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Studies on student learning during primary- and secondary-school course-related field trip activities have shown lasting cognitive and socio-cultural effects. However, fewer studies have investigated the potential benefits of incorporating field trip activities into post-secondary education. The curriculum in a first-year university chemistry course provides the foundations for understanding processes we encounter every day. Thus, field trips can provide an opportunity to help students see beyond their everyday experiences into the world around us through a chemist's eyes. As a way of seeing their lecture material in action, taking students on field trips to water treatment plants helps describe a real-world application of solution stoichiometry and polymer chemistry. Similarly, a trip to a winery assists understanding of chemical transformations that occur in organic molecules, and a trip to wastewater treatment plants enables students to see applications of acid-base and redox chemistry. These experiences allow students to engage the material on a level difficult to convey or appreciate in the classroom. Field trips can also satisfy instructor motivations to not only facilitate learning as a way of connecting with the curriculum, but also to engage students by (a) providing new learning experiences, (b) fostering interest and motivation in students, (c) promoting lifelong learning, and (d) engaging with the local science and technology communities. (Contains 1 figure and 3 textboxes.)

In our focus on material that must be covered in a content-rich course such as first-year chemistry, we often neglect the development of other essential skills such as reading, writing, and critical thinking. The primary research literature summary assignment described attempts to address this issue. The purpose of the assignment is to introduce first-year students to the primary scientific literature, including the ability to search and access hard-copy and electronic library resources. In addition, the assignment engages students towards more broadly contextualizing chemical theory covered during lectures. In our experience, we found the curriculum addition is neither a time burden to students in its preparation, nor to instructors in its assessment. These factors allow the exercise to be implemented in courses of any size. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)