytical chemistry experiment, students quantitatively assess the antibacterial activity of essential oils found in thyme leaves ("Thymus vulgaris") in an authentic, research-like environment. This multi-week experiment aims to instill green chemistry principles as intrinsic to chemical problem solving. Students…

Integration of a Communicating Science Module into an Advanced Chemistry Laboratory Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renaud, Jessica; Squier, Christopher; Larsen, Sarah C.

2006-01-01

A communicating science module was introduced into an advanced undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory course. The module was integrated into the course such that students received formal instruction in communicating science interwoven with the chemistry laboratory curriculum. The content of the communicating science module included three…

Integration of Open Educational Resources in Undergraduate Chemistry Teaching--A Mapping Tool and Lecturers' Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feldman-Maggor, Yael; Rom, Amira; Tuvi-Arad, Inbal

2016-01-01

This study examines chemistry lecturers' considerations for using open educational resources (OER) in their teaching. Recent technological developments provide innovative approaches for teaching chemistry and visualizing chemical phenomena. End users' improved ability to upload information online enables integration of various pedagogical models…

Green Chemistry Teaching in Higher Education: A Review of Effective Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andraos, John; Dicks, Andrew P.

2012-01-01

This account reviews published green chemistry teaching resources in print and online literature and our experiences in teaching the subject to undergraduate students. Effective practices in lecture and laboratory are highlighted and ongoing challenges are addressed, including areas in cutting edge green chemistry research that impact its teaching…

A Markov Model Analysis of Problem-Solving Progress.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vendlinski, Terry

This study used a computerized simulation and problem-solving tool along with artificial neural networks (ANN) as pattern recognizers to identify the common types of strategies high school and college undergraduate chemistry students would use to solve qualitative chemistry problems. Participants were 134 high school chemistry students who used…

Critical Thinking in the Chemistry Classroom and Beyond

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacob, Claus

2004-01-01

The feasibility and practical use of teaching philosophy-based critical thinking to undergraduate chemistry students are investigated. The successful outcome of teaching basic logical concepts in chemistry, as measured by students' ability to assess the validity of chemical reasoning on one hand and student satisfaction on the other, is reported.

Breaking down the Boundary between High School and University Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cunningham, Natashia; Knorr, Kris; Lock, Pippa E.; Vajoczki, Susan L.

2013-01-01

This study examined some of the factors that influence students' transition from Ontario high school chemistry to university introductory chemistry. The study was a mixed-methods, multi-phase research study carried out by an undergraduate honours thesis student who had experienced some of these transition issues. Students' transition into…

Nuclear Overhauser Effect Spectroscopy: An Advanced Undergraduate Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huggins, Michael T.; Billimoria, Freida

2007-01-01

The stereochemical features of molecules can have far reaching effects in many areas of science including medicinal chemistry, materials chemistry, and supramolecular chemistry. There have been many techniques developed over the years to determine the absolute configuration of alkenes: the R,S configuration of chiral centers and the most stable…

Investigating the Viability of a Competency-Based, Qualitative Laboratory Assessment Model in First-Year Undergraduate Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pullen, Reyne; Thickett, Stuart C.; Bissember, Alex C.

2018-01-01

In chemistry curricula, both the role of the laboratory program and the method of assessment used are subject to scrutiny and debate. The ability to identify clearly defined competencies for the chemistry laboratory program is crucial, given the numerous other disciplines that rely on foundation-level chemistry knowledge and practical skills. In…

What Makes Us Who We Are? Investigating the Chemistry behind Genetics in an Interdisciplinary Course for Undergraduate Students. Part I

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Amy Flanagan; Graves, Chiron W.

2017-01-01

This article details the aim, development, and implementation of the Chemistry-Genetics Course Collaborative (CGCC), a cotaught offering of a human genetics course with an honors introductory chemistry course. The CGCC was formed to fully integrate the two courses, along with the associated chemistry lab, to create an interdisciplinary scientific…

Benefits of Using a Problem-Solving Scaffold for Teaching and Learning Synthesis in Undergraduate Organic Chemistry I

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sloop, Joseph C.; Tsoi, Mai Yin; Coppock, Patrick

2016-01-01

A problem-solving scaffold approach to synthesis was developed and implemented in two intervention sections of Chemistry 2211K (Organic Chemistry I) at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC). A third section of Chemistry 2211K at GGC served as the control group for the experiment. Synthesis problems for chapter quizzes and the final examination were…

REACTS 1970, Proceedings of the Regional Educators Annual Chemistry Teaching Symposium (1st, College Park, Maryland, January 14, 1970).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heikkinen, Henry

These proceedings of a symposium organized by the chemistry department of the University of Maryland contain the texts of addresses given to approximately 200 chemistry teachers and educators from adjacent areas. An outline of the University of Maryland undergraduate chemistry curriculum is given and a summary of discussions between school and…

A Qualitative Investigation of Undergraduate Chemistry Students' Macroscopic Interpretations of the Submicroscopic Structure of Molecules.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicoll, Gayle

2003-01-01

Reports research that investigates the encoding that students use to develop molecular models at the undergraduate level. Focuses on the translation between symbolic and subatomic representations of molecules. (Contains 31 references.) (DDR)

An Analytical Tool to Determine Undergraduate Students' Use of Volume and Pressure when Describing Expansion Work and Technical Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nilsson, Tor; Niedderer, Hans

2012-01-01

In undergraduate chemical thermodynamics teachers often include equations and view manipulations of variables as understanding. Undergraduate students are often not able to describe the meaning of these equations. In chemistry, enthalpy and its change are introduced to describe some features of chemical reactions. In the process of measuring heat…

Biomedical engineering education at Politecnico di Milano: development and recent changes.

PubMed

Baselli, G

2009-05-01

The biomedical engineering (BME) programme at the Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) is characterized by a strong interdisciplinary background in a broad range of engineering subjects applied to biology and medicine. Accordingly, the undergraduate level (3 years) provides a general education, which includes mechanics, chemistry and materials, electronics, and information technology both in the context of general engineering and within BME foundations. In contrast, the postgraduate programme (2 years) offers a broad choice of specializations in BME fields in close connection with the BME research activities and laboratories of the campus and with active interchange with the other engineering disciplines. The history of BME development at POLIMI is briefly recalled, together with the characteristics of educational and research work, which is strongly biased by a large polytechnic university with no medical school within the same campus; points of strength and weakness due to this background are discussed. The introduction of a double cycle (undergraduate and postgraduate) according to the Bologna process (2000) and the effects on the programme structure is considered. An early phase in which professional education was emphasized at undergraduate level is recalled, which was followed by the actual revision fostering basic engineering and BME education at the first level while leaving in-depth specialization to postgraduate studies or to on-the-job training.

Including Non-Traditional Instrumentation in Undergraduate Environmental Chemistry Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, J. David; Orvis, Jessica N.; Smith, C. Jimmy; Manley, Citabria; Rice, Jeanette K. 2

2004-01-01

Non-traditional instrumentation was obtained for Georgia Southern undergraduates to attain fundamental environmental education through unique laboratory experiences. In this context, the method for including a direct mercury analyzer into both major and non-major environmental laboratories is reported.

A Report of Undergraduates' Bonding Misconceptions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicoll, Gayle

2001-01-01

Describes misconceptions related to electronegativity, bonding, geometry, and microscopic representations that undergraduate students hold. Investigates the stability of misconceptions as a function of educational level, indicating that some students' misconceptions relating to bonding are resistant to change despite increased chemistry education.…

Screening for Saponins Using the Blood Hemolysis Test. An Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sotheeswaran, Subramaniam

1988-01-01

Describes an experiment for undergraduate chemistry laboratories involving a chemical found in plants and some sea animals. Discusses collection and identification of material, a hemolysis test, preparation of blood-coated agar plates, and application of samples. (CW)

The quadruple bottom line: the advantages of incorporating Green Chemistry into the undergraduate chemistry major

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodner, George M.

2017-08-01

When the author first became involved with the Green Chemistry movement, he noted that his colleagues in industry who were involved in one of the ACS Green Chemistry Institute® industrial roundtables emphasized the take-home message they described as the "triple bottom line." They noted that introducing Green Chemistry in industrial settings had economic, social, and environmental benefits. As someone who first went to school at age 5, and has been "going to school" most days for 65 years, it was easy for the author to see why introducing Green Chemistry into academics had similar beneficial effects within the context of economic, social and environmental domains at the college/university level. He was prepared to understand why faculty who had taught traditional courses often saw the advantage of incorporating Green Chemistry into the courses they teach. What was not as obvious is why students who were encountering chemistry for the first time were often equally passionate about the Green Chemistry movement. Recent attention has been paid, however, to a model that brings clarity to the hitherto vague term of "relevance" that might explain why integrating Green Chemistry into the undergraduate chemistry classroom can achieve a "quadruple bottom-line" for students because of potentially positive effects of adding a domain of "relevance" to the existing economic, social, and environmental domains.

Enhancing interdisciplinary, mathematics, and physical science in an undergraduate life science program through physical chemistry.

PubMed

Pursell, David P

2009-01-01

BIO2010 advocates enhancing the interdisciplinary, mathematics, and physical science components of the undergraduate biology curriculum. The Department of Chemistry and Life Science at West Point responded by developing a required physical chemistry course tailored to the interests of life science majors. To overcome student resistance to physical chemistry, students were enabled as long-term stakeholders who would shape the syllabus by selecting life science topics of interest to them. The initial 2 yr of assessment indicates that students have a positive view of the course, feel they have succeeded in achieving course outcome goals, and that the course is relevant to their professional future. Instructor assessment of student outcome goal achievement via performance on exams and labs is comparable to that of students in traditional physical chemistry courses. Perhaps more noteworthy, both student and instructor assessment indicate positive trends from year 1 to year 2, presumably due to the student stakeholder effect.

Enhancing Interdisciplinary, Mathematics, and Physical Science in an Undergraduate Life Science Program through Physical Chemistry

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

BIO2010 advocates enhancing the interdisciplinary, mathematics, and physical science components of the undergraduate biology curriculum. The Department of Chemistry and Life Science at West Point responded by developing a required physical chemistry course tailored to the interests of life science majors. To overcome student resistance to physical chemistry, students were enabled as long-term stakeholders who would shape the syllabus by selecting life science topics of interest to them. The initial 2 yr of assessment indicates that students have a positive view of the course, feel they have succeeded in achieving course outcome goals, and that the course is relevant to their professional future. Instructor assessment of student outcome goal achievement via performance on exams and labs is comparable to that of students in traditional physical chemistry courses. Perhaps more noteworthy, both student and instructor assessment indicate positive trends from year 1 to year 2, presumably due to the student stakeholder effect. PMID:19255133

Exploring Undergraduates' Understanding of Transition Metals Chemistry with the Use of Cognitive and Confidence Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sreenivasulu, Bellam; Subramaniam, R.

2014-01-01

Compared to studies on school students' understanding of various topics in the sciences, studies involving university students have received relatively less attention in the science education literature. In this study, we investigated university students' understanding of transition metals chemistry, a topic in inorganic chemistry, which…

Integrative Biological Chemistry Program Includes the Use of Informatics Tools, GIS and SAS Software Applications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Souza, Malcolm J.; Kashmar, Richard J.; Hurst, Kent; Fiedler, Frank; Gross, Catherine E.; Deol, Jasbir K.; Wilson, Alora

2015-01-01

Wesley College is a private, primarily undergraduate minority-serving institution located in the historic district of Dover, Delaware (DE). The College recently revised its baccalaureate biological chemistry program requirements to include a one-semester Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences course and project-based experiential learning…

An Integrated Professional and Transferable Skills Course for Undergraduate Chemistry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashraf, S. Salman; Marzouk, Sayed A. M.; Shehadi, Ihsan A.; Murphy, Brian M.

2011-01-01

Upon graduation, chemistry majors often find themselves inadequately prepared for the "real world" that awaits them when they join the workplace. Some employers find chemistry graduates lacking written- and oral-communication skills, critical-thinking skills, group-work skills, as well as the ability to efficiently analyze data and retrieve…

Intuitive Judgments Govern Students' Answering Patterns in Multiple-Choice Exercises in Organic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graulich, Nicole

2015-01-01

Research in chemistry education has revealed that students going through their undergraduate and graduate studies in organic chemistry have a fragmented conceptual knowledge of the subject. Rote memorization, rule-based reasoning, and heuristic strategies seem to strongly influence students' performances. There appears to be a gap between what we…

Introducing Undergraduates to Research Using a Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling Organic Chemistry Miniproject

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliveira, Deyvid G. M.; Rosa, Clarissa H.; Vargas, Bruna P.; Rosa, Diego S.; Silveira, Ma´rcia V.; de Moura, Neusa F.; Rosa, Gilber R.

2015-01-01

A five-week miniproject is described for an upper-division experimental organic chemistry course. The activities include synthesis of a phenylboronic acid via a Grignard reaction and its use in a Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction. Technical skills and concepts normally presented in practical organic chemistry courses are covered, including…

How Do Students Work through Organic Synthesis Learning Activities?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flynn, Alison B.

2014-01-01

Organic chemistry has the long-standing reputation as a challenging course, and organic synthesis is an aspect of organic chemistry that requires students to make the most links between concepts and requires the highest order of thinking. One-on-one interviews were conducted with students from a second undergraduate organic chemistry course in…

The Influence of PBL on Students' Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mataka, Lloyd M.; Grunert Kowalske, Megan

2015-01-01

A convergent mixed methods research study was used to investigate whether or not undergraduate students who participated in a problem-based learning (PBL) laboratory environment improved their self-efficacy beliefs in chemistry. The Chemistry Attitude and Experience Questionnaire (CAEQ) was used as a pre- and post-test to determine changes in…

Ethnically Diverse Students' Knowledge Structures in First-Semester Organic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopez, Enrique J.; Shavelson, Richard J.; Nandagopal, Kiruthiga; Szu, Evan; Penn, John

2014-01-01

Chemistry courses remain a challenge for many undergraduate students. In particular, first-semester organic chemistry has been labeled as a gatekeeper with high attrition rates, especially among students of color. Our study examines a key factor related to conceptual understanding in science and predictive of course outcomes-knowledge structures.…

Synthesis and Small Molecule Exchange Studies of a Magnesium Bisformate Metal-Organic Framework: An Experiment in Host-Guest Chemistry for the Undergraduate Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rood, Jeffrey A.; Henderson, Kenneth W.

2013-01-01

concepts of host-guest chemistry and size exclusion in porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The experiment has been successfully carried out in both introductory and advanced-level inorganic chemistry laboratories. Students synthesized the porous MOF, alpha-Mg[subscript…

Embedding Environmental Sustainability in the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schultz, Madeleine

2013-01-01

In spite of increasing attention devoted to the importance of embedding sustainability in university curricula, few Australian universities include specific green chemistry units, and there is no mention of green or sustainable chemistry concepts in the majority of units. In this paper, an argument is posited that all universities should embed…

College Students Solving Chemistry Problems: A Theoretical Model of Expertise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taasoobshirazi, Gita; Glynn, Shawn M.

2009-01-01

A model of expertise in chemistry problem solving was tested on undergraduate science majors enrolled in a chemistry course. The model was based on Anderson's "Adaptive Control of Thought-Rational" (ACT-R) theory. The model shows how conceptualization, self-efficacy, and strategy interact and contribute to the successful solution of quantitative,…

Synthesis and Self-Assembly of the "Tennis Ball" Dimer and Subsequent Encapsulation of Methane. An Advanced Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hof, Fraser; Palmer, Liam C.; Rebek, Julius, Jr.

2001-11-01

While important to the biological and materials sciences, noncovalent interactions, self-folding, and self-assembly often receive little discussion in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. The synthesis and NMR characterization of a molecular "tennis ball" in an advanced undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory is a simple and effective way to introduce the relevance of these concepts. In appropriate solvents, the monomer dimerizes through a seam of eight hydrogen bonds with encapsulation of a guest molecule and symmetry reminiscent of a tennis ball. The entire experiment can be completed in three lab periods, however large-scale synthetic preparation of the starting monomer by a teaching assistant would reduce the laboratory to a single lab period for NMR studies.

American Chemical Society Student Affiliates Chapters: More Than Just Chemistry Clubs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montes, Ingrid; Collazo, Carmen

2003-10-01

Chemistry educators often examine and implement various instructional techniques, such as mentoring programs, to advance learning objectives and to equip students with analytical and technical skills, as well as the skills required of chemical science professionals. Student organizations, such as an American Chemical Society Student Affiliates (SA) chapter, can create a learning environment for undergraduates by engaging them in activities that develop communication, teamwork and inquiry, analysis, and problem-solving skills within a real-world setting. The environment is student-based, has personal meaning for the learner, emphasizes a process-and-product orientation, and emphasizes evaluation. Participation in SAs enhance the traditional chemistry curriculum, complementing the learning goals and meeting learning objectives that might not otherwise be addressed in the curriculum. In this article we discuss how SA chapters enhance the educational experience of undergraduate chemical science students, help develop new chemistry professionals, and shape enthusiastic and committed future chemical science leaders.

Investigating macroscopic, submicroscopic, and symbolic connections in a college-level general chemistry laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thadison, Felicia Culver

Explanations of chemical phenomena rely on understanding the behavior of submicroscopic particles. Because this level is "invisible," it is described using symbols such as models, diagrams and equations. For this reason, students often view chemistry as a "difficult" subject. The laboratory offers a unique opportunity for the students to experience chemistry macroscopically as well as symbolically. The purpose of this investigation was to determine how chemistry lab students explained chemical phenomenon on the macroscopic, submicroscopic, and representational/symbolic level. The participants were undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory level general chemistry lab course. Students' background information (gender, the number of previous chemistry courses), scores on final exams, and final average for the course were collected. Johnstone's triangle of representation guided the design and implementation of this study. A semi-structured interview was also conducted to bring out student explanations. The questionnaires required students to draw a molecule of water, complete acid base reaction equations, represent, submicroscopically, the four stages of an acid-base titration, and provide definitions of various terms. Students were able represent the submicroscopic level of water. Students were not able to represent the submicroscopic level of the reaction between an acid and a base. Students were able to represent the macroscopic level of an acid base reaction. Students were able to symbolically represent the reaction of an acid and a base. These findings indicate that students can use all three levels of chemical representation. However, students showed an inability to connect the levels in relation to acid-base chemistry. There was no relationship between a student's ability to use the levels and his or her final score in the course.

The Discovery-Oriented Approach to Organic Chemistry. 7. Rearrangement of "trans"-Stilbene Oxide with Bismuth Trifluoromethanesulfonate and Other Metal Triflates: A Microscale Green Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christensen, James E.; Huddle, Matthew G.; Rogers, Jamie L.; Yung, Herbie; Mohan, Ram S.

2008-01-01

Although green chemistry principles are increasingly stressed in the undergraduate curriculum, there are only a few lab experiments wherein the toxicity of reagents is taken into consideration in the design of the experiment. We report a microscale green organic chemistry laboratory experiment that illustrates the utility of metal triflates,…

Measurement of Solution Viscosity via Diffusion-Ordered NMR Spectroscopy (DOSY)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Weibin; Kagan, Gerald; Hopson, Russell; Williard, Paul G.

2011-01-01

Increasingly, the undergraduate chemistry curriculum includes nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Advanced NMR techniques are often taught including two-dimensional gradient-based experiments. An investigation of intermolecular forces including viscosity, by a variety of methods, is often integrated in the undergraduate physical and…

Investigating Art Objects through Collaborative Student Research Projects in an Undergraduate Chemistry and Art Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells, Gary; Haaf, Michael

2013-01-01

Inspired in part by Chemistry Collaborations, Workshops, and Community of Scholars workshops, the Chemistry and Art course offered at Ithaca College is team-taught by a chemist and an art historian, underscoring the complementary nature of the two disciplines. The course, populated primarily by nonscience majors, highlights the importance of using…

Using a Multicultural Approach to Teach Chemistry and the Nature of Science to Undergraduate Non-Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goff, Peter; Boesdorfer, Sarah B.; Hunter, William

2012-01-01

This research documents the creation, implementation, and evaluation of a novel chemistry curriculum. The curriculum allowed students to create theories situated in a variety of cultures while they investigated chemical phenomena central to all civilizations; it was a way of synthesizing chemistry, the history and nature of science, inquiry, and…

Improving Students' Understanding of Molecular Structure through Broad-Based Use of Computer Models in the Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Lecture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Springer, Michael T.

2014-01-01

Several articles suggest how to incorporate computer models into the organic chemistry laboratory, but relatively few papers discuss how to incorporate these models broadly into the organic chemistry lecture. Previous research has suggested that "manipulating" physical or computer models enhances student understanding; this study…

The Iron-Iron Carbide Phase Diagram: A Practical Guide to Some Descriptive Solid State Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Gary J.; Leighly, H. P., Jr.

1982-01-01

Discusses the solid state chemistry of iron and steel in terms of the iron-iron carbide phase diagram. Suggests that this is an excellent way of introducing the phase diagram (equilibrium diagram) to undergraduate students while at the same time introducing the descriptive solid state chemistry of iron and steel. (Author/JN)

Students' Understandings of Acid Strength: How Meaningful Is Reliability When Measuring Alternative Conceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bretz, Stacey Lowery; McClary, LaKeisha

2015-01-01

Most organic chemistry reactions occur by a mechanism that includes acid-base chemistry, so it is important that students develop and learn to use correct conceptions of acids and acid strength. Recent studies have described undergraduate organic chemistry students' cognitive resources related to the Brønsted-Lowry acid model and the Lewis acid…

An Investigation into the Relationship between Academic Risk Taking and Chemistry Laboratory Anxiety in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Öner Sünkür, Meral

2015-01-01

This study evaluates the relationship between academic risk taking and chemistry laboratory anxiety using a relational scanning model. The research sample consisted of 127 undergraduate students (sophomores, juniors and seniors) in the Chemistry Teaching Department at Dicle University. This research was done in the spring semester of the 2012 to…

Foundation Coursework in Undergraduate Inorganic Chemistry: Results from a National Survey of Inorganic Chemistry Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raker, Jeffrey R.; Reisner, Barbara A.; Smith, Sheila R.; Stewart, Joanne L.; Crane, Johanna L.; Pesterfield, Les; Sobel, Sabrina G.

2015-01-01

A national survey of inorganic chemists explored the self-reported topics covered in foundation-level courses in inorganic chemistry at the postsecondary level; the American Chemical Society's Committee on Professional Training defines a foundation course as one at the conclusion of which, "a student should have mastered the vocabulary,…

The Effect of Guided-Inquiry Laboratory Experiments on Science Education Students' Chemistry Laboratory Attitudes, Anxiety and Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ural, Evrim

2016-01-01

The study aims to search the effect of guided inquiry laboratory experiments on students' attitudes towards chemistry laboratory, chemistry laboratory anxiety and their academic achievement in the laboratory. The study has been carried out with 37 third-year, undergraduate science education students, as a part of their Science Education Laboratory…

A Tiny Adventure: The Introduction of Problem Based Learning in an Undergraduate Chemistry Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Dylan P.; Woodward, Jonathan R.; Symons, Sarah L.; Davies, David L.

2010-01-01

Year 1 of the chemistry degree at the University of Leicester has been significantly changed by the integration of a problem based learning (PBL) component into the introductory inorganic/physical chemistry module, "Chemical Principles". Small groups of 5-6 students were given a series of problems with real world scenarios and were then…

Computational Chemistry in the Undergraduate Laboratory: A Mechanistic Study of the Wittig Reaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albrecht, Birgit

2014-01-01

The Wittig reaction is one of the most useful reactions in organic chemistry. Despite its prominence early in the organic chemistry curriculum, the exact mechanism of this reaction is still under debate, and this controversy is often neglected in the classroom. Introducing a simple computational study of the Wittig reaction illustrates the…

Synthesis and Decomposition Kinetic Studies of Bis(lutidine)silver(I) Nitrate Complexes as an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Chemistry Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monga, Vishakha; Bussie`re, Guillaume; Crichton, Paul; Daswani, Sailesh

2016-01-01

Interdisciplinary experiments are being offered in upper-division chemistry laboratory courses in an attempt to encourage students to make a connection between techniques learned in one discipline to affirm chemical principles that form the basis of chemical reactions in another chemistry discipline. A new interdisciplinary experiment is described…

Incorporating Sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment into First-Year Inorganic Chemistry Major Laboratories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guron, Marta; Paul, Jared J.; Roeder, Margaret H.

2016-01-01

Although much of the scientific community concerns itself with ideas of a sustainable future, very little of this interest and motivation has reached the classroom experience of the average chemistry major, and therefore, it is imperative to expose students to these ideas early in their careers. The focus of most undergraduate chemistry curricula…

Project-Based Learning in Undergraduate Environmental Chemistry Laboratory: Using EPA Methods to Guide Student Method Development for Pesticide Quantitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Eric J.; Pauls, Steve; Dick, Jonathan

2017-01-01

Presented is a project-based learning (PBL) laboratory approach for an upper-division environmental chemistry or quantitative analysis course. In this work, a combined laboratory class of 11 environmental chemistry students developed a method based on published EPA methods for the extraction of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its…

Perceived Autonomy-Support, Expectancy, Value, Metacognitive Strategies and Performance in Chemistry: A Structural Equation Model in Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

González, Antonio; Paoloni, Paola-Verónica

2015-01-01

Research in chemistry education has highlighted a number of variables that predict learning and performance, such as teacher-student interactions, academic motivation and metacognition. Most of this chemistry research has examined these variables by identifying dyadic relationships through bivariate correlations. The main purpose of this study was…

Evaluating the Development of Chemistry Undergraduate Researchers' Scientific Thinking Skills Using Performance-Data: First Findings from the Performance Assessment of Undergraduate Research (PURE) Instrument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harsh, Joseph; Esteb, John J.; Maltese, Adam V.

2017-01-01

National calls in science, technology, engineering, and technology education reform efforts have advanced the wide-scale engagement of students in undergraduate research for the preparation of a workforce and citizenry able to attend to the challenges of the 21st century. Awareness of the potential benefits and costs of these experiences has led…

Connecting Undergraduate Plant Cell Biology Students with the Scientists about Whom They Learn: A Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wayne, Randy; Staves, Mark P.

1998-01-01

Details the teaching of an undergraduate plant-cell biology class in the manner proposed by Jean Baptiste Carnoy when he established the first institute of cellular biology. Integrates mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, and ecology. Contains 226 references. (DDR)

Long-term effects of course-embedded undergraduate research: The CASPiE longitudinal study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szteinberg, Gabriela A.

The Center for Authentic Science Practice in Education (CASPiE) is a National Science Foundation funded initiative that seeks to introduce first- and second-year undergraduate students to research in their mainstream laboratory courses. To investigate the effects of this research-based curriculum, a longitudinal study was initiated at Purdue University (PU) and University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC), where CASPiE was implemented in a portion of laboratory sections of a general chemistry course (CHEM 116 at PU/CHEM 114 at UIC). The study examined the long-term effects of the CASPiE program on students' chemistry course performance, research involvement, and retention in STEM majors and future careers. The results of the academic records analyses showed that PU CASPiE students from the opt-in semesters, i.e. those when students chose to enroll in the CASPiE sections, were higher-achieving students from the beginning of their college years and performed significantly higher than the students in the traditional sections. There were no significant differences in chemistry course performance among PU students from the randomly assigned semester. However, looking from the first semester chemistry course to the upper 300 level chemistry courses, randomly assigned PU students from the traditional sections had a significant performance decrease. The CASPiE students had a performance decrease that was not significant. At UIC, there were no significant differences between CASPiE and traditional students' chemistry performance. Analyses of the academic records also revealed that there were no differences in STEM major retention between CASPiE and traditional students, from both PU and UIC. However, CASPiE students from UIC and the ones from the opt-in sections at PU graduated faster in average than traditional students. Students' responses to an online survey showed that there were no differences in students' choice of future plans in STEM or non-STEM fields (such as graduate or professional school, or type of job). Interviews with PU's CASPiE and traditional students revealed that CASPiE students thought their laboratory work was applicable and relevant to other research and their lives and they tended to remember their lab activities more than the traditional students. CASPiE students thought the lab work they did was rewarding and they felt a sense of accomplishment. CASPiE students from the randomly assigned semester thought the experience was rewarding in retrospect, which is an important finding because during that semester students were frustrated that they were not able to choose their participation in CASPiE. Traditional students thought their lab experience helped prepare them for future courses at PU, whereas CASPiE students thought they were better prepared for class and lab in general, they learned how to keep a research notebook and write scientific papers, and that overall they learned how to conduct research. Specifically, CASPiE students thought they were able to use creativity in their lab. Both students from CASPiE and traditional sections thought they learned how to work well in groups through their lab experiences. Based on the results, we can conclude that CASPiE was successful at providing first- and second-year students with research experiences in their second-semester general chemistry class, without negatively affecting their chemistry course performance, retention in STEM majors or future plans. PU CASPiE students from the opt-in years were higher-achieving students than the traditional counterparts therefore the significant differences in chemistry performance between these students are not surprising. The CASPiE curriculum did seem to have had an enhancing effect on the randomly assigned PU CASPiE students' chemistry performance over the years. Furthermore, CASPiE students from PU reported gains from doing research experiences that have previously been reported in the literature on undergraduate research experiences. The results from this study show that CASPiE could be a beneficial curriculum for STEM college educators who wish to have more students practice research during their college courses. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Teaching social responsibility in analytical chemistry.

PubMed

Valcárcel, M; Christian, G D; Lucena, R

2013-07-02

Analytical chemistry is key to the functioning of a modern society. From early days, ethics in measurements have been a concern and that remains today, especially as we have come to rely more on the application of analytical science in many aspects of our lives. The main aim of this Feature is to suggest ways of introducing the topic of social responsibility and its relation to analytical chemistry in undergraduate or graduate chemistry courses.

Positioning Genomics in Biology Education: Content Mapping of Undergraduate Biology Textbooks†

PubMed Central

Wernick, Naomi L. B.; Ndung’u, Eric; Haughton, Dominique; Ledley, Fred D.

2014-01-01

Biological thought increasingly recognizes the centrality of the genome in constituting and regulating processes ranging from cellular systems to ecology and evolution. In this paper, we ask whether genomics is similarly positioned as a core concept in the instructional sequence for undergraduate biology. Using quantitative methods, we analyzed the order in which core biological concepts were introduced in textbooks for first-year general and human biology. Statistical analysis was performed using self-organizing map algorithms and conventional methods to identify clusters of terms and their relative position in the books. General biology textbooks for both majors and nonmajors introduced genome-related content after text related to cell biology and biological chemistry, but before content describing higher-order biological processes. However, human biology textbooks most often introduced genomic content near the end of the books. These results suggest that genomics is not yet positioned as a core concept in commonly used textbooks for first-year biology and raises questions about whether such textbooks, or courses based on the outline of these textbooks, provide an appropriate foundation for understanding contemporary biological science. PMID:25574293

Positioning genomics in biology education: content mapping of undergraduate biology textbooks.

PubMed

Wernick, Naomi L B; Ndung'u, Eric; Haughton, Dominique; Ledley, Fred D

2014-12-01

Biological thought increasingly recognizes the centrality of the genome in constituting and regulating processes ranging from cellular systems to ecology and evolution. In this paper, we ask whether genomics is similarly positioned as a core concept in the instructional sequence for undergraduate biology. Using quantitative methods, we analyzed the order in which core biological concepts were introduced in textbooks for first-year general and human biology. Statistical analysis was performed using self-organizing map algorithms and conventional methods to identify clusters of terms and their relative position in the books. General biology textbooks for both majors and nonmajors introduced genome-related content after text related to cell biology and biological chemistry, but before content describing higher-order biological processes. However, human biology textbooks most often introduced genomic content near the end of the books. These results suggest that genomics is not yet positioned as a core concept in commonly used textbooks for first-year biology and raises questions about whether such textbooks, or courses based on the outline of these textbooks, provide an appropriate foundation for understanding contemporary biological science.

In-Depth Coursework in Undergraduate Inorganic Chemistry: Results from a National Survey of Inorganic Chemistry Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raker, Jeffrey R.; Reisner, Barbara A.; Smith, Sheila R.; Stewart, Joanne L.; Crane, Johanna L.; Pesterfield, Les; Sobel, Sabrina G.

2015-01-01

A national survey of inorganic chemists explored the self-reported topics covered in in-depth inorganic chemistry courses at the postsecondary level; an in-depth course is defined by the American Chemical Society's Committee on Professional Training as a course that integrates and covers topics that were introduced in introductory and foundation…

Data Pooling in a Chemical Kinetics Experiment: The Aquation of a Series of Cobalt(III) Complexes--A Discovery Chemistry Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herrick, Richard S.; Mills, Kenneth V.; Nestor, Lisa P.

2008-01-01

An experiment in chemical kinetics as part of our Discovery Chemistry curriculum is described. Discovery Chemistry is a pedagogical philosophy that makes the laboratory the key center of learning for students in their first two years of undergraduate instruction. Questions are posed in the pre-laboratory discussion and assessed using pooled…

Comprehensive Approach to the Development of Communication and Critical Thinking: Bookend Courses for Third- and Fourth-Year Chemistry Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Geoffrey C.; Carney, Jeffrey M.

2014-01-01

Communication and critical thinking skills are integral to the undergraduate chemistry major. A bookend, two-course model has been implemented to supplement chemistry subfield knowledge with the development of these skills. The third-year course introduces the chemical literature and addresses these skills through the synthesis of a literature…

Lessons in Effective Practical Chemistry at Tertiary Level: Case Studies from a Chemistry Outreach Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shallcross, D. E.; Harrison, T. G.; Shaw, A. J.; Shallcross, K. L.; Croker, S. J.; Norman, N. C.

2013-01-01

Two summer schools focused on practical chemistry, one involving secondary school students and one involving visually impaired adults (i.e., not involving undergraduates) have produced students that appeared to be on the way to achieving the basic criteria set out by Buckley and Kempa (1971) in terms of practical skills. These criteria being that…

Implementation of picoSpin Benchtop NMR Instruments into Organic Chemistry Teaching Laboratories through Spectral Analysis of Fischer Esterification Products

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yearty, Kasey L.; Sharp, Joseph T.; Meehan, Emma K.; Wallace, Doyle R.; Jackson, Douglas M.; Morrison, Richard W.

2017-01-01

[Superscript 1]H NMR analysis is an important analytical technique presented in introductory organic chemistry courses. NMR instrument access is limited for undergraduate organic chemistry students due to the size of the instrument, price of NMR solvents, and the maintenance level required for instrument upkeep. The University of Georgia Chemistry…

Structure and Evaluation of Flipped Chemistry Courses: Organic & Spectroscopy, Large and Small, First to Third Year, English and French

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flynn, Alison B.

2015-01-01

Organic chemistry is a traditionally difficult subject with high failure & withdrawal rates and many areas of conceptual difficulty for students. To promote student learning and success, four undergraduate organic chemistry and spectroscopy courses at the first to third year level (17-420 students) were "flipped" in 2013-2014. In the…

Improving Chemistry Education by Offering Salient Technology Training to Preservice Teachers: A Graduate-Level Course on Using Software to Teach Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tofan, Daniel C.

2009-01-01

This paper describes an upper-level undergraduate and graduate-level course on computers in chemical education that was developed and offered for the first time in Fall 2007. The course provides future chemistry teachers with exposure to current software tools that can improve productivity in teaching, curriculum development, and education…

Introduction to Homogenous Catalysis with Ruthenium-Catalyzed Oxidation of Alcohols: An Experiment for Undergraduate Advanced Inorganic Chemistry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miecznikowski, John R.; Caradonna, John P.; Foley, Kathleen M.; Kwiecien, Daniel J.; Lisi, George P.; Martinez, Anthony M.

2011-01-01

A three-week laboratory experiment, which introduces students in an advanced inorganic chemistry course to air-sensitive chemistry and catalysis, is described. During the first week, the students synthesize RuCl[subscript 2](PPh[subscript 3])[subscript 3]. During the second and third weeks, the students characterize the formed coordination…

Methods for Introducing Inorganic Polymer Concepts throughout the Undergraduate Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Lill, Daniel T.; Carraher, Charles E., Jr.

2017-01-01

Inorganic polymers can be introduced in a variety of undergraduate courses to discuss concepts related to polymer chemistry. Inorganic polymers such as silicates and polysiloxanes are simple materials that can be incorporated into an introductory or descriptive inorganic course. Polymers based on inorganic carbon, including diamond and graphite,…

Nuclear Science in the Undergraduate Curriculum: The New Nuclear Science Facility at San Jose State University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ling, A. Campbell

1979-01-01

The following aspects of the radiochemistry program at San Jose State University in California are described: the undergraduate program in radiation chemistry, the new nuclear science facility, and academic programs in nuclear science for students not attending San Jose State University. (BT)

Incorporation of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry into the Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giarikos, Dimitrios G.; Patel, Sagir; Lister, Andrew; Razeghifard, Reza

2013-01-01

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is a powerful analytical tool for detection, identification, and quantification of many volatile organic compounds. However, many colleges and universities have not fully incorporated this technique into undergraduate teaching laboratories despite its wide application and ease of use in organic…

A Portable Bioinformatics Course for Upper-Division Undergraduate Curriculum in Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Floraino, Wely B.

2008-01-01

This article discusses the challenges that bioinformatics education is facing and describes a bioinformatics course that is successfully taught at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, to the fourth year undergraduate students in biological sciences, chemistry, and computer science. Information on lecture and computer practice…

Wiki Laboratory Notebooks: Supporting Student Learning in Collaborative Inquiry-Based Laboratory Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrie, Gwendolyn Angela; Grøndahl, Lisbeth; Boman, Simon; Andrews, Trish

2016-01-01

Recent examples of high-impact teaching practices in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory that include course-based undergraduate research experiences and inquiry-based experiments require new approaches to assessing individual student learning outcomes. Instructors require tools and strategies that can provide them with insight into individual…

The Determination of the Stereochemistry of Erythro-1,2-Diphenyl-1,2-Ethanediol: An Undergraduate Organic Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowland, Alex T.

1983-01-01

Describes an undergraduate organic chemistry experiment designed to illustrate the power of nuclear magnetic reasonance spectroscopy in a determination of the configurations at centers of chirality of various isomers of acyclic systems. Provides a background discussion and experimental procedure. (JM)

Cyclic Voltammetry Simulations with DigiSim Software: An Upper-Level Undergraduate Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Messersmith, Stephania J.

2014-01-01

An upper-division undergraduate chemistry experiment is described which utilizes DigiSim software to simulate cyclic voltammetry (CV). Four mechanisms were studied: a reversible electron transfer with no subsequent or proceeding chemical reactions, a reversible electron transfer followed by a reversible chemical reaction, a reversible chemical…

A Microcomputer-Based Data Acquisition System for Use in Undergraduate Laboratories.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Ray L.

1982-01-01

A laboratory computer system based on the Commodore PET 2001 is described including three applications for the undergraduate analytical chemistry laboratory: (1) recording a UV-visible absorption spectrum; (2) recording and use of calibration curves; and (3) recording potentiometric data. Lists of data acquisition programs described are available…

Integrated Laboratories: Laying the Foundation for Undergraduate Research Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dillner, Debra K.; Ferrante, Robert F.; Fitzgerald, Jeffrey P.; Schroeder, Maria J.

2011-01-01

Interest in undergraduate student research has grown in response to initiatives from various professional societies and educational organizations. Participation in research changes student attitudes towards courses as they realize the utility and relevance of what they are learning. At the U.S. Naval Academy, the chemistry majors' curriculum was…

Coulometric Analysis Experiment for the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dabke, Rajeev B.; Gebeyehu, Zewdu; Thor, Ryan

2011-01-01

An undergraduate experiment on coulometric analysis of four commercial household products is presented. A special type of coulometry cell made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer is utilized. The PDMS cell consists of multiple analyte compartments and an internal network of salt bridges. Experimental procedure for the analysis of the acid in a…

Continuous Flow Science in an Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory: Bleach-Mediated Oxidation in a Biphasic System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kairouz, Vanessa; Collins, Shawn K.

2018-01-01

An undergraduate teaching laboratory experiment involving a continuous flow, bleach-mediated oxidation of aldehydes under biphasic conditions was developed that allowed students to explore concepts of mixing or mass transport, solvent sustainability, biphasic reactions, phase transfer catalysis, and continuous flow chemistry.

A Solid State Chemistry Experiment: Dislocations in Etched Calcite by Polaroid Photomicrography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agnew, N. H.

1972-01-01

Suggests that adequate attention should be given to lattice imperfections in teaching solid state chemistry. Some concepts to be included in such a program are explained. An experiment to be performed by undergraduates on photomicrography is described in detail. (PS)

A Simple Adsorption Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guirado, Gonzalo; Ayllon, Jose A.

2011-01-01

The study of adsorption phenomenon is one of the most relevant and traditional physical chemistry experiments performed by chemistry undergraduate students in laboratory courses. In this article, we describe an easy, inexpensive, and straightforward way to experimentally determine adsorption isotherms using pieces of filter paper as the adsorbent…

Sudoku Puzzles for First-Year Organic Chemistry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perez, Alice L.; Lamoureux, G.

2007-01-01

Sudoku puzzle was designed to teach about amino acids and functional groups to the students of undergraduate organic chemistry students. The puzzles focus on helping the student learn the name, 3-letter code and 1-letter code of common amino acids and functional groups.

Microscale Experiments in the Organic Chemistry Laboratory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamson, Kenneth L.

1991-01-01

Discusses the advent of microscale experiments within undergraduate organic chemistry laboratories mainly resulting from environmental safety concerns involving waste disposal. Considers the cost savings in purchasing less reagents and chemicals, the typical glassware and apparatus, the reduced hazards from elimination of open flames, and other…

An Experimental Introduction to Interlaboratory Exercises in Analytical Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Puignou, L.; Llaurado, M.

2005-01-01

An experimental exercise on analytical proficiency studies in collaborative trials is proposed. This practical provides students in advanced undergraduate courses in chemistry, pharmacy, and biochemistry, with the opportunity to improve their quality assurance skills. It involves an environmental analysis, determining the concentration of a…

Polymer Principles in the Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Course. Part 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Chemical Education, 1985

1985-01-01

Part l (SE 538 305) covered application of classical thermodynamics, polymer crystallinity, and phase diagrams to teaching physical chemistry. This part covers statistical thermodynamics, conformation, molecular weights, rubber elasticity and viscoelasticity, and kinetics of polymerization. Eight polymer-oriented, multiple-choice test questions…

K-12 Neuroscience Education Outreach Program: Interactive Activities for Educating Students about Neuroscience.

PubMed

Deal, Alex L; Erickson, Kristen J; Bilsky, Edward J; Hillman, Susan J; Burman, Michael A

2014-01-01

The University of New England's Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences has developed a successful and growing K-12 outreach program that incorporates undergraduate and graduate/professional students. The program has several goals, including raising awareness about fundamental issues in neuroscience, supplementing science education in area schools and enhancing undergraduate and graduate/professional students' academic knowledge and skill set. The outreach curriculum is centered on core neuroscience themes including: Brain Safety, Neuroanatomy, Drugs of Abuse and Addiction, Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders, and Cognition and Brain Function. For each theme, lesson plans were developed based upon interactive, small-group activities. Additionally, we've organized our themes in a "Grow-up, Grow-out" approach. Grow-up refers to returning to a common theme, increasing in complexity as we revisit students from early elementary through high school. Grow-out refers to integrating other scientific fields into our lessons, such as the chemistry of addiction, the physics of brain injury and neuronal imaging. One of the more successful components of our program is our innovative team-based model of curriculum design. By creating a team of undergraduate, graduate/professional students and faculty, we create a unique multi-level mentoring opportunity that appears to be successful in enhancing undergraduate students' skills and knowledge. Preliminary assessments suggest that undergraduates believe they are enhancing their content knowledge and professional skills through our program. Additionally, we're having a significant, short-term impact on K-12 interest in science. Overall, our program appears to be enhancing the academic experience of our undergraduates and exciting K-12 students about the brain and science in general.

Cross-Course Collaboration in the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum: Primary Kinetic Isotope Effect in the Hypochlorite Oxidation of 1-Phenylethanol in the Physical Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noll, Robert J.; Fitch, Richard W.; Kjonaas, Richard A.; Wyatt, Richard A.

2017-01-01

A kinetic isotope effect (KIE) experiment is described for the physical chemistry laboratory. Students conduct a hypochlorite (household bleach) oxidation of an equimolar mixture of 1-phenylethanol and 1-deuterio-1-phenylethanol to acetophenone. The reaction occurs in a biphasic reaction mixture and follows first-order kinetics with respect to…

A Disconnect between Staff and Student Perceptions of Learning: An ACELL Educational Analysis of the First Year Undergraduate Chemistry Experiment "Investigating Sugar Using a Home Made Polarimeter"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crisp, Michael G.; Kable, Scott H.; Read, Justin R.; Buntine, Mark A.

2011-01-01

This paper describes an educational analysis of a first year university chemistry practical called "Investigating sugar using a home made polarimeter". The analysis follows the formalism of the Advancing Chemistry by Enhancing Learning in the Laboratory (ACELL) project, which includes a statement of education objectives, and an analysis…

Cross-Course Collaboration in the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum: Isotopic Labeling with Sodium Borodeuteride in the Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kjonaas, Richard A.; Fitch, Richard W.; Noll, Robert J.

2017-01-01

A microscale isotopic labeling experiment is described for the introductory organic chemistry laboratory course wherein half of the students use sodium borohydride (NaBH[subscript 4]) and the other half use sodium borodeuteride (NaBD[subscript 4]) to reduce acetophenone to 1-phenylethanol and then compare spectral data. The cost is reasonable, and…

Testing the Vibrational Theory of Olfaction: A Bio-Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiment Using Hooke's Law and Chirality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muthyala, Rajeev S.; Butani, Deepali; Nelson, Michelle; Tran, Kiet

2017-01-01

Sense of smell is one of the important senses that enables us to interact with our environment. The molecular basis of olfactory signal transduction is a fascinating area for organic chemistry educators to explore in terms of developing undergraduate laboratory activities at the interface of chemistry and biology. In this paper, a guided-inquiry…

Structural Biology of Tumor Necrosis Factor Demonstrated for Undergraduates Instruction by Computer Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, Urmi

2016-01-01

This work presents a three-dimensional (3D) modeling exercise for undergraduate students in chemistry and health sciences disciplines, focusing on a protein-group linked to immune system regulation. Specifically, the exercise involves molecular modeling and structural analysis of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) proteins, both wild type and mutant. The…

A New Undergraduate Curriculum on Mathematical Biology at the University of Dayton

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Usman, Muhammad; Singh, Amit

2011-01-01

The beginning of modern science is marked by efforts of pioneers to understand the natural world using a quantitative approach. As Galileo wrote, "the book of nature is written in the language of mathematics". The traditional undergraduate course curriculum is heavily focused on individual disciplines like biology, physics, chemistry,…

Identification and Formulation of Polymers: A Challenging Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Chemistry Lab Assignment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guedens, Wanda J.; Reynders, Monique

2017-01-01

Prior to the recycling process, raising awareness of plastic waste impact, e.g., polluting oceans worldwide, is undoubtedly a first attempt to tackle this pandemic environmental issue. With this in mind, the presented practical session is an effort to entice an interdisciplinary audience of science undergraduates toward a sustainable future. The…

An Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory: Synthesis of Well-Defined Polymers by Low-Catalyst-Concentration ATRP and Postpolymerization Modification to Fluorescent Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsarevsky, Nicolay V.; Woodruf, Shannon R.; Wisian-Neilson, Patty J.

2016-01-01

A two-session experiment is designed to introduce undergraduate students to concepts in catalysis, transition metal complexes, polymer synthesis, and postpolymerization modifications. In the first session, students synthesize poly(glycidyl methacrylate) via low-catalyst-concentration atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The…

The Art of Silicones: Bringing Siloxane Chemistry to the Undergraduate Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Longenberger, Taylor B.; Ryan, Kaleigh M.; Bender, William Y.; Krumpfer, Anna-Katharina; Krumpfer, Joseph W.

2017-01-01

Siloxane polymers and silicone materials are major components in most people's daily lives and are important in a wide variety of applications. However, despite their undeniable importance, they are often overlooked in the traditional undergraduate education, as they do not fall neatly into the traditional categories of organic or inorganic…

The Relationship between Subject Matter Knowledge and Teaching Effectiveness of Undergraduate Chemistry Peer Facilitators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boothe, J. R.; Barnard, R. A.; Peterson, L. J.; Coppola, B. P.

2018-01-01

Use of peer instruction and facilitation has surged in undergraduate education at large colleges and universities in recent years. Studies on peer instruction have been directed primarily at student learning gains and affective outcomes among the facilitators. For peer instructors, the relationship between their teaching effectiveness and their…

Computation of Chemical Shifts for Paramagnetic Molecules: A Laboratory Experiment for the Undergraduate Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pritchard, Benjamin P.; Simpson, Scott; Zurek, Eva; Autschbach, Jochen

2014-01-01

A computational experiment investigating the [superscript 1]H and [superscript 13]C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts of molecules with unpaired electrons has been developed and implemented. This experiment is appropriate for an upper-level undergraduate laboratory course in computational, physical, or inorganic chemistry. The…

Who Leaves, Who Stays? Psychological Predictors of Undergraduate Chemistry Students' Persistence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shedlosky-Shoemaker, Randi; Fautch, Jessica M.

2015-01-01

The number of undergraduate students completing degrees in STEM disciplines has been declining over the last few decades. With a growing body of research considering what predicts persistence in STEM fields, one approach is to consider individual differences as predictors of attrition in the major. The current study utilized a variety of…

Aza-Michael Reaction for an Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nigam, Manisha; Rush, Brittney; Patel, Jay; Castillo, Raul; Dhar, Preeti

2016-01-01

A green, aza-Michael reaction is described that can be used to teach undergraduate students conjugate addition of nitrogen nucleophile to an a,ß-unsaturated ester. Students analyze spectral data of the product obtained from the assigned reaction to determine product structure and propose the mechanism of its formation. The experiment requires…

The Mayo Innovation Scholars Program: Undergraduates Explore the Science and Economics of Medical Innovations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pellegrini, John J.; Jansen, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

The Mayo Innovation Scholars Program introduces undergraduates to technology transfer in biomedical sciences by having teams of students from multiple disciplines (e.g., biology, chemistry, economics, and business) analyze inventions in development at the Mayo Clinic. Over 6 months, teams consult with inventors, intellectual property experts, and…

Cross-Disciplinary Thermoregulation and Sweat Analysis Laboratory Experiences for Undergraduate Chemistry and Exercise Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulligan, Gregory; Taylor, Nichole; Glen, Mary; Tomlin, Dona; Gaul, Catherine A.

2011-01-01

Cross-disciplinary (CD) learning experiences benefit student understanding of concepts and curriculum by offering opportunities to explore topics from the perspectives of alternate fields of study. This report involves a qualitative evaluation of CD health sciences undergraduate laboratory experiences in which concepts and students from two…

A Green Polymerization of Aspartic Acid for the Undergraduate Organic Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, George D.

2005-01-01

The green polymerization of aspartic acid carried out during an organic-inorganic synthesis laboratory course for undergraduate students is described. The procedure is based on work by Donlar Corporation, a Peru, Illinois-based company that won a Green Chemistry Challenge Award in 1996 in the Small Business category for preparing thermal…

"On Course" for Supporting Expanded Participation and Improving Scientific Reasoning in Undergraduate Thesis Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dowd, Jason E.; Roy, Christopher P.; Thompson, Robert J., Jr.; Reynolds, Julie A.

2015-01-01

The Department of Chemistry at Duke University has endeavored to expand participation in undergraduate honors thesis research while maintaining the quality of the learning experience. Accomplishing this goal has been constrained by limited departmental resources (including faculty time) and increased diversity in students' preparation to engage in…

Undergraduate Students' Conceptions of Enthalpy, Enthalpy Change and Related Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nilsson, Tor; Niedderer, Hans

2014-01-01

Research shows that students have problems understanding thermodynamic concepts and that a gap exists at the tertiary level related to more specific chemistry concepts such as enthalpy. Therefore, the aim of this study is to construct undergraduate students' conceptions of enthalpy, its change and related concepts. Three explorative small-scale…

So These Numbers Really Mean Something? A Role Playing Scenario-Based Approach to the Undergraduate Instrumental Analysis Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grannas, Amanda M.; Lagalante, Anthony F.

2010-01-01

A new curricular approach in our undergraduate second-year instrumental analysis laboratory was implemented. Students work collaboratively on scenarios in diverse fields including pharmaceuticals, forensics, gemology, art conservation, and environmental chemistry. Each laboratory section (approximately 12 students) is divided into three groups…

The Change in Publication Rates at Undergraduate Institutions during the Last Three Decades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leber, Phyllis A.; Williams, Benjamin R.; Yoder, Claude H.

2009-01-01

Publication rates for chemistry faculty at 55 predominantly undergraduate institutions were ascertained from the number of publications and presentations produced over the past three decades. Comparison of the publications for the last decade with those reported for the earlier decades showed that the majority of institutions surveyed have…

Undergraduate Program Reviews at the University of Ottawa. Report of the UPRAC Auditors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council of Ontario Universities, Toronto.

Pursuant to the Council of Ontario Universities' procedures for periodic quality reviews of undergraduate programs, auditors examined the policies and programs of the University of Ottawa (UO) during 1997. The English, Chemistry, and Physiotherapy departments were selected for audits of their program review procedures; the Environmental Studies…

Characterizing the Landscape: Collegiate Organizations' Chemistry Outreach Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pratt, Justin M.; Yezierski, Ellen J.

2018-01-01

Little scholarly investigation of chemistry outreach carried out by undergraduate students in schools and communities has occurred despite widespread practice and monetary investment by large national and international organizations. This study provides the first investigation of these fairly uncharted waters by characterizing expected outcomes of…

Misconceptions of Students and Teachers in Chemical Equilibrium.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banerjee, Anil C.

1991-01-01

Written test was developed and administered to diagnose misconceptions in different areas of chemical equilibrium among 162 undergraduate chemistry students and 69 teachers of chemistry. Responses reveal widespread misconceptions among students and teachers in areas related to the prediction of equilibrium conditions, rate and equilibrium,…

Building Bridges between Science Courses Using Honors Organic Chemistry Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hickey, Timothy; Pontrello, Jason

2016-01-01

Introductory undergraduate science courses are traditionally offered as distinct units without formalized student interaction between classes. To bridge science courses, the authors used three Honors Organic Chemistry projects paired with other science courses. The honors students delivered presentations to mainstream organic course students and…

Rotational Mobility in a Crystal Studied by Dielectric Relaxation Spectroscopy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dionisio, Madalena S. C.; Diogo, Herminio P.; Farinha, J. P. S.; Ramos, Joaquim J. Moura

2005-01-01

A laboratory experiment for undergraduate physical chemistry courses that uses the experimental technique of dielectric relaxation spectroscopy to study molecular mobility in a crystal is proposed. An experiment provides an excellent opportunity for dealing with a wide diversity of important basic concepts in physical chemistry.

Using Laboratory Chemicals to Imitate Illicit Drugs in a Forensic Chemistry Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hasan, Shawn; Bromfield-Lee, Deborah; Oliver-Hoyo, Maria T.; Cintron-Maldonado, Jose A.

2008-01-01

This forensic chemistry activity utilizes presumptive forensic testing procedures and laboratory chemicals that produce screening results similar to controlled substances. For obvious reasons, obtaining heavily regulated controlled substances to create an undergraduate student activity is not practical for most educational institutions. We were…

Spectroelectrochemical Sensing of Aqueous Iron: An Experiment for Analytical Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shtoyko, Tanya; Stuart, Dean; Gray, H. Neil

2007-01-01

We have designed a laboratory experiment to illustrate the use of spectroelectrochemical techniques for determination of aqueous iron. The experiment described in this article is applicable to an undergraduate laboratory course in analytical chemistry. Students are asked to fabricate spectroelectrochemical sensors, make electrochemical and optical…

EPR Studies of Spin-Spin Exchange Processes: A Physical Chemistry Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eastman, Michael P.

1982-01-01

Theoretical background, experimental procedures, and analysis of experimental results are provided for an undergraduate physical chemistry experiment on electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) linewidths. Source of line broadening observed in a spin-spin exchange process between radicals formed in aqueous solutions of potassium peroxylamine…

Exploring Transmedia: The Rip-Mix-Learn Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benedict, Lucille A.; Champlin, David T.; Pence, Harry E.

2013-01-01

Google Docs was used to create the rip-mix-learn (RML) classroom in two, first-year undergraduate introductory chemistry and biology courses, a second-semester introductory chemistry course, and an upper-level developmental biology course. This "transmedia" approach assigned students to create sets of collaborative lecture notes into…

Biodiesel from Seeds: An Experiment for Organic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldstein, Steven W.

2014-01-01

Plants can store the chemical energy required by their developing offspring in the form of triglycerides. These lipids can be isolated from seeds and then converted into biodiesel through a transesterification reaction. This second-year undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory experiment exemplifies the conversion of an agricultural energy…

Advanced Organic Chemistry: Reactions and Mechanisms (by Bernard Miller)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berger, Daniel

1998-12-01

Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1998. 338 pp, index. ISBN 0-13-373275-4. $59.00. Recently several short texts on intermediate organic chemistry have been published, intended for use in one-term courses for advanced undergraduates and for graduate students who need more background before taking a graduate-level course. These books fill a need not fully met by graduate-level texts such as Lowry and Richardson's Mechanism and Theory in Organic Chemistry or Carey and Sundberg's Advanced Organic Chemistry.

Recycling of Waste Acetone by Fractional Distillation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weires, Nicholas A.; Johnston, Aubrey; Warner, Don L.; McCormick, Michael M.; Hammond, Karen; McDougal, Owen M.

2011-01-01

Distillation is a ubiquitous technique in the undergraduate organic chemistry curriculum; the technique dates back to ca. 3500 B.C.E. With the emergence of green chemistry in the 1990s, the importance of emphasizing responsible waste management practices for future scientists is paramount. Combining the practice of distillation with the message…

Report of the Polymer Core Course Committee: Inclusion of Polymer Topics into Undergraduate Inorganic Chemistry Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Norman E.; And Others

1984-01-01

Suggests polymer topics for study in inorganic chemistry courses. Commercial materials (including list of inorganic compounds utilized in polymer industry), anchored metal catalysis, polymers modified or formed by coordination, polysiloxanes, phosphazene or phosphonitrilic halide polymers, and hetergeneous polymerization catalysts are considered.…

A Laboratory Exercise to Introduce Inorganic Biomimetic Compounds.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baird, Donald M.

1985-01-01

Biomimetic chemistry is concerned with the synthesis of small, molecular weight molecules which mimic the properties of metal-containing sites within certain biologically significant species. A series of experiments for an advanced undergraduate laboratory is described as a way to introduce this area into the chemistry curriculum. (JN)

Connecting Biology and Organic Chemistry Introductory Laboratory Courses through a Collaborative Research Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boltax, Ariana L.; Armanious, Stephanie; Kosinski-Collins, Melissa S.; Pontrello, Jason K.

2015-01-01

Modern research often requires collaboration of experts in fields, such as math, chemistry, biology, physics, and computer science to develop unique solutions to common problems. Traditional introductory undergraduate laboratory curricula in the sciences often do not emphasize connections possible between the various disciplines. We designed an…

A Physical Chemistry Experiment in Polymer Crystallization Kinetics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singfield, Kathy L.; Chisholm, Roderick A.; King, Thomas L.

2012-01-01

A laboratory experiment currently used in an undergraduate physical chemistry lab to investigate the rates of crystallization of a polymer is described. Specifically, the radial growth rates of typical disc-shaped crystals, called spherulites, growing between microscope glass slides are measured and the data are treated according to polymer…

The Safety "Use Case": Co-Developing Chemical Information Management and Laboratory Safety Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuart, Ralph B.; McEwen, Leah R.

2016-01-01

The 2015 edition of the American Chemical Society's "Guidelines and Evaluation Procedures for Bachelor's Degree Programs" identifies six skill sets that undergraduate chemistry programs should instill in their students. In our roles as support staff for chemistry departments at two different institutions (one a Primarily Undergraduate…

Enhancing Undergraduate Chemistry Learning by Helping Students Make Connections among Multiple Graphical Representations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rau, Martina A.

2015-01-01

Multiple representations are ubiquitous in chemistry education. To benefit from multiple representations, students have to make connections between them. However, connection making is a difficult task for students. Prior research shows that supporting connection making enhances students' learning in math and science domains. Most prior research…

A Green Enantioselective Aldol Condensation for the Undergraduate Organic Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, George D.

2006-01-01

A number of laboratory exercises for the organic chemistry curriculum that emphasize enantioselective synthesis of the aldol condensation which involves the proline-catalyzed condensation between acetone and isobutyraldehyde are explored. The experiment illustrates some of the trade-offs involved in green chemistry like the use of acetone in large…

A Rubric for Assessing Students' Experimental Problem-Solving Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shadle, Susan E.; Brown, Eric C.; Towns, Marcy H.; Warner, Don L.

2012-01-01

The ability to couple problem solving both to the understanding of chemical concepts and to laboratory practices is an essential skill for undergraduate chemistry programs to foster in our students. Therefore, chemistry programs must offer opportunities to answer real problems that require use of problem-solving processes used by practicing…

Synthesis of Bisphenol Z: An Organic Chemistry Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregor, Richard W.

2012-01-01

A student achievable synthesis of bisphenol Z, 4,4'-(cyclohexane-1,1-diyl)diphenol, from the acid-catalyzed reaction of phenol with cyclohexanone is presented. The experiment exemplifies all the usual pedagogy for the standard topic of electrophilic aromatic substitution present in the undergraduate organic chemistry curriculum, while providing…

Teaching through Research: Alignment of Core Chemistry Competencies and Skills within a Multidisciplinary Research Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghanem, Eman; Long, S. Reid; Rodenbusch, Stacia E.; Shear, Ruth I.; Beckham, Josh T.; Procko, Kristen; DePue, Lauren; Stevenson, Keith J.; Robertus, Jon D.; Martin, Stephen; Holliday, Bradley; Jones, Richard A.; Anslyn, Eric V.; Simmons, Sarah L.

2018-01-01

Innovative models of teaching through research have broken the long-held paradigm that core chemistry competencies must be taught with predictable, scripted experiments. We describe here five fundamentally different, course-based undergraduate research experiences that integrate faculty research projects, accomplish ACS accreditation objectives,…

Undergraduate Oral Examinations in a University Organic Chemistry Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dicks, Andrew P.; Lautens, Mark; Koroluk, Katherine J.; Skonieczny, Stanislaw

2012-01-01

This article describes the successful implementation of an oral examination format in the organic chemistry curriculum at the University of Toronto. Oral examinations are used to replace traditional written midterm examinations in several courses. In an introductory organic class, each student is allotted 15 min to individually discuss one…

The Impact of Biotechnology upon Chemistry in Pharmacy Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henkel, James G.; And Others

1990-01-01

Applications of biotechnology to the pharmaceutical industry are examined, and its impact on the research and practical domains of medicinal and natural products chemistry is discussed. Specific curricular implications for undergraduate and graduate study in pharmacy are outlined, and suggestions for faculty development in biotechnology are made.…

Assessing Process Mass Intensity and Waste via an "aza"-Baylis-Hillman Reaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Go´mez-Biagi, Rodolfo F.; Dicks, Andrew P.

2015-01-01

A synthetic procedure is outlined where upper-level undergraduate organic chemistry students perform a two-week, semimicroscale "aza"-Baylis-Hillman reaction to generate an allylic sulfonamide product. Students evaluate several green chemistry reaction metrics of industrial importance (process mass intensity (PMI), E factor, and reaction…

A Guided Inquiry Liquid/Liquid Extractions Laboratory for Introductory Organic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raydo, Margaret L.; Church, Megan S.; Taylor, Zane W.; Taylor, Christopher E.; Danowitz, Amy M.

2015-01-01

A guided inquiry laboratory experiment for teaching liquid/liquid extractions to first semester undergraduate organic chemistry students is described. This laboratory is particularly useful for introductory students as the analytes that are separated are highly colored dye molecules. This allows students to track into which phase each analyte…

Investigating Intermolecular Interactions via Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: An Experiment for the Physical Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pullman, David; Peterson, Karen I.

2004-01-01

A scanning tunneling microscope (STM) project designed as a module for the undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory is described. The effects of van der Waals interactions on the condensed-phase structure are examined by the analysis of the pattern of the monolayer structures.

High-Ability Women and Men in Undergraduate Mathematics and Chemistry Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bali, John; And Others

1985-01-01

Using samples of college students of very high ability and strong academic background, sex differences in performance and perceptions of performance in introductory chemistry and mathematics courses were studied. Considerable differences favoring men were found, and these appeared to be due primarily to differences in mathematics background.…

Drug Synthesis and Analysis on a Dime: A Capstone Medicinal Chemistry Experience for the Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Streu, Craig N.; Reif, Randall D.; Neiles, Kelly Y.; Schech, Amanda J.; Mertz, Pamela S.

2016-01-01

Integrative, research-based experiences have shown tremendous potential as effective pedagogical approaches. Pharmaceutical development is an exciting field that draws heavily on organic chemistry and biochemistry techniques. A capstone drug synthesis/analysis laboratory is described where biochemistry students synthesize azo-stilbenoid compounds…

You Said "Neutral", but What Do You Mean?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jasien, Paul G.

2010-01-01

Using the term "neutral" as an example, this discussion examines difficulties that chemistry students face when trying to contextualize chemical terminology. Interview responses of 20 undergraduate students (majors in either chemistry or biology) indicate that some of students' context-based interpretations of "neutral" are shared, although up to…

Searching for Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptides: An Experiment for Organic Chemistry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vasquez, Thomas E., Jr.; Saldan~a, Cristina; Muzikar, Katy A.; Mashek, Debra; Liu, Jane M.

2016-01-01

This laboratory experiment provides undergraduate students enrolled in organic chemistry the opportunity to design and synthesize their own peptide, which is then tested for antimicrobial activity. After reading a primary scientific paper on antimicrobial peptides, students design and synthesize their own hexapeptide that they hypothesize will…

Undergraduate Research in Physics as a course for Engineering and Computer Science Majors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, James; Rueckert, Franz; Sirokman, Greg

2017-01-01

Undergraduate research has become more and more integral to the functioning of higher educational institutions. At many institutions undergraduate research is conducted as capstone projects in the pure sciences, however, science faculty at some schools (including that of the authors) face the challenge of not having science majors. Even at these institutions, a select population of high achieving engineering students will often express a keen interest in conducting pure science research. Since a foray into science research provides the student the full exposure to the scientific method and scientific collaboration, the experience can be quite rewarding and beneficial to the development of the student as a professional. To this end, the authors have been working to find new contexts in which to offer research experiences to non- science majors, including a new undergraduate research class conducted by physics and chemistry faculty. An added benefit is that these courses are inherently interdisciplinary. Students in the engineering and computer science fields step into physics and chemistry labs to solve science problems, often invoking their own relevant expertise. In this paper we start by discussing the common themes and outcomes of the course. We then discuss three particular projects that were conducted with engineering students and focus on how the undergraduate research experience enhanced their already rigorous engineering curriculum.

Investigating Undergraduate Science Students' Conceptions and Misconceptions of Ocean Acidification.

PubMed

Danielson, Kathryn I; Tanner, Kimberly D

2015-01-01

Scientific research exploring ocean acidification has grown significantly in past decades. However, little science education research has investigated the extent to which undergraduate science students understand this topic. Of all undergraduate students, one might predict science students to be best able to understand ocean acidification. What conceptions and misconceptions of ocean acidification do these students hold? How does their awareness and knowledge compare across disciplines? Undergraduate biology, chemistry/biochemistry, and environmental studies students, and science faculty for comparison, were assessed on their awareness and understanding. Results revealed low awareness and understanding of ocean acidification among students compared with faculty. Compared with biology or chemistry/biochemistry students, more environmental studies students demonstrated awareness of ocean acidification and identified the key role of carbon dioxide. Novel misconceptions were also identified. These findings raise the question of whether undergraduate science students are prepared to navigate socioenvironmental issues such as ocean acidification. © 2015 K. I. Danielson and K. D. Tanner. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Predictors of Nursing Students' Performance in a One-Semester Organic and Biochemistry Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Lanen, Robert J.; Lockie, Nancy M.; McGannon, Thomas

2000-06-01

In an effort to empower nursing students to successfully persist in chemistry, predictors of success for undergraduate nursing students enrolled in a one-semester organic and biochemistry course were identified. The sample consisted of 308 undergraduate nursing students enrolled in Chemistry 108 (Principles of Organic and Biochemistry) during a period of seven semesters. In this study, Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a nonremedial academic support program offered for Chemistry 108 students. Placement tests in Mathematics, Reading, and English are required of all entering students. The English Placement Test assesses proficiency in analytical reading and writing; the Nelson Denny Reading Test (Form E) assesses the student's understanding of written vocabulary and the mastery of reading comprehension, and the Mathematics Placement Test measures the student's mastery of arithmetic and algebraic calculations. Both demographic and academic variables were examined. For the entire sample, five predictor variables were identified: Mathematics Placement Test score, Chemistry 107 grade (a prerequisite), total number of SI sessions attended, Nelson Denny Reading Test (Form E) score, and age. Predictors for various subpopulations of the sample were also identified. Predictors for students of traditional age were Mathematics Placement Test score, total number of SI sessions attended, and Chemistry 107 grade. The best predictors for continuing education students were Chemistry 107 grade and Nelson Denny Test score.

Developing Professional Skills in a Third-Year Undergraduate Chemistry Course Offered in Western Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunn, Jeffrey G.; Kagi, Robert I.; Phillips, David N.

1998-10-01

"This unit gave me a broad industrial view of the chemical world and I am grateful for the professional skills I gained." That is the response of one graduate several years after he had taken the "Chemistry and Technology" unit that we present in the third year of the undergraduate chemistry course at Western Australia's Curtin University of Technology. Students in tertiary education are effectively "cocooned from the real world". There is a growing need for a teaching that links students to situations they will encounter upon gaining employment. The Chemistry and Technology unit has been developed over a 12-year period and is presented in the final semester of the course. It comprises six modules and is taught by lecturers from industry and the staff of the School. The Professional Practice, Consumer Chemistry, and Environmental modules are ones that most teachers could consider in their course. The other three modules are specific to Western Australia's needs, but could be modified or replaced to cater to other employment circumstances. A survey of recent graduates yielded complimentary responses to the appropriateness of such a unit in the course.

The Analysis of Riboflavin in Urine Using Fluorescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henderleiter, Julie A.; Hyslop, Richard M.

1996-06-01

To become functional as scientists, chemistry students must integrate concepts learned in their classes and apply them to novel, "real life" situations. The laboratory provides an important place for the students to practice integrating concepts. This laboratory experiment, designed for undergraduate biochemistry students, requires each student to determine the amount of riboflavin excreted by his/her body following oral administration of riboflavin contained in a multi-vitamin tablet. The experimental procedure describes a protocol for the analysis of riboflavin concentration in urine using a fluorometric assay. The students must draw upon their knowledge of solution preparation, construction of a standard curve, and back-calculation procedures to determine the concentration of riboflavin in their urine. Students need to combine knowledge from general and analytical chemistry with that learned in biochemistry to complete this analysis, thus providing an opportunity to integrate knowledge while answering a novel question.

Redox and Lewis acid-base activities through an electronegativity-hardness landscape diagram.

PubMed

Das, Ranjita; Vigneresse, Jean-Louis; Chattaraj, Pratim Kumar

2013-11-01

Chemistry is the science of bond making and bond breaking which requires redistribution of electron density among the reactant partners. Accordingly acid-base and redox reactions form cardinal components in all branches of chemistry, e.g., inorganic, organic, physical or biochemistry. That is the reason it forms an integral part of the undergraduate curriculum all throughout the globe. In an electronegativity (χ)- hardness (η) landscape diagram the diagonal χ = η line separates reducing agents from oxidizing agents as well as Lewis acids from Lewis bases. While electronegativity is related to the degree of electron transfer between two reactants, hardness is related to the resistance to that process. Accordingly the electronegativities of oxidizing agents/Lewis acids are generally greater than the corresponding hardness values and the reverse is true for reducing agents/Lewis bases. Electrophiles and nucleophiles are also expected to follow similar trends.

Can Creative Podcasting Promote Deep Learning? The Use of Podcasting for Learning Content in an Undergraduate Science Unit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pegrum, Mark; Bartle, Emma; Longnecker, Nancy

2015-01-01

This paper examines the effect of a podcasting task on the examination performance of several hundred first-year chemistry undergraduate students. Educational researchers have established that a deep approach to learning that promotes active understanding of meaning can lead to better student outcomes, higher grades and superior retention of…

Paint Analysis Using Visible Reflectance Spectroscopy: An Undergraduate Forensic Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoffman, Erin M.; Beussman, Douglas J.

2007-01-01

The study of forensic science is found throughout undergraduate programs in growing numbers, both as stand-alone courses as well as specific examples within existing courses. Part of the driving force for this trend is the ability to apply common chemistry techniques to everyday situations, all couched in the context of a mystery that must be…

Incorporating Biological Mass Spectrometry into Undergraduate Teaching Labs, Part 1: Identifying Proteins Based on Molecular Mass

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnquist, Isaac J.; Beussman, Douglas J.

2007-01-01

Biological mass spectrometry is an important analytical technique in drug discovery, proteomics, and research at the biology-chemistry interface. Currently, few hands-on opportunities exist for undergraduate students to learn about this technique. With the 2002 Nobel Prize being awarded, in part, for the development of biological mass…

Communication, and Team-Working Skills in Second-Year Undergraduate Chemistry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mc Goldrick, Niamh B.; Marzec, Bartosz; Scully, P. Noelle; Draper, Sylvia M.

2013-01-01

Since 2002, a multidisciplinary program has been used to encourage science students to build on their chemical knowledge and to appreciate how it applies to the world around them. The program is interactive and instills a new set of core learning skills that are often underrepresented in undergraduate curricula, namely, cooperative learning,…

Green Chemistry Decision-Making in an Upper-Level Undergraduate Organic Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edgar, Landon J. G.; Koroluk, Katherine J.; Golmakani, Mehrnaz; Dicks, Andrew P.

2014-01-01

A self-directed independent synthesis experiment was developed for a third-year undergraduate organic laboratory. Students were provided with the CAS numbers of starting and target compounds and devised a synthetic plan to be executed over two 4.5 h laboratory periods. They consulted the primary literature in order to develop and carry out an…

Analysis of Bromination of Ethylbenzene Using a 45 MHz NMR Spectrometer: An Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isaac-Lam, Meden F.

2014-01-01

A 45 MHz benchtop NMR spectrometer is used to identify the structures and determine the amount of 1-bromoethylbenzene and 1,1-dibromoethylbenzene produced from free-radical bromination of ethylbenzene. The experiment is designed for nonchemistry majors, specifically B.S. Biology students, in a predominantly undergraduate institution with…

Project LITE: Light Inquiry Through Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brecher, Kenneth

2007-06-01

"Project LITE: Light Inquiry Through Experiments" is a science education project aimed at developing interactive hands-on and eyes-on curriculum, software and materials about light and optics. These are being developed for use in undergraduate astronomy courses, but they can also be used to advantage in physics, chemistry, Earth science and psychology courses throughout the K-12 and undergraduate curriculum.

qHNMR Analysis of Purity of Common Organic Solvents--An Undergraduate Quantitative Analysis Laboratory Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Peter T.; Whaley, W. Lance; Tochterman, Alyssa D.; Mueller, Karl S.; Schultz, Linda D.

2017-01-01

NMR spectroscopy is currently a premier technique for structural elucidation of organic molecules. Quantitative NMR (qNMR) methodology has developed more slowly but is now widely accepted, especially in the areas of natural product and medicinal chemistry. However, many undergraduate students are not routinely exposed to this important concept.…

Understanding Our Energy Footprint: Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory Investigation of Environmental Impacts of Solid Fossil Fuel Wastes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berger, Michael; Goldfarb, Jillian L.

2017-01-01

Engaging undergraduates in the environmental consequences of fossil fuel usage primes them to consider their own anthropogenic impact, and the benefits and trade-offs of converting to renewable fuel strategies. This laboratory activity explores the potential contaminants (both inorganic and organic) present in the raw fuel and solid waste…

Assembly of a Modular Fluorimeter and Associated Software: Using LabVIEW in an Advanced Undergraduate Analytical Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Algar, W. Russ; Massey, Melissa; Krull, Ulrich J.

2009-01-01

A laboratory activity for an upper-level undergraduate course in instrumental analysis has been created around LabVIEW. Students learn rudimentary programming and interfacing skills during the construction of a fluorimeter assembled from common modular components. The fluorimeter consists of an inexpensive data acquisition module, LED light…

Modeling Stretching Modes of Common Organic Molecules with the Quantum Mechanical Harmonic Oscillator: An Undergraduate Vibrational Spectroscopy Laboratory Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parnis, J. Mark; Thompson, Matthew G. K.

2004-01-01

An introductory undergraduate physical organic chemistry exercise that introduces the harmonic oscillator's use in vibrational spectroscopy is developed. The analysis and modeling exercise begins with the students calculating the stretching modes of common organic molecules with the help of the quantum mechanical harmonic oscillator (QMHO) model.

Teaching Reciprocal Space to Undergraduates via Theory and Code Components of an IPython Notebook

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Srnec, Matthew N.; Upadhyay, Shiv; Madura, Jeffrey D.

2016-01-01

In this technology report, a tool is provided for teaching reciprocal space to undergraduates in physical chemistry and materials science courses. Reciprocal space plays a vital role in understanding a material's electronic structure and physical properties. Here, we provide an example based on previous work in the "Journal of Chemical…

Microwave-Enhanced Organic Syntheses for the Undergraduate Laboratory: Diels-Alder Cycloaddition, Wittig Reaction, and Williamson Ether Synthesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baar, Marsha R.; Falcone, Danielle; Gordon, Christopher

2010-01-01

Microwave heating enhanced the rate of three reactions typically performed in our undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory: a Diels-Alder cycloaddition, a Wittig salt formation, and a Williamson ether synthesis. Ninety-minute refluxes were shortened to 10 min using a laboratory-grade microwave oven. In addition, yields improved for the Wittig…

The Design and Implementation of a Career Orientation Course for Undergraduate Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Edward

2012-01-01

Over the past several years I have taught a career orientation course at St. John Fisher College. This course was designed to increase student awareness of potential careers following their undergraduate studies in our Biology program. Additionally, the course has also been used as a model for similar experiences in our Psychology, Chemistry,…

An Operationally Simple Sonogashira Reaction for an Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cranwell, Philippa B.; Peterson, Alexander M.; Littlefield, Benjamin T. R.; Russell, Andrew T.

2015-01-01

An operationally simple, reliable, and cheap Sonogashira reaction suitable for an undergraduate laboratory class that can be completed within a day-long (8 h) laboratory session has been developed. Cross-coupling is carried out between 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol and various aryl iodides using catalytic amounts of bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(II)…

Premed survival: understanding the culling process in premedical undergraduate education.

PubMed

Lovecchio, Karen; Dundes, Lauren

2002-07-01

Why undergraduate students pursue or drop a premedical curriculum has received only scant attention. In this study the authors attempted to uncover reasons why students either persevere in their premedical studies or seek alternative careers. Using convenience sampling, the authors surveyed 97 undergraduates at a small liberal arts college from November 2000 to March 2001. Of those surveyed, 44 were former premed students who completed a three-page questionnaire about why they had decided not to become physicians; 53 premed students completed a two-page questionnaire about their career aspirations. The response rate was 100%. Premed students were attracted to the field by the intellectual stimulation and the power to help others, yet most were also very concerned about being in debt, dealing with patients who might die, and the compatibility of medicine with having a family. Women students were more concerned than the men about having only limited time to become acquainted with patients on a social level (71% of women versus 45% of men: p =.05). The decision of students to forgo a career as a physician was shaped by apprehensions regarding the years of work required in residency, the need to be on call, unacceptably low grades, and the realization that other attractive career options are available. Of those who said low grades were a deciding factor, most (78%) named organic chemistry as the single course that had affected their plans. Students who acknowledged the role of their poor performance in organic chemistry were more likely to be dissatisfied with their change in plans than were those who did not identify this course as influential (44% versus 29%). Although the sampling technique and sample size severely limit the authors' ability to generalize their findings, the data offer a starting point for those interested in the reasons for the drop in medical school applicants. The authors state the fact that most former premed students admitted organic chemistry had played a significant role in the change in their career plans deserves attention, and it may be time to consider whether a single course should contribute to eliminating persons who might otherwise excel as physicians.

K-12 Neuroscience Education Outreach Program: Interactive Activities for Educating Students about Neuroscience

PubMed Central

Deal, Alex L.; Erickson, Kristen J.; Bilsky, Edward J.; Hillman, Susan J.; Burman, Michael A.

2014-01-01

The University of New England’s Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences has developed a successful and growing K-12 outreach program that incorporates undergraduate and graduate/professional students. The program has several goals, including raising awareness about fundamental issues in neuroscience, supplementing science education in area schools and enhancing undergraduate and graduate/professional students’ academic knowledge and skill set. The outreach curriculum is centered on core neuroscience themes including: Brain Safety, Neuroanatomy, Drugs of Abuse and Addiction, Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders, and Cognition and Brain Function. For each theme, lesson plans were developed based upon interactive, small-group activities. Additionally, we’ve organized our themes in a “Grow-up, Grow-out” approach. Grow-up refers to returning to a common theme, increasing in complexity as we revisit students from early elementary through high school. Grow-out refers to integrating other scientific fields into our lessons, such as the chemistry of addiction, the physics of brain injury and neuronal imaging. One of the more successful components of our program is our innovative team-based model of curriculum design. By creating a team of undergraduate, graduate/professional students and faculty, we create a unique multi-level mentoring opportunity that appears to be successful in enhancing undergraduate students’ skills and knowledge. Preliminary assessments suggest that undergraduates believe they are enhancing their content knowledge and professional skills through our program. Additionally, we’re having a significant, short-term impact on K-12 interest in science. Overall, our program appears to be enhancing the academic experience of our undergraduates and exciting K-12 students about the brain and science in general. PMID:25565921

Modeling Human Serum Albumin Tertiary Structure to Teach Upper-Division Chemistry Students Bioinformatics and Homology Modeling Basics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petrovic, Dus?an; Zlatovic´, Mario

2015-01-01

A homology modeling laboratory experiment has been developed for an introductory molecular modeling course for upper-division undergraduate chemistry students. With this experiment, students gain practical experience in homology model preparation and assessment as well as in protein visualization using the educational version of PyMOL…

Synthesis of Hollow Gold-Silver Alloyed Nanoparticles: A "Galvanic Replacement" Experiment for Chemistry and Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, Samir V.; Gohman, Taylor D.; Miller, Emily K.; Chen, Jingyi

2015-01-01

The rapid academic and industrial development of nanotechnology has led to its implementation in laboratory teaching for undergraduate-level chemistry and engineering students. This laboratory experiment introduces the galvanic replacement reaction for synthesis of hollow metal nanoparticles and investigates the optical properties of these…

"Holes" in Student Understanding: Addressing Prevalent Misconceptions regarding Atmospheric Environmental Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerr, Sara C.; Walz, Kenneth A.

2007-01-01

There is a misconception among undergraduate students that global warming is caused by holes in the ozone layer. In this study, we evaluated the presence of this and other misconceptions surrounding atmospheric chemistry that are responsible for the entanglement of the greenhouse effect and the ozone hole in students' conceptual frameworks. We…

A Course in Biophysics: An Integration of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giancoli, Douglas C.

1971-01-01

Describes an interdisciplinary course for advanced undergraduates in the physical and biological sciences. The goal is to understand a living cell from the most basic standpoint possible. The ideas of physics, chemistry, and molecular biology are all essential to the course, which leads to a unified view of the sciences. (PR)

Dehydration of 2-Methyl-1-Cyclohexanol: New Findings from a Popular Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friesen, J. Brent; Schretzman, Robert

2011-01-01

The mineral acid-catalyzed dehydration of 2-methyl-1-cyclohexanol has been a popular laboratory exercise in second-year organic chemistry for several decades. The dehydration experiment is often performed by organic chemistry students to illustrate Zaitsev's rule. However, sensitive analytical techniques reveal that the results do not entirely…

Do Advanced Mathematics Skills Predict Success in Biology and Chemistry Degrees?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adkins, Michael; Noyes, Andrew

2018-01-01

The mathematical preparedness of science undergraduates has been a subject of debate for some time. This paper investigates the relationship between school mathematics attainment and degree outcomes in biology and chemistry across England, a much larger scale of analysis than has hitherto been reported in the literature. A unique dataset which…

Teaching Analytical Method Transfer through Developing and Validating Then Transferring Dissolution Testing Methods for Pharmaceuticals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimaru, Irene; Koether, Marina; Chichester, Kimberly; Eaton, Lafayette

2017-01-01

Analytical method transfer (AMT) and dissolution testing are important topics required in industry that should be taught in analytical chemistry courses. Undergraduate students in senior level analytical chemistry laboratory courses at Kennesaw State University (KSU) and St. John Fisher College (SJFC) participated in development, validation, and…

Radical Quenching of 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl: A Spectrometric Determination of Antioxidant Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berger, John M.; Rana, Roshniben J.; Javeed, Hira; Javeed, Iqra; Schulien, Sandi L.

2008-01-01

Radical chemistry is a fundamental subject of undergraduate organic chemistry. While well described in organic textbooks, laboratory manuals rarely address this topic, focusing instead on syntheses using polar reactions. Herein, we describe a colorimetric assay using the persistent radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) to measure the…

Visualizing Molecular Chirality in the Organic Chemistry Laboratory Using Cholesteric Liquid Crystals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Popova, Maia; Bretz, Stacey Lowery; Hartley, C. Scott

2016-01-01

Although stereochemistry is an important topic in second-year undergraduate organic chemistry, there are limited options for laboratory activities that allow direct visualization of macroscopic chiral phenomena. A novel, guided-inquiry experiment was developed that allows students to explore chirality in the context of cholesteric liquid crystals.…

A Review of Research on the Teaching and Learning of Thermodynamics at the University Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bain, Kinsey; Moon, Alena; Mack, Michael R.; Towns, Marcy H.

2014-01-01

We review previous research on the teaching and learning of thermodynamics in upper-level, undergraduate settings. As chemistry education researchers we use physical chemistry as a context for understanding the literature. During our synthesis four themes of research emerged: factors that influence student success in learning thermodynamics,…

Developing and Implementing a Combined Chemistry and Informatics Curriculum for Undergraduate and Graduate Students in the Czech Republic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jirat, Jiri; Cech, Petr; Znamenacek, Jiri; Simek, Miroslav; Skuta, Ctibor; Vanek, Tomas; Dibuszova, Eva; Nic, Miloslav; Svozil, Daniel

2013-01-01

Experience developing multidisciplinary bachelor's and master's curricula involving intertwined chemistry, informatics, and librarianship-editorship skills is described. The bachelor's curriculum was created in close cooperation of academic staff, library staff, and the publishing house staff (Institute of Chemical Technology Prague: a sole…

Improving Critical Thinking "via" Authenticity: The CASPiE Research Experience in a Military Academy Chemistry Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chase, A. M.; Clancy, H. A.; Lachance, R. P.; Mathison, B. M.; Chiu, M. M.; Weaver, G. C.

2017-01-01

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) can introduce many students to authentic research activities in a cost-effective manner. Past studies have shown that students who participated in CUREs report greater interest in chemistry, better data collection and analysis skills, and enhanced scientific reasoning compared to traditional…

A Game-Based Approach to an Entire Physical Chemistry Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daubenfeld, Thorsten; Zenker, Dietmar

2015-01-01

We designed, implemented, and evaluated a game-based learning approach to increase student motivation and achievement for an undergraduate physical chemistry course. By focusing only on the most important game aspects, the implementation was realized with a production ratio of 1:8 (study load in hours divided by production effort in hours).…

Measurement of the Compressibility Factor of Gases: A Physical Chemistry Laboratory Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varberg, Thomas D.; Bendelsmith, Andrew J.; Kuwata, Keith T.

2011-01-01

In this article, we describe an experiment for the undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory in which students measure the compressibility factor of two gases, helium and carbon dioxide, as a function of pressure at constant temperature. The experimental apparatus is relatively inexpensive to construct and is described and diagrammed in detail.…

Expression, Purification, and Analysis of Unknown Translation Factors from "Escherichia Coli": A Synthesis Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walter, Justin D.; Littlefield, Peter; Delbecq, Scott; Prody, Gerry; Spiegel, P. Clint

2010-01-01

New approaches are currently being developed to expose biochemistry and molecular biology undergraduates to a more interactive learning environment. Here, we propose a unique project-based laboratory module, which incorporates exposure to biophysical chemistry approaches to address problems in protein chemistry. Each of the experiments described…

Implementing and Evaluating a Chemistry Course in Chemical Ethics and Civic Responsibility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McClure, Craig P.; Lucius, Aaron L.

2010-01-01

An upper-level undergraduate course that explores ethics in chemistry and the impact of chemical innovations on society has been developed. Goals of this course were to promote student recognition of ethical considerations in chemical innovations and chemical research and demonstrate the link between the application of chemical innovations and the…

Incorporating Service-Learning, Technology, and Research Supportive Teaching Techniques into the University Chemistry Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saitta, E. K. H.; Bowdon, M. A.; Geiger, C. L.

2011-01-01

Technology was integrated into service-learning activities to create an interactive teaching method for undergraduate students at a large research institution. Chemistry students at the University of Central Florida partnered with high school students at Crooms Academy of Information Technology in interactive service learning projects. The…

Analysis of Dextromethorphan in Cough Drops and Syrups: A Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamilton, Todd M.; Wiseman, Frank L., Jr.

2009-01-01

Fluorescence spectroscopy is used to determine the quantity of dextromethorphan hydrobromide (DM) in over-the-counter (OTC) cough drops and syrups. This experiment is appropriate for an undergraduate medicinal chemistry laboratory course when studying OTC medicines and active ingredients. Students prepare the cough drops and syrups for analysis,…

Primo Levi and the Periodic Table: Teaching Chemistry Using A Literary Text (Excerpt)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osorio, Viktoria Klara Lakatos; Tiedemann, Peter Wilhelm; Porto, Paulo Alves

2007-01-01

The excerpts from The Periodic Table book written by Primo Levi is discussed related to chemical concepts. The use of a literary text as a starting point of discussions of chemical concepts has allowed the integration of various topics covered in separate courses of the undergraduate program in chemistry.

Building "My First NMRviewer": A Project Incorporating Coding and Programming Tasks in the Undergraduate Chemistry Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arrabal-Campos, Francisco M.; Cortés-Villena, Alejandro; Fernández, Ignacio

2017-01-01

This paper presents a programming project named NMRviewer that allows students to visualize transformed and processed 1 H NMR data in an accessible, interactive format while allowing instructors to incorporate programming content into the chemistry curricula. Using the MATLAB graphical user interface development environment (GUIDE), students can…

Transforming the Organic Chemistry Lab Experience: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Reformed Experimental Activities--REActivities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collison, Christina G.; Kim, Thomas; Cody, Jeremy; Anderson, Jason; Edelbach, Brian; Marmor, William; Kipsang, Rodgers; Ayotte, Charles; Saviola, Daniel; Niziol, Justin

2018-01-01

Reformed experimental activities (REActivities) are an innovative approach to the delivery of the traditional material in an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory. A description of the design and implementation of REActivities at both a four- and two-year institution is discussed. The results obtained using a reformed teaching observational…

Students' Perceptions of a Project-Based Organic Chemistry Laboratory Environment: A Phenomenographic Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burrows, Nikita L.; Nowak, Montana K.; Mooring, Suazette R.

2017-01-01

Students can perceive the laboratory environment in a variety of ways that can affect what they take away from the laboratory course. This qualitative study characterizes undergraduate students' perspectives of a project-based Organic Chemistry laboratory using the theoretical framework of phenomenography. Eighteen participants were interviewed in…

Formalizing the First Day in an Organic Chemistry Laboratory Using a Studio-Based Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collison, Christina G.; Cody, Jeremy; Smith, Darren; Swartzenberg, Jennifer

2015-01-01

A novel studio-based lab module that incorporates student-centered activities was designed and implemented to introduce second-year undergraduate students to the first-semester organic chemistry laboratory. The "First Day" studio module incorporates learning objectives for the course, lab safety, and keeping a professional lab notebook.

An Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory: The Facile Hydrogenation of Methyl Trans-Cinnamate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Kenneth J.; Zuspan, Kimberly; Berry, Lonnie

2011-01-01

Hydrogenation of alkenes is an important reaction in the synthesis of organic molecules. In this experiment, students conduct a high-yield microscale hydrogenation reaction of methyl "trans"-cinnamate using a readily available, safe, and convenient hydrogen source. The conditions are similar to those seen in an organic chemistry textbook for an…

Threaded Introductory Chemistry for Prepharmacy: A Model for Preprofessional Curriculum Redesign

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barth, Benjamin S.; Bucholtz, Ehren C.

2017-01-01

Introductory chemistry courses are required as part of the undergraduate preparation necessary for entry into an array of professional programs. Given the varied priorities of the student population in these courses, it can be difficult to present the material such that students see their individual future academic priorities represented in each…

"Who Dunnit?": Learning Chemistry and Critical Thinking through Hands-On Forensic Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demetry, Chrysanthe; Nicoletti, Denise; Mix, Kimberlee; O'Connor, Kerri; Martin, Andrea

2002-01-01

Demonstrates how forensic science can be used as a framework for generating student interest and learning in chemistry and promoting critical thinking. The "Who Dunnit?" forensic science workshop was developed by undergraduate students and is one element of a two-week residential summer outreach program that seeks to develop interest in…

Using Popular Magazine Articles to Teach the Art of Writing for Nontechnical Audiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sivey, John D.; Lee, Cindy M.

2008-01-01

Many undergraduate chemistry curricula are devoting increasing amounts of time to teaching technical writing skills. Significantly less attention, however, is given toward training students in nontechnical writing strategies. The ability of chemistry students to communicate effectively in writing to a wide variety of audiences is an essential (and…

Undergraduate Chemistry Education in Chinese Universities: Addressing the Challenges of Rapid Growth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gou, Xiaojun; Cao, Haishi

2010-01-01

In the past 30 years, university-level chemistry education in China has been experiencing significant changes because of the rapid expansion of its university education system. These changes are reflected in improvements to the existing education goals, classroom teaching methods, textbooks, teaching facilities, teacher profiles, lab activities,…

An Attenuated Total Reflectance Sensor for Copper: An Experiment for Analytical or Physical Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shtoyko, Tanya; Zudans, Imants; Seliskar, Carl J.; Heineman, William R.; Richardson, John N.

2004-01-01

A sensor experiment which can be applied to advanced undergraduate laboratory course in physical or analytical chemistry is described along with certain concepts like the demonstration of chemical sensing, preparation of thin films on a substrate, microtitration, optical determination of complex ion stoichiometry and isosbestic point. It is seen…

A Three-Year Chemistry Seminar Program Focusing on Career Development Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tucci, Valerie K.; O'Connor, Abby R.; Bradley, Lynn M.

2014-01-01

An innovative, three-year seminar program was developed for undergraduates at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) that supplements the core chemistry curriculum by teaching the auxiliary skills necessary for life as a professional chemist. Advising, good laboratory practice, and information literacy are the strategic components of this program that…

Transfer of Algebraic and Graphical Thinking between Mathematics and Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potgieter, Marietjie; Harding, Ansie; Engelbrecht, Johann

2008-01-01

Students in undergraduate chemistry courses find, as a rule, topics with a strong mathematical basis difficult to master. In this study we investigate whether such mathematically related problems are due to deficiencies in their mathematics foundation or due to the complexity introduced by transfer of mathematics to a new scientific domain. In the…

A Culture of Extrinsically Motivated Students: Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orvis, Jessica N.; Sturges, Diana; Tysinger, P. Dawn; Riggins, Keenya; Landge, Shainaz

2018-01-01

Recent research indicates that students are adopting a consumerist approach to education, while data shows that the best academic outcomes are associated with intrinsic motivation. The goal of the study was to explore student academic motivation in an undergraduate Principles of Chemistry I class. The study targeted 432 students enrolled in 9…

Qualitative and Quantitative Evaluation of Three Types of Student-Generated Videos as Instructional Support in Organic Chemistry Laboratories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Box, Melinda C.; Dunnagan, Cathi L.; Hirsh, Lauren A. S.; Cherry, Clinton R.; Christianson, Kayla A.; Gibson, Radiance J.; Wolfe, Michael I.; Gallardo-Williams, Maria T.

2017-01-01

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of student-generated videos as a supplement to teaching assistant (TA) instruction in an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory. Three videos covering different aspects of lab instruction (experimental technique, use of instrumentation, and calculations) were produced using…

Using Ozone in Organic Chemistry Lab: The Ozonolysis of Eugenol

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Branan, Bruce M.; Butcher, Joshua T.; Olsen, Lawrence R.

2007-01-01

An ozonolysis experiment, suitable for undergraduate organic chemistry lab, is presented. Ozonolysis of eugenol (clove oil), followed by reductive workup furnishes an aldehyde that is easily identified by its NMR and IR spectra. Ozone (3-5% in oxygen) is produced using an easily built generator. (Contains 2 figures and 1 scheme.)

Quantum Chemistry; A concise introduction for students of physics, chemistry, biochemistry and materials science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thakkar, Ajit J.

2017-09-01

This book provides non-specialists with a basic understanding of the underlying concepts of quantum chemistry. It is both a text for second- or third-year undergraduates and a reference for researchers who need a quick introduction or refresher. All chemists and many biochemists, materials scientists, engineers, and physicists routinely use spectroscopic measurements and electronic structure computations in their work. The emphasis of Quantum Chemistry on explaining ideas rather than enumerating facts or presenting procedural details makes this an excellent foundation text/reference.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of a Natural Insecticide on Basic Montmorillonite K10 Clay. Green Chemistry in the Undergraduate Organic Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dintzner, Matthew R.; Wucka, Paul R.; Lyons, Thomas W.

2006-01-01

A detailed investigation of the clay-catalyzed condensation of sesamol and other phenols with 3-methyl-2-butenal to give methylenedioxyprecocene (MDP) and other chromenes is presented. The clay-catalyzed microwave-assisted condensation of sesamol with 3-methyl-2-butenal is appropriate for incorporation into undergraduate organic laboratory…

Contextualizing Learning Chemistry in First-Year Undergraduate Programs: Engaging Industry-Based Videos with Real-Time Quizzing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Urban, Sylvia; Brkljaca, Robert; Cockman, Russell; Rook, Trevor

2017-01-01

First-year undergraduate classes present challenges in teaching as they usually have high student enrolment numbers and students studying across a range of higher education programs that require a fundamental understanding of knowledge that is not perceived in their area of study. This provides a challenge in terms of engaging and maintaining…

Designing Performance-Based Measures to Assess the Scientific Thinking Skills of Chemistry Undergraduate Researchers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harsh, Joseph A.

2016-01-01

Undergraduate research (UR) is a vetted educational tool that is commonly perceived to prepare students for entering graduate school and careers in STEM fields; however, scholarly attention to date has largely relied on self-report data, which may limit inferences about the causal effects on student outcomes. In light of this, recent calls have…

A Proposal for Teaching Undergraduate Chemistry Students Carbohydrate Biochemistry by Problem-Based Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Figueira, Angela C. M.; Rocha, Joao B. T.

2014-01-01

This article presents a problem-based learning (PBL) approach to teaching elementary biochemistry to undergraduate students. The activity was based on "the foods we eat." It was used to engage students' curiosity and to initiate learning about a subject that could be used by the future teachers in the high school. The experimental…

Oxidation of Borneol to Camphor Using Oxone and Catalytic Sodium Chloride: A Green Experiment for the Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lang, Patrick T.; Harned, Andrew M.; Wissinger, Jane E.

2011-01-01

A new green oxidation procedure was developed for the undergraduate organic teaching laboratories using Oxone and a catalytic quantity of sodium chloride for the conversion of borneol to camphor. This simple 1 h, room temperature reaction afforded high quality and yield of product, was environmentally friendly, and produced negligible quantities…

Do Biology Students Really Hate Math? Empirical Insights into Undergraduate Life Science Majors' Emotions about Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wachsmuth, Lucas P.; Runyon, Christopher R.; Drake, John M.; Dolan, Erin L.

2017-01-01

Undergraduate life science majors are reputed to have negative emotions toward mathematics, yet little empirical evidence supports this. We sought to compare emotions of majors in the life sciences versus other natural sciences and math. We adapted the Attitudes toward the Subject of Chemistry Inventory to create an Attitudes toward the Subject of…

An Investigation of Pre-Service Science Teachers' Level of Efficacy in the Undergraduate Science Teacher Education Program and Pedagogical Formation Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çetin, Oguz

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research is to comparatively investigate the efficacy levels of pre-service science (Science, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry) teachers enrolled at the Undergraduate Program of Science Teacher Education and Pedagogical Formation Program. A total of 275 pre-service teachers who were studying in different programmes in the…

The Synthesis of 1-Phenyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines: An Undergraduate Organic Laboratory Experiment and Class Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Letcher, R. M.; Sammes, M. P.

1985-01-01

Describes an undergraduate organic chemistry experiment (requiring three/four 3-hour laboratory sessions) involving a four-stage synthesis of 1-phenyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines via the Pictet-Spengler route. In addition, the experiment allows students to study the spectra and properties of aklaloid-like materials while completing several…

Using Quantum Mechanics to Facilitate the Introduction of a Broad Range of Chemical Concepts to First-Year Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

deSouza, Romualdo T.; Iyengar, Srinivasan S.

2013-01-01

A first-year undergraduate course that introduces students to chemistry through a conceptually detailed description of quantum mechanics is outlined. Quantization as arising from the confinement of a particle is presented and these ideas are used to introduce the reasons behind resonance, molecular orbital theory, degeneracy of electronic states,…