Learning Chemistry for an Exciting (and Uncertain) Future

Abstract

We and our chemistry students face an exciting and uncertain future. To meet this future, what does it require of us, especially those who teach introductory courses? One possible answer is to select more interesting topics around which to organize student learning, especially in first-year chemistry courses. Almost any topic will do; a starter set could include energy, water, public health, and food, topics that fall under the larger umbrella of sustainability and global stewardship. A second answer is to develop more robust learning goals for our students, especially those relating to the world around us. For example, we and our students need the ability to think across time and space in order to gain multiple points of view. We need to connect the dots both globally and locally, tracing the pathways of substances from cradle to grave. Although our students don't really need superpowers, perhaps enhanced powers of the imagination could help them better connect chemistry to the world in which they live. The ultimate goal is to better prepare them for an exciting and uncertain future.