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We describe the components and implementation of an activity for multivariable calculus featuring applications to the field of chemistry. This activity focuses on the isobaric thermal expansion coefficient found using partial differentiation of the volume of an ideal gas with respect to temperature as pressure is held constant. Broader goals of this activity include enhancing calculus conceptual understanding, encouraging further interdisciplinary study and exploration, and cultivating mathematicians and scientists with broader and deeper backgrounds.

Social media platforms like Twitter offer benefits for promoting and sharing scientific research. Each user becomes an instant news source for their work, and are able to report lab updates, news, and discoveries in near real time, increasing the visibility and citations of one's research and allowing for direct and public engagement with the scientific community. Additionally, such outreach has the possibility of strengthening collaboration and engagement within one's academic department. However, amidst the noise of a billion profiles, how can you be heard and measure your impact? The North Carolina State University Department of Chemistry has adopted an amplification method that relies on promoting departmental news through collaboration between faculty (@NCStateChem) and student organization (@NCStateChemGSA) run accounts, which are then amplified through research lab or personal community member profiles. Because of this strategy, our Twitter account has a following that extends beyond our own students and faculty. In fact, nearly three quarters of our Twitter follower base consists of accounts not affiliated with NC State. Here we share insights into one of our social media strategies for Twitter (#ChemPack) and provide an overview of our in-house amplification network monitoring impressions and engagement rate as a metric to assess our impact.

This study focused on inquiring into undergraduate chemistry professors' efforts in North America to increase student motivation and interest in the subject and the feasibility of methods that connect students to real world applications and societal issues related to chemistry. A survey was distributed to chemistry instructors at post-secondary institutions across the United States and Canada asking about the usage of methods and tools to deliver content aiming at raising students' perception of the relevance of learning chemistry (N = 124). The instrument also asked about instructors' perceptions related to assessment, as well as their perception of how their students value the integration of socio-scientific issues into the curriculum. A chi-squared analysis was performed to identify groups of individuals whose responses were disproportionate, compared to the distribution of responses from the sample, in order to identify any unique occurrences. In general, the usage of real-world applications and socio-scientific issues in post-secondary chemistry courses tends to be related to instructors' value of the role of these topics in their courses, comfort level with the topics, and preferred approaches to developing and implementing the course materials.

Discipline-based educational research (DBER) has shown that three instructional techniques--Supplemental Instruction (SI), Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL), and Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL)--can be effective ways of improving student performance in chemistry courses at the K-12 or college/university levels. The goal of this paper is to use an analysis of the literature to compare and contrast these instructional techniques and, when possible, to determine "best practices" for their implementation. Particular attention will be paid to four themes related to the impact of PLTL on students, impact on peer-team-leaders, how to motivate peer leaders, and impact of peer leaders on the instructors who implement PLTL in their classroom.

The illustration characteristics of 221 visual representations (VRs) of submicroscopic particles in nine Greek secondary chemistry school textbooks from the last three decades were analyzed. This analysis was done to develop a taxonomy that could help science teachers and curricula designers evaluate the efficacy of such characteristics on student learning. The sample was quantitatively divided into three distinct time periods and analyzed qualitatively using the phenomenographic method through an inductive approach. The "unit of analysis" was every VR of submicroscopic particles together with its caption. Qualitative analysis revealed characteristics such as the type of VR, the way of expression, the signs used, the dimensions represented, the text included, and the complexity of the VR. Quantitative analysis revealed the effect of time on the characteristics. The taxonomy provides an integrated view of VRs illustration characteristics that could help in realizing the multiple ways in which the meaning of a VR could be interpreted, whereas it can also contribute to future appropriate design and use of such VRs toward a better science curriculum.

This study assessed the impact of flipped instruction on study effort, exam performance, motivation, and perceived class quality in two sections of an introductory chemistry course. Giving frequent assignments and quizzes provided enough incentive to ensure pre-class study compliance, and flipped instruction did not appreciably increase overall study time. However, technology failures early in the class show an important lesson of what can occur when a teaching modality dependent on technology is used. Unlike in our previous study, flipped students underperformed their control counterparts in the final exam. Differentiated treatment effects were identified, as sophomores and females benefited more from flipped instruction. Similar trends were also observed with student letter grades from a subsequent chemistry course. Flipped instruction did not increase student general motivation. Flipped females, however, exhibited stronger end-of-quarter motivation than flipped males. Flipped students perceived the class to be of lower quality and expressed discontent with in-class technology failures and active learning techniques. We reflect upon the resilience of the traditional lecture format and suggest that new pedagogical methods be implemented at a conservative rate to preserve student learning outcomes in the face of implementation issues.

This study examines the effectiveness of pre-laboratory presentations in an undergraduate general chemistry laboratory using two different modes of delivery: a traditional lecture versus an in-class video presentation. It was anticipated that implementation of videos could result in improved laboratory efficiency, safety, and necessary technical skills for the students. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine this hypothesis by comparing laboratory quiz scores and completion times of students who received their pre-laboratory instruction in a traditional lecture versus in-class video format. The results of this study provide new insight into the benefits of using technology for delivery of prelaboratory instruction and offer suggestions for considerations when implementing technological tools (such as videos) into laboratory instruction.

A required first-year laboratory course was overhauled into a semester-long biosciences course-based undergraduate research experience (BioCURE) with a goal of enhancing learning and improving retention. Student attributes and outcomes were continually monitored by the University's Institutional Research office over a 5-year period and compared against the pre-BioCURE (traditional Biology lab course). Success in the BioCURE was found to be correlated with a passing grade (ABC) in prerequisite majors' chemistry as opposed to nonmajors' chemistry; concurrent enrollment in either majors' or nonmajors' chemistry was less effective than prerequisite majors' chemistry. This unique metric, of assessing the value of a chemistry course as seen through the success in a subsequent bioscience course, provides the authors with convincing evidence to encourage educators to focus on a rigorous, early academic chemistry foundation as well as emphasize interconnections with other disciplines. Diving deeper, success in a more challenging chemistry course prior to taking a required biology course during biological science students' first two collegiate years correlated with increases in student success in biological sciences degree plans, as evidenced by subsequent increases in retention into the third year and six year graduation rates. Students with ABC grades in any first-year chemistry course had a higher rate of graduating in an initially chosen bioscience discipline, but majors' chemistry benefited at-risk students disproportionately more than high-GPA students showing that early chemistry success is critical for strengthening a diverse STEM workforce.

Teaching laboratories are a highly complex environment that require students to master the following: technical skills, application of theory, safe working conditions, and teamwork. Often, students have had very little prior experience to prepare them for this alien and pressured environment. Prelaboratory tasks are typically considered key to mitigating this issue, with simulations being developed to help students prepare for class and also to help improve their technical abilities. Building on a prior initial study, this contribution evaluates student perceptions toward dynamic laboratory simulations as part of their freshman chemistry course. Our data shows that the majority of students found the simulations to have a positive impact on their learning experience, especially during the enforced online learning experiences that resulted from COVID-19. Students were generally found to be less anxious and more excited to attend the laboratories, and they frequently utilized their experiences with the simulations during the in-laboratory class time.

The sudden COVID-19 outbreak has obstructed the conventional method of teaching causing a mandated shift to virtual platforms. A developing country like India which predominantly depended on conventional methods of teaching and learning in the pre-COVID era is gradually gaining success in effectively transitioning into virtual classrooms with the aid of digital programs and online platforms to resume theoretical education. However, chemistry education, in particular, which involves the physical approach to experimentation in conventional laboratories, requires a practical and effective alternative in the virtual arena. Though the country's digital progress has provided virtual experiments that can be helpful in laboratory learning, only very few instructors/teachers are aware of such opportunities. The adaptability and accessibility to virtual laboratories in the Indian context also remain unclear due to various factors that influence the transition from conventional laboratories to virtual laboratories. Therefore, we attempted to evaluate the learning prospects of students by taking up the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) screen experiments for virtual titration as an example. This article aims to reflect information from the feedback of students on their first virtual laboratory experience and after completing an academic year to record learning outcomes in comparison to their prior experience on conventionally carrying out titration experiments and to highlight the features of the virtual laboratories that were preferred by students. Among the various components of the virtual laboratory, students state that the quiz is a component that is engaging and ensures knowledge progression. Conclusively, the students perceive that virtual laboratory experiments should be an integrated part of the laboratory curriculum for enhanced learning. In summary, our work throws light on the need for virtual laboratories in chemistry education in India and its prospect in the postpandemic period.

Purpurogallin (PPG), an orange-red crystalline compound from nutgalls and oak bark, is an exemplar of numerous, ubiquitous natural colorants, biosynthesized through oxidative dimerization-decarboxylation of phenolic compounds. It possesses antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory effects. Herein, a robust method is presented to allow students to expediently make this interesting compound that contains a tropolone ring, whose identity initiated a paradigm shift in the understanding of aromaticity. 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic data ([superscript 1]H, [superscript 13]C-DEPT-Q, HSQC, HMBC) were used to identify which protons are connected to carbon atoms. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), mass spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction were used to provide complementary information. Importantly, sufficient historical detail is given to provide a useful narrative that highlights the shift from deductive and synthetic proof of structural identity to modern methods of structural elucidation. As a minor, but important, aspect of iron gall inks, PPG links the work of important western historical documents from Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man to the United States Declaration of Independence. In the experience of the authors, such a pedagogic approach enlivens students with practical exercises which place them within the historical arc and reasoning of notable scientists, adding a sense of scientific discovery.

Lampworking is a valuable skill for students in Chemistry and others in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) related fields. The activity described here provides instructors the resources to both learn and teach the fundamentals of lampworking. Soft glass, which can be shaped and fused with a Bunsen burner, is used to improve the accessibility of this activity. The Bunsen burners have been modified so that the angle of the flame is between 45 and 60° rather than 90° relative to the base. This modification significantly improves the lampworking experience according to student feedback. Students ranging from Freshmen to Seniors have participated in this activity. This activity introduces students to skills that can be later used with borosilicate glass for scientific glassblowing projects. This activity is both educational and fun for students in STEM fields as well as nonscience majors. Furthermore, this is an excellent professional development opportunity for educators.

Ion-selective electrodes are among the oldest and most important potentiometric sensing methods. In this experiment, students assemble their own reusable ion-selective electrode from glass tubes with an attached PTFE membrane, [(CH[subscript 3]CH[subscript 2]CH[subscript 2]CH[subscript 2]CH[subscript 2]CH[subscript 2]CH[subscript 2]CH[subscript 2])[subscript 3]NCH[subscript 3]]X ion exchanger, and both internal and external Ag/AgCl reference electrodes. Students then evaluate the electrode response as a function of specific-ion activity, measure the activity of an unknown-concentration solution, and determine the electrode selectivity by repeating the analysis in the presence of a fixed amount of interfering ion. With a choice of chloride, nitrate, acetate, and sulfate specific-ion electrodes and a variety of interfering ions, each student in a lab section can do a different experiment while keeping both the lab cost for consumables and the setup time low. The obtained selectivity values are in agreement with the Hofmeister series. Students practice analytical laboratory skills by designing and preparing a calibration curve, see benefits and limitations of ion-selective electrodes, and make use of the Nernst equation.

The basic SIR (susceptible-infectious-removed) model of epidemiology is presented in chemical kinetic terms with a simple two-reaction mechanism. The conditions for the development of epidemics, the course of a simple closed epidemic, and the bases of several mitigation strategies are described in terms of the underlying first- and second-order rate coefficients. Connections are made with the terminology used in epidemiology and in recent news reports on the COVID-19 pandemic.

For solid solutions with the same arrangement of atoms, the size of a unit cell depends on the size of the atoms in the unit cell. The distance between nuclei also helps determine how strongly electrons are held, which changes the band gap energy. Samples of semiconductor CH[subscript 3]NH[subscript3]Pb(I[subscript 1-"x"Br"x")[subscript 3] solid solutions were prepared; the unit cell size was measured by powder X-ray diffraction, and the band gap energy was measured by visible absorption spectroscopy. This use of a material with significant research and technological implications for solar cells illustrates the periodic properties relationship between composition, atomic size, and electron energy levels.

Chemical energy storage and use is a critical part of a sustainable world. In this laboratory experiment, students construct and use an inexpensive hydrogen fuel cell to power a calculator or a clock. The reusable cells are prepared from plastic syringes and a nickel mesh that is coated with a palladium metal catalyst by electroless deposition. One syringe is filled with hydrogen gas and the other with air. A sodium hydroxide solution is the bridge between the cells. Students measure the produced voltage and combine two fuel cells to power electronics requiring 1.5 V. The goal is for students to make the connection between theory and practice for symbolic representations of redox reactions and their macroscopic and atomic/molecular interpretations.

For some professionally, vocationally, or technically oriented careers, curricula delivered in higher education establishments may focus on teaching material related to a single discipline. By contrast, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary teaching(MITT) results in improved affective and cognitive learning and critical thinking, offering learners/students the opportunity to obtain a broad general knowledge base. Chemistry is a discipline that sits at the interface of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine(STEMM) subjects (and those aligned with or informed by STEMM subjects). This article discusses the significant potential of inclusion of chemistry in MITT activities in higher education and the real-world importance in personal, organizational, national, and global contexts. It outlines the development and implementation challenges attributed to legacy higher education infrastructures (that call for creative visionary leadership with strong and supportive management and administrative functions), and curriculum design that ensures inclusivity and collaboration and is pitched and balanced appropriately. It concludes with future possibilities, notably highlighting that chemistry, as a discipline, underpins industries that have multibillion dollar turnovers and employ millions of people across the world.

The study aims to investigate students' conceptualisation of the quantum numbers concept through their verbal descriptions and pictorial representations of the corresponding atomic structures. The study was conducted with the participation of 192 12th-grade students from six secondary schools in Northern Greece, via a paper-and-pencil test, developed by two of the authors, including four open-ended tasks. Each task comprised of two parts aiming to assess both the verbal description of a quantum number and pictorial representation of the atomic structure, respectively. Student responses in both parts were evaluated according to specific criteria, on the basis of their correctness and completeness, whereas the consistency between verbal and pictorial ways of expression was statistically assessed in terms of the symmetry of the corresponding contingency tables. Results provide evidence that students' relevant conceptual problems concern the first and fourth quantum numbers rather than the second and the third ones. Furthermore, an inconsistency between verbal descriptions and pictorial representations is more present in the cases of the fourth and especially the first quantum number, whereas verbal descriptions of the second and third quantum numbers appear to have a rather consistent distribution across categories of pictorial representations. Implications for science education are also discussed.

The importance of utilizing spectroscopic techniques for unraveling structural and compositional changes in nonreacting and reacting systems is unquestionable. Nowadays, efforts are directed towards the introduction of relevant spectroscopic techniques to undergraduate students in order to prepare them for future careers in industry and academia, where these techniques are becoming ever-more popular for material quality control, reaction monitoring, process control, etc. Educators have increasingly shifted to programming-based lessons due to intrinsic benefits such as improved and broad accessibility over interactive lessons, dual exposure to chemistry and computer science topics, remote teaching, etc. In this work, a MATLAB-based program is built to expose students at higher education levels (undergraduates and graduates) as well as new users to spectral parameter estimation towards the collection of Raman spectra in a timely manner with high signal to noise ratio (S/N). The development of this intermediate-level intuitive understanding in spectroscopic techniques has the potential to serve as the interface between course curricula and hands-on experience in advanced techniques.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) Committee on Minority Affairs (CMA) endeavors to support all chemistry faculty and staff as they educate all of our students during this pandemic. While the chemistry education community and the ACS have both provided resources as most institutions transitioned to virtual platforms, this pandemic disproportionally affects our students of color, lower socio-economic and rural backgrounds, and students with disabilities. Specifically, these students must overcome hurdles of technology access, environmental disruptions, and cultural pressures in order to be successful. Therefore, CMA has formulated partnerships with both academic and industrial institutions to highlight some best practices to improve future virtual learning experiences of these oftentimes marginalized students. Specifically, the work presented here examines programs and policies at three academic institutions with very different student body demographics and surrounding learning environments (Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), and Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD)) with an attempt to identify variables that enhance marginalized student success in chemistry courses. The combination of their results suggests elements such as access to technology, home responsibility, and impostor syndrome, that other learning programs should consider to increase virtual learning success. Furthermore, other stopgap measures implemented at industrial partners give insight as to how these considerations can be implemented during virtual internship programs to meet their learning objectives associated with entering their institutional pipeline.

Educators around the world have been challenged to adapt their teaching and pastoral care rapidly in response to the coronavirus pandemic. In this article, we, the academic members of the Chemistry Education and Communication Research Theme (CECR) from the School of Chemistry at the University of Sydney, reflect on the challenges and successes over the course of this most unusual semester. We have included discussions on the specific tools and techniques we employed, in light of the available literature, across the range of modes in which we teach, including lectures, tutorials, and laboratories. As many of us prepare to begin or continue teaching, we hope the experiences and lessons we have learned can offer some assistance to our disciplinary colleagues around the world.

Polymers and nanochemistry are important facets of chemistry. In this experiment, students synthesize monodispersed poly(methyl methacrylate) nanospheres from the addition or chain polymerization of a rapidly stirred aqueous mini-emulsion of methyl methacrylate. The 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride serves as a heat activated, water-soluble, free radical initiator to polymerize the emulsion droplets starting from their outer edge. The uniform small diameter particles will appear iridescent if they are close-packed and their size is similar to the wavelength of visible light. Students characterize the size of the poly(methyl methacrylate) spheres by four methods: the settling velocity and Stokes' law, evaporative self-assembly of a photonic material and visible spectroscopy, direct measurement using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and SEM measurement of the silica inverse opal. This experiment increases student collaboration and provides the opportunity to work on multiple experiments at once.

Nanoparticle Zn[subscript 2x] Cu[subscript 1-x] In[subscript 1-x] S[subscript 2] is a promising and safer alternative to lead- and cadmium-containing quantum dots. Students prepare Zn[subscript 0.44] Cu[subscript 0.78] In[subscript 0.78] S[subscript 2] quantum dots in a one-pot synthesis without an inert atmosphere and investigate how the color, visible absorption band edge, and photoluminescence peak wavelength depend on the size of the particle. Octadecene is used as a noncoordinating solvent with a high boiling point. Oleic acid and stearic acid are used as ligands to dissolve the metal salts in the solvent at 150°C. Dodecanethiolate coordinates to the metal ion, and above 200°C, the metal thiolate decomposes to produce metal sulfide nanoparticles, coated in dodecanethiolate. Samples are withdrawn from the hot solution and quenched at room temperature to produce a series of increasing nanoparticle sizes with the same chemical composition.

We present ideas about concepts underlying climate change, held by students in years 9 and 10. Misconceptions about climate change are common among students, and may be due to misconceptions about underlying concepts. To investigate this, we developed the Climate Change Concept Inventory (CCCI), and trialed it with 229 students; corroborating findings through focus group interviews. Our interview method and data analysis methods are described. Findings included overestimation of human contributions to atmospheric carbon inputs, ultra violet radiation in sunlight, and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Students were unaware that CO2 dissolves in water, and of the role of oceans in the carbon cycle. Greenhouse gases other than CO2 were rarely known. Earth's energy balance and black body radiation were not well understood. There were misconceptions about interactions between electromagnetic radiation and atmospheric gases; and limited understanding of carbon chemistry. The CCCI is available from the corresponding author.

Previous work at Monash University has shown that students recognise that inquiry-, problem-, context- and industry-based experiments were better contextualised, more open to decision making and aided in the development of scientific and transferable skills. This study investigated whether these gains persisted over a longer time scale, rather than just after the completion of a given experiment. Student focus groups were conducted at the completion of units (sometimes known as a course) in which more than half of the laboratory experiments were redesigned. Annual surveys were distributed to monitor students' perceptions of the aims of teaching laboratories, and their expectations of their own behaviour. The findings indicated that the previously noted positive outcomes were still evident at the end of a semester. The annual survey showed that whilst 2nd year students were able to appreciate the real world context of the experiments, 3rd year students did not. Overall, the large-scale changes away from expository experiments had a positive impact on student enjoyment and perceived skill development but only when meaningful proportions of the experiments were redesigned. It would appear that the continuing existence of many expository experiments undermined the students' perceptions of the benefits gained by the new laboratory experiments.

Understanding the controls of the oxidation rate of iron (Fe) in oxygenated aquatic systems is fundamental for students of the Earth and Environmental Sciences as it defines the bioavailability of Fe, a trace metal essential for life. The laboratory experiment presented here was successfully developed and used during a third-year undergraduate lab course at Imperial College London for several years. It employs ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy calibrated externally with 0 to 50 [mu]M Fe[superscript 2+] standards created in a 492 [mu]M ferrozine and 0.43 M acetate matrix. The students conducted the oxidation experiments in stirred batch reactors at equilibrium with atmospheric oxygen. The solution contained 40.5 [mu]M initial Fe[superscript 2+] concentration and a 5.1 mM imidazole buffer. The pH was adjusted to values between 7.22 and 7.77. The students observed a pseudo-first-order reaction with respect to Fe[superscript 2+] concentration. Plotting the logarithms of the apparent rate constants (k') at different pH values leads to a gradient of 2.2 ± 0.2 min[superscript -1] pH[superscript -1], indicating a second-order reaction with respect to OH[superscript -] concentration, in agreement with published literature. The oxidation reaction occurred rapidly (tens of seconds to tens of minutes) indicating that in oxygenated aquatic systems, Fe[superscript 3+] will be the dominant oxidation state, significantly reducing the bioavailability of Fe. The simple laboratory experiment presented here allows the students to learn about kinetic parameters for a fundamental chemical reaction. It allows the students to explore the significant implications this has for aquatic ecosystems.

In this brief experiment, students create a superhydrophobic surface as an application of polar--nonpolar interactions and redox chemistry. Half of a zincgalvanized steel strip is coated in copper nanoparticles through electroless deposition. A layer of nonpolar octadecanethiol is added to half of that copper surface. Students classify the three resulting surfaces as polar or nonpolar using water drops as a probe. This simple procedure illustrates introductory chemical concepts while incorporating nanochemistry and illustrating surfaces of increasing technological importance.

In this study, students' understanding of chemical changes was investigated in relation to four individual differences, related to logical thinking, field dependence/independence, convergence and divergence thinking. The study took place in Greece with the participation of students (n = 374) from three grades (8th, 10th and 12th grades) of secondary education. A stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the above cognitive variables were statistically significant predictors of the students' achievement, with logical thinking to be the most dominant. Unexpectedly, no statistically important effect was found across ages. Moreover, students' partial achievement scores on understanding the structure of substances and their changes, along with the cognitive variables, appeared to have an effect on their competence in interpretation of chemical changes. Path analyses were implemented to depict these effects. A theoretical analysis that associates the role of cognitive variables with the nature of mental tasks involved when learning chemistry is also presented. Implications for science education are discussed.

The author discusses the history of the Molecular Education and Research Consortium in Undergraduate Computational Chemistry (MERCURY), which has made significant contributions benefiting science faculty and undergraduates. The peer review publication rate of 1.7 for MERCURY faculty is 3.4 times the average rate for physical science faculty at primarily undergraduate institutions. Since 2001, 888 students have worked on research projects; 75 percent of them have come from underrepresented populations, such as female students or students of color. Approximately half of all graduates have pursued advanced degrees in STEM fields; two-thirds of this group have been female and/or students of color. More than 1,600 people have attended the 18 MERCURY conferences that have hosted 111 speakers, including 61 who were faculty members of color or female.

This study, based on the theory of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge investigated the effectiveness of introducing open source YouTube videos in the teaching and learning of the Chemistry topic 'Group Properties' at a high school in Lesotho. A quasi-experimental design was used for two conveniently selected Form D classes; one class used as the experimental group (n = 49) and the other as a control group (n = 60). The questions in the pre-test and the similar post-test were formulated to establish the learners' cognitive abilities in line with various levels of Bloom's Cognitive Domain. The mean performance of the two groups before the intervention was not statistically different. After introducing the experimental group to YouTube videos the performance of the group was significantly better than that of the control group during the post-test. The performance of the experimental group was also significantly better than that of the control group at the higher cognitive levels of Bloom's Cognitive Domain, namely, at application to evaluation. The incorporation of videos in teaching Chemistry provided a better option than the traditional method of science teaching. The use of the YouTube videos resulted in a doubling of the percentage of the experimental group learners passing the post-test (from 12 to 27%), while the percentage of control group learners passing the tests remained constant at 5% for both the pre-test and the post-test. In light of the significant benefits of using YouTube videos in this context of poor laboratory resources, it is recommended that teachers should be trained to integrate technology in their teaching in order to supplement practical work.

Variation in marks awarded, alongside quality of feedback, is an issue whenever large-scale assessment is undertaken. In particular, variation between sessional teaching staff has been studied for decades resulting in many recorded efforts to overcome this issue. Attempts to curtail variation range from moderation meetings, extended training programmes, electronic tools, automated feedback or even audio/video feedback. Decreased marking variation was observed whenever automated marking was used, potentially due to less academic judgment being used by the markers. This article will focus on a case study of three interventions undertaken at Monash University that were designed to address concerns around the variability of marking and the feedback between sessional teaching staff employed in the chemistry teaching laboratories. The interventions included the use of detailed marking criteria, Excel marking spreadsheets and automated marked Moodle reports. Results indicated that more detailed marking criteria had no effect whilst automated processes caused a consistent decrease. This was attributed to a decrease in the academic judgment markers were expected to use. Only the Excel spreadsheet ensured the provision of consistent feedback to students. Sessional teaching staff commented that their marking loads were reduced and the new methods were easy to use.

How students behave and learn in the teaching laboratory is a topic of great interest in chemical education, partly in order to justify the great expense of teaching laboratories. Much effort has been put into investigating how students think, feel and physically act in these unique learning environments. One such attempt was made through the generation and utilisation of the Meaningful Learning in the Laboratory Instrument (MLLI). This 30 question survey utilised Novak's theory of Meaningful Learning to investigate the affective, cognitive and psychomotor domains of the student learning experience. To date, this survey has been used to great effect to measure how students' perception of their own feelings and actions will change over the course of a semester. This study reports the use of a modified MLLI survey to probe how the expectations of students change over their undergraduate degree. To increase the generalisability of the outcomes of the study data was gathered from four universities from Australia (Monash University, the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney) and the UK (the University of Warwick). Students were found to start their university careers with very positive expectations of their teaching laboratory experiences. Their outlook became somewhat more negative each year that they were enrolled in the program. A further modified MLLI survey was presented to teaching associates and academic staff. Teaching staff were shown to have far more negative expectations of the students' feelings and actions, with academic staff more likely to believe that students do not undertake many items of positive meaningful learning. Overall, this study highlights the large gap between the expectations of teaching staff and students which, if left unaddressed, will likely continue to cause great frustration for both teaching staff and students.

This paper describes results from a study on the career choices of women earning doctorates in chemistry in the United States. Presented here are findings related to the participants' identification with traditional female gender roles and expectations for behavior in the male-dominated field of chemistry. Underlying a career decision-making model are the traditional gender roles women participants struggled with as they evaluated different careers in chemistry. Many of the participants envisioned being the primary caretakers for their future families and wanted careers that would accommodate this lifestyle. Findings of note include the freedom from traditional female gender roles exhibited by the lesbian participant, the views towards future familial responsibilities exhibited by both the participants in a relationship and those who were single, and the conflict between feminine personality traits and observed mannerisms of women faculty members. The challenge for research-focused chemistry departments in the United States lies in making departmental culture more supportive of families, more accommodating of the need for work-life balance, and more accepting of traditionally feminine mannerisms and behaviors. (Contains 1 table.)

The "Atoms-First" approach has received considerable attention in the chemical education community over the past few years as an alternative to the standard reaction-based two-semester General Chemistry curriculum. The Atoms-First model emphasizes the electronic structure of the atom as a means to explain and rationalize chemical reactions and stoichiometry, which are then covered at the end of the first semester. The current study analyzes the results of switching from a traditional reaction-based curriculum to an Atoms-First approach in a two-semester General Chemistry course with regards to student performance on standardized American Chemical Society (ACS) exams. The study evaluated roughly 600 students over three years of classes, and found that the outcomes were generally favorable for topics related to atomic and molecular structure. A comparison of the two approaches and suggestions for implementation of the Atoms-First approach are also included.

This work describes an effective, low cost method to anodize small aluminum objects. The use of a PVC spacer between the anode and cathode significantly reduces the size of the electrochemical cell and electrolyte required for its operation. Students will explore the physical and chemical properties of aluminum and anodized aluminum. They will have the opportunity to apply the techniques they have learned during the design and production of a personalized aluminum name tag. Immersion of the anodized aluminum samples in aqueous pH indicators bromocresol purple or thymol blue produces solid-state gas sensors that are used to detect HCl(g) or NH[subscript 3](g). The modules described in this work are acceptable for introductory chemistry classes both at the high school and undergraduate levels.

A 14 week undergraduate course on laboratory safety was developed at the University of Pittsburgh. The first segment of the course consists of a series of lectures intended to increase the students' knowledge and appreciation of safety. In the second segment, experts from both academia and industry present and discuss case studies on specialized issues in laboratory safety. The course culminates with interactive exercises, written assignments, and student capstone projects, which reinforce an understanding of the course principles and encourage undergraduates to take leadership and ownership of safety. The creativity exhibited through the student projects and the results of a post-semester survey suggest that the course inspired students to take a greater role in promoting safety culture.

Many examples exist in the chemical education literature of individual experiments, whole courses or even entire year levels that have been completely renewed under the tenets of context-based, inquiry-based or problem-based learning. The benefits of these changes are well documented and include higher student engagement, broader skill development and better perceived preparation for the workforce. However, no examples appear to have been reported in which an entire school's teaching laboratory programme has been significantly redesigned with these concepts in mind. Transforming Laboratory Learning (TLL) is a programme at Monash University that sought to incorporate industry inspired context-based, inquiry-based and problem-based learning into all the laboratory components of the School of Chemistry. One of the ways in which the effect of the programme was evaluated was through the use of an exit survey delivered to students at the completion of seven experiments that existed before the TLL programme as well as seven that were generated directly by the TLL programme. The survey consisted of 27 closed questions alongside three open questions. Overall, students found the new experiments more challenging but recognised that they were more contextualised and that they allowed students to make decisions. The students noted the lack of detailed guidance in the new laboratory manuals but raised the challenge, context and opportunity to undertake experimental design as reasons for enjoying the new experiments. Students' perceptions of their skill development shifted to reflect skills associated with experimental design when undertaking the more investigation driven experiments. These results are consistent with other literature and indicate the large scale potential success of the TLL programme, which is potentially developing graduates who are better prepared for the modern workforce.

The aims of teaching laboratories is an important and ever-evolving topic of discussion amongst teaching staff at teaching institutions. It is often assumed that both teaching staff and students are implicitly aware of these aims, although this is rarely tested or measured. This assumption can lead to mismatched beliefs between students and teaching staff and, if not corrected for, could lead to negative learning gains for students and become a source of frustration for teaching staff. In order to measure and identify this gap in a manner that could be readily generalised to other institutions, a single open question--'What do you think the aims of doing a practical chemistry course are?'--was distributed to students and teaching staff at two Australian universities and one UK university. Qualitative analysis of the responses revealed that students and teaching staff held relatively narrow views of teaching laboratories, particularly focusing on aims more in line with expository experiences (e.g. development of practical skills or enhances understanding of theory). Whilst some differences were noted between students at the three institutions, the large amount of similarities in their responses indicated a fairly common perception of laboratory aims. Of the three groups, academics actually held the narrowest view of teaching laboratories, typically neglecting the preparation of students for the workforce or the simple increase in laboratory experience the students could gain. This study highlights gaps between the perceptions of students and teaching staff with regards to laboratory aims alongside revealing that all three groups held relatively simplified views of teaching laboratories.

A low-cost time-resolved emission spectrometer optimized for ruby emission is presented. The use of a Class II diode laser module as the excitation source reduces costs and hazards. The design presented here can facilitate the inclusion of time-resolved emission spectroscopy with laser excitation sources in the undergraduate laboratory curriculum. The ruby decay data show evidence of radiation trapping, an interesting optical phenomenon discussed in the research literature.

The main objective of this work is to analyse the visual representations (VRs) of the microcosm depicted in nine Greek secondary chemistry school textbooks of the last three decades in order to construct a systemic network for their main conceptual framework and to evaluate the contribution of each one of the resulting categories to the network. The sample comprises a total number of 221 VRs of microcosm, 66 of which are VRs of the 8th grade, 92 of the 9th grade and 63 of the 10th grade. For the qualitative analysis of VRs the phenomenographic method was implemented, whereas a basic quantitative analysis followed. Results provide us with a network that can help science teachers and textbooks designers in identifying the plethora of codes employed in these VRs and the plethora of ways in which VRs can be used, as well as, in determining possible causes of relevant students' misconceptions. Quantitative analysis indicates an effect of grade on the content of VRs and relevant implications for science education are discussed.

Natural products are ubiquitous in nature but do not form a large proportion of the A-level syllabuses in the UK. In this article we briefly discuss a small selection of natural products, focusing on alcohols, aldehydes and ketones, and alkaloids. We then outline two natural product experiments that are suitable for A-level chemistry clubs or similar. Experiment 1 is the isolation and analysis of caffeine from tea, and Experiment 2 is the extraction and characterisation of a volatile oil, eugenol, from cloves. These experiments include a variety of laboratory techniques, including steam distillation, determination of melting point, thin-layer chromatography and column chromatography, infrared spectroscopy and ultraviolet spectrophotometry.

The profound advances in the biomolecular sciences over the last decades have enabled similar advances in biomedicine. These advances have increasingly challenged our abilities to deploy them in an equitable and ethically acceptable manner. As such, it has become necessary and important to teach biomedical and scientific ethics to our students who will become the researchers, medical professionals, and global citizens of the future. As advances in the biosciences and medicine are made, developed, and used across the globe, our survival on an endangered planet requires global dialog and consensual action. To that end, a group of us from around the world have come together to describe the differing foundations of our ethical beliefs, and how ethical issues in biomedicine and in science are described and confronted in our countries. We hope to show the commonality in our beliefs and practices and to encourage readers from around the world to contribute to a continuing discussion through a new section of the journal, The Global Ethics Corner.