Biennial Conference On Chemical Education Research Articles

Effectiveness of the active learning in organic chemistry faculty development workshops

Active learning has been shown to improve student outcomes and learning, yet organic chemistry instructors have been slow to adopt these pedagogies. The Chemistry Collaborations, Workshops, and Communities of Scholars (cCWCS) Active Learning in Organic Chemistry (ALOC) workshops have sought to facilitate the adoption of active learning methods by helping participants define active learning and understand best practices, persuading them to incorporate these practices into their teaching, and supporting their implementation efforts through an online community, Organic Educational Resources (OrganicERs.org). The effectiveness of the workshops was measured over a two-year period using teaching self-efficacy and teaching practices instruments. Comparison to pre-workshop self-efficacy surveys found significant and sustained gains for knowledge about and belief in the efficacy of active learning methods (d = 1.18 compared to pre-workshop responses) and confidence in intention to implement (d = 0.60). Belief that they were implementing more active learning in their classrooms (d = 0.85) was corroborated by the teaching practices survey and survey of class time allocation which also showed statistically significant (p < 0.001) and sustained growth in student centered teaching (d = 1.00), formative assessment (d = 1.04), student–student interactions (d = 0.96), and the amount of class time spent with students working in groups (d = 0.68) for the workshop participants. Gains for participants in the 3 hour Active Learning in Organic Chemistry workshops at the 2016 Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE) were smaller than those in the 4 day ALOC workshops, but still meaningful. These results indicate that the 2015 and 2016 Active Learning in Organic Chemistry faculty development workshops effectively increased participants’ knowledge about, belief in the efficacy of, and implementation of active learning methods.

26th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, July 18–23, 2020, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon

The 26th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE) will be held July 18–23, 2020, hosted by Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. BCCE provides opportunities for interacting with chemistry instructors of all levels in formal and informal settings. Join colleagues for professional growth and social networking and discover how Chemistry Is Paramount.

Mole Storytelling Jam debuts at BCCE

More than 120 people attended the inaugural Mole Storytelling Jam at the 25th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE), held July 29–Aug. 2 at the University of Notre Dame. The conference, sponsored by the ACS Division of Chemical Education, is held every two years and provides chemistry educators with opportunities for interacting with colleagues at all levels in formal and informal settings. Maria Gallardo-Williams of North Carolina State University and Holly Walter Kerby of Fusion Science Theater created the storytelling jam session to help chemical educators use storytelling tools to share their knowledge and build community. “We wanted chemical educators to have an opportunity to share what they learned in their classrooms with others in the community,” Kerby says. “Telling stories seemed like an ideal way to do that.” “People will listen to a story and be entertained and learn things at the same time,” Gallardo-Williams says. “These stories were

Reaching and connecting every chemistry classroom

Like many members of the American Chemical Society, I joined the organization in college. As an undergraduate, I was a member of the ACS student affiliate group at California State University, Chico, and during that time, the club members became my family. We studied together, put on high school chemistry day events, held barbecues, and organized softball games. The curriculum for a chemistry major is intense, and I appreciated the help and support I received from my peers and members of the faculty. After I graduated, I continued to benefit from my ACS membership. I received the Journal of Chemical Education and Chemical & Engineering News; I joined the Division of Chemical Education and attended the Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE); I even presented my chemical education research at ACS national meetings. Yet I missed the family-like connections of my university days. In 2014, I read in the Journal

25th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, July 29–August 2, 2018, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana

The 25th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE), will be held July 29–August 2, 2018, hosted by the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. BCCE provides opportunities for interacting with chemistry instructors of all levels in formal and informal settings. Join colleagues for professional growth and social networking, and discover how Chemical Education is Golden.

Chemistry Education and Green Chemistry on the Third Coast

The themes of sustainability and chemistry education are coming together on the Third Coast at the 23rd Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE). The BCCE will be held at Grand Valley State University, August 3–7, 2014. The conference will provide an opportunity for chemistry educators and others with an interest in chemistry education to meet and interact in workshops, symposia, poster sessions, and a host of social events. The program includes content of interest to teachers of all levels of chemistry. Numerous social and recreational events are scheduled that take advantage of the proximity to southwestern Michigan beaches and the vibrant downtown of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

BURNING ISSUES IN CHEMICAL EDUCATION

LAST MONTH'S MIDSUMMER HEAT wave rolled into Indiana just in time to greet the attendees of the 19th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE) with a blast of hot, humid air. But the dog's breath heat didn't seem to faze the 1,100 or so chemical educators who'd traveled to the event, the largest gathering of chemical educators in the world, held at Purdue University on July 29-Aug.3. Of course, with the meeting's full schedule of talks, workshops, and demonstrations, most conferees were too busy hurrying between air-conditioned meeting rooms and laboratories to take any notice of the weather. would like to clone myself so that I could be not only in one session but 10 at the same time, remarked American Chemical Society President E. Ann Nalley. It's a sentiment that's frequently shared among attendees of BCCE, which has been sponsored by the ACS Division of Chemical Education since 1970. This year's meeting ...

Chemistry Everywhere. The 18th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, Iowa State University, July 18-22, 2004

This article provides an overview of the upcoming 18th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE) to be held on the campus of Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, July 18-22, 2004. The report includes details of conference registration, campus housing, campus dining, off-campus housing, tours, social activities, plenary speakers, the conference banquet, travel, and Sci-Mix. The 18th BCCE is using an online abstract submission system, registration and campus housing, and campus dining system. Everything about the conference can be found at the conference Web site (accessed Mar 2004).

BIENNIAL SHEDS LIGHT ON PERENNIAL ISSUES

YOU COULD SAY THE WHOLE TOWN of Bellingham, Wash., turned out for the recent 17th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE). At least for a while. On the second morning of the conference, a transformer malfunctioned and the power went out all over town. After five years of planning, George S. Kriz, professor of chemistry at Western Washington University, which was the conference site, and Sara Selfe, a chemistry instructor at Edmonds Community College in Lynwood, Wash., thought they had prepared for anything. But they didn't expect this. The Bellingham Herald called the event the Blackout Biennial. But chemists — especially chemistry teachers—are a hardy bunch. Some teachers held sessions in rooms lit by flashlights or gathered on the quad for more informal sessions. As they say, the show must go on. The lights came back on after several hours, though, and nearly 1,300 conference attendees got down to business in rooms with more of ...

Disciplina, Praedisium, Civitatis: Attend a Summer Meeting and Open Up Your World

Summer Reading, Recommendations by Dick Pagni, Hal Harris, Brian Coppola, and Jeff Kovac, p 648. It’s summer time! Do you have plans to cultivate your mind—or just chill out? There are many choices of conferences, workshops, and other academic programs to attend plus a multitude of summer courses, in-service workshops, and a whole bunch of recommended books (1). While this cannot be a complete list, some of the larger programs include the 17th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE) in Bellingham, WA (see p 660 for an overview of the meeting; see p 692 for an excerpt of a presentation at the 15th BCCE); the Fall 2002 ACS meeting in Boston; Flinn Foundation workshops in 15 locations; and several ACS regional meetings. Those who are more adventurous may want to attend the 17th International Conference on Chemical Education in Beijing, China or the “down under” summer conference—The Royal Australian Chemical Institute Division of Chemical Education National Conference 2002, November 30–December 4 (well, at least it will be summertime there!). Also, don’t forget to make plans for ChemEd 2003, to be held at Auburn University, the farthest south of any ChemEd conference! For more information about these meetings, see Notes.2–10 Have you ever been to a Journal-sponsored workshop? At most ACS national meetings we present workshops, exhibit the printed Journal, demonstrate JCE Software, and share tested ideas proven to enhance your classroom’s learning environment. At the 17th BCCE we are presenting “Experiments for High School Chemistry That You Can Use” on Sunday, July 28; “Chemlab and JCE: The Easy Way to Find New, Peer-Reviewed Lab Experiments” on Monday, July 29; “Developing Demonstrations for the Classroom and the JCE Tested Demonstrations Feature” on Tuesday, July 30; and “Enliven Your Classroom with JCE’s Chemistry Comes Alive!” on Wednesday, July 31. Monday to Wednesday you can also find us at booth 60 in the exhibit hall. If you think that there is nothing in these programs for you, then you couldn’t be more wrong—these meetings are wonderful experiences. You always learn a great deal, meet wonderful people, and enjoy fabulous parties! (BCCE includes the forever infamous Mole Day Breakfast11 at 6:02 a.m. Wednesday, July 31.) Check out the individual conference(s) by visiting their Web sites and requesting a copy of the programs (many have PDFs available online.) The majority of the conferences encourage you to bring your family because there are always planned activities for old and young children alike to enjoy. Beyond the camaraderie, benefits from these conferences include recharging the mind, relaxing the stress, and realigning your curriculum. Sharing with other like-minded educators with similar interests and goals is a remarkable experience. Maybe you won’t improve your Latin, but you might gain new insights into teaching chemistry. Valete! (2, 3).12 Notes

16th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education

Innovation, inspiration, controversy, and consensus were hallmarks of the 16th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE) held at the University of Michigan (UM), Ann Arbor. The conference officially began Sunday, July 30, and ended Thursday, August 3, 2000, but there were workshops and special meetings as early as Saturday morning.