First-year Chemistry Course Research Articles

Implementation and Evaluation of a Team-Based Electrochemistry Module in a Large Undergraduate Class

Introductory chemistry courses at the undergraduate level offer students a foundation in chemistry principles and an opportunity to develop problem-solving skills. These principles and skill sets are widely applicable across disciplines, and thus first year chemistry courses are a gateway for many programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). While first-year chemistry courses are essential for STEM students, the resulting large-enrolment classes in universities can lead to challenges in implementing active learning and in helping students to reach the course learning outcomes. The evolving field of Chemistry Education Research (CER) offers data and insight for improving teaching and learning strategies at the undergraduate level. We propose and evaluate an electrochemistry team-based problem-solving module as an active learning component of a large, first-year, blended chemistry course. In this paper, we explore the process for developing the module and evaluate this learning approach through focus groups, a large class survey, and student experience interviews. Through a preliminary case study approach, our findings suggest the interactive module is useful for enhancing conceptual understanding and problem-solving in chemistry, and improving academic confidence in electrochemistry learning outcomes. Moreover, students valued their engagement with the team-based problem-solving modules as an opportunity to build community, learn collaboratively, and successfully approach relevant problems.

Development and implementation of chemistry mindset modules in two general chemistry courses at a hispanic-serving institution: an exploratory study

Retention and underrepresentation of diverse ethnic groups have been and continue to be problematic in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines in the United States. One foundational course that is required for all STEM majors is general chemistry. One way to increase retention and diversity in STEM majors is by targeting students’ social-psychological beliefs about their academic success through the implementation of social-psychological interventions. These short impactful exercises aim to change students’ thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about their academic success and affective characteristics. In this exploratory study, we designed and implemented two chemistry specific growth-mindset modules (GMMs) in two first-year chemistry courses (general chemistry 1 (GC1) and general chemistry 2 (GC2)) at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Students worked on the GMMs asynchronously at two specific time points throughout the semester. Using a mixed-methods approach, we assessed students’: (i) changes in mindset beliefs, chemistry self-efficacy (CSE), and chemistry performance, (ii) perceptions towards failures and challenges, and (iii) perceptions on growth-mindset modules (GMM) after participation in GMMs. Overall, GC2 students shifted towards a growth mindset and away from a fixed mindset, with small to medium effect sizes detected. No statistically significant changes in GC1 students’ mindsets were detected throughout the study period. For both courses, students increased in CSE by the end of semester. Furthermore, GC1 students who participated in any portion of the GMM intervention achieved higher scores on the ACS exam compared to those who didn’t participate. Additionally, students’ written responses highlighted an improved attitudinal change towards failures and challenges after participating in GMMs. For both courses, over 95% of the students agreed that the GMMs were valuable, over 95% students indicated they developed more positive attitudes and perspectives towards challenges, and over 96% students believed they could learn challenging topics with effort, determination, and persistence. While these results show differences in performance, CSE, mindset scores, and attitudinal change after participation in GMMs, it is also important to acknowledge that self-selection into the study may be one of the factors for explaining such differences. Results and implications for practice are discussed.

Supporting first-year students in learning molecular orbital theory through a digital learning unit

Abstract A large number of chemistry students drop out of their studies, often because of high requirements for content knowledge. Quantum chemical models of atomic bonding such as molecular orbital (MO) theory are particularly challenging. We aimed to develop an intervention on MO theory based on the Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning framework. First, students work independently with interactive learning videos. Then, they create concept maps about core concepts of MO theory. In this paper, we present the evaluation of this intervention in terms of content knowledge, considering person-specific characteristics. Additionally, we compare three different treatment groups with varying materials and group arrangements, and prospective chemistry teachers with other first-year students. Our results show that students can answer single-choice questions well with the prior knowledge from their first-year chemistry course. Answering open-ended questions is more difficult. Nevertheless, they can improve significantly in both categories by working with the learning videos; creating concept maps does not lead to significant content knowledge changes. There are also no significant differences between the three treatment groups, or between teacher students and other chemistry freshmen. Regarding prior knowledge, differences depending on gender and school-leaving grades can be measured, whereas the choice of courses in school has no effect.

Enhancing academic performance and student success through learning analytics-based personalised feedback emails in first-year chemistry

Recent developments in digital technologies, including learning analytics are changing educational practices due to the wealth of information available and its utility to inform academic interventions for students. This study investigates the impact of personalised feedback emails on students’ academic performance and student success in large first-year undergraduate chemistry courses. Learning analytics was used to inform and generate feedback emails to students at various timepoints during the semester. The feedback emails to students included an evaluation of their current performance, and advice of support systems and resources to support their learning. We analysed the marks of 6334 students at three timepoints during the semester in addition to their final course grade, and compared academic performance across three years of course offerings (2019–2021). We compared students that did not receive feedback (2019 control groups, n = 2391) with students that did receive feedback (2020–2021 experimental groups, n = 3943). Our findings suggest that students receiving personalised emails during the semester were more likely to pass their first-year chemistry course. Furthermore, our data showed that sending personalised feedback emails fostered higher student success among a greater number of students within the cohort, as well as students' appraisal of the personalised feedback.

“I am here because I wanted to shine”: how poetry can be used to better understand undergraduate students’ first-year chemistry or related course experiences

In this study we investigate how first-year chemistry/biology undergraduate students’ original poetry can be used as a reflective tool for others to understand their course experiences. By inviting students from an integrated first-year chemistry/biology course to write poetry about their experiences, we use poetic content analysis as a qualitative research method to analyze the students’ responses to an open-ended prompt. In analyzing the poetry, four major categories emerged: knowledge, community, emotions, and identity, each of which includes examples that reflect and enhance our understanding of well-documented milestones and ideas in the literature regarding first-year student academic experiences, therefore highlighting the extent to which poetry can be useful in this regard. In presenting these findings we also demonstrate how such an approach might be used by others to better understand student experiences, including those related to learning, belonging, and/or identity in their introductory chemistry or related courses.

MDH protein interactions and phosphorylation: Engaging students with a novel scientific theme using CUREs

Using CUREs to integrate research into the teaching environment has significant impact on motivation and persistence of STEM students as seen from traditional undergraduate research experiences. Specifically, involvement in undergraduate research provides opportunities to think and act as scientists, bolsters feelings of belonging, and improves confidence in STEM. THE MDH CURES Community is an NSF funded community of faculty using malate dehydrogenase (MDH) to engage students in CUREs. One of several themes of MDH CUREs is protein‐protein interactions and the impact of post‐translational modification. Here we present how several primarily undergraduate and comprehensive universities and a community college, several of which are Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), have included MDH‐CS interactions in their classroom. Interactions between cytosolic MDH and four other proteins thought to share substrate/product were explored in silico at a community college in a first‐year chemistry course. At Malone university, students used MS phosphorylation information to predict potential interactions which they explored by mutagenesis. Students at Mercyhust University have used in‐silico and experimental methods to design and then test CS and MDH interactions using pull down assays. Students at Suffolk University created a novel bacterial two‐hybrid model to test interactions between cytosolic and mitochondrial MDH with CS in a genetics course. In a horizontally integrated sequence, students at University of San Diego modeled potential interactions between MDH and CS and the effects of various mutations. In a subsequent semester, students used that information to analyze the mutation’s functional impact and effect on interactions with MDH‐CS using a pull‐down assay. Each project is an ongoing effort working as part of the MCC network. Approaches and lessons learned will be shared.

A construct modelling approach to characterize chemistry students’ understanding of the nature of light

ABSTRACT Across science disciplines, light is a common tool for measuring, characterizing, and catalysing molecules and molecular processes. Despite the ubiquity of light-based tools, little research has been done to investigate how students understand light and light–matter interactions (LMI). This topic is typically first introduced in first-year undergraduate chemistry courses where students initially encounter the quantum nature of light and matter. How students make sense of this content and transition from classical concepts to quantum concepts is relatively unknown. To gain further insight on how students develop quantum-level conceptions about light, we use a construct modelling approach. This approach is best suited to capture progressions in student understanding. In this study, we begin to model students’ understanding of LMI by first developing a model for the nature of light. Two sets of qualitative interviews were conducted about the particulate nature of light and the wave nature of light. Analysis of interviews resulted in four construct maps, which can provide information to instructors and researchers about the variation in student understanding of the nature of light. Findings from this study have implications for how quantum chemistry is introduced at the postsecondary level.

“Every little thing that could possibly be provided helps”: analysis of online first-year chemistry resources using the universal design for learning framework

Rapid advancements in information and communication technologies (ICTs) have afforded numerous variations to traditional chemistry curricula where pedagogical strategies that have been employed have assumed “one-size-fits-all”. The translation of print-based instructional resources into multimodal online and digital forms enables greater accessibility, flexibility, and usability to support students in their understanding of complex chemistry concepts. To ideally offer an online learning environment that is accessible by all students to the greatest extent possible, this study employed the principles of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework to analyse the design of online instructional resources for topics in first-year chemistry courses. Through application of UDL principles, students were provided with multiple means of representation of concepts, options for action and expression, and various avenues for engagement within the learning management system (LMS). This paper describes how the UDL framework was used to evaluate three separate independent Cases of tertiary first-year chemistry courses, including one university in the Philippines and two universities in Australia. Evaluation through surveys, focus groups, and individual interviews revealed students’ perceptions of the usefulness of the UDL-based features. Students cited benefit from multiple forms of content delivery, animations, interactive simulations, and video recordings because they facilitated processing of information, provided alternative ways of presenting the information, allowed for varying methods for response, navigation, and flexibility, and allowed for self-evaluation of their progress. These results suggest that applying the principles of the UDL framework in instructional design of an online environment in first-year chemistry courses can support and further enhance students’ learning irrespective of their individual contexts.

Superlatives in Teaching General Chemistry.

What is the strongest Brønsted acid, the strongest base, the strongest oxidizing agent? If not understood in an absolute, once-and-forever sense, the answers to such questions may help at extending and reinforcing the meaning of simple concepts in first-year chemistry courses. Moreover, they serve the purpose of introducing research aspects and linking them to general chemistry.

Reflexiones sobre el uso de la estadística inferencial en investigación didáctica

As a product of educational research activities, a large amount of data is produced, the analysis of which represents a challenge for the researchers. In this context, the large number of interrelated factors that may have an impact on the data makes it extremely difficult to draw reliable conclusions, either when describing or predicting the behavior of a student population, or when evidencing the effect of didactic interventions. Statistical inferential analysis provides tools that allow the systematic and efficient evaluation of a sample of the population to be studied. In this work we present a reflection on the implementation and interpretation of results associated with the application of three inferential instruments (probability distribution, confidence interval and hypothesis test) to a case study derived from our teaching experience. These instruments allowed us to evaluate the influence that the course modality (face-to-face or online) exerts on the academic performance of first-year students of Facultad de Quimica, Universidad de la Republica. In addition, these statistical tools were also applied to the study of the incidence, on the same population, of a didactic intervention in which a set of materials was incorporated into a massive first-year chemistry course (General Chemistry I), with the aim of promoting active learning and self-regulation. In this regard, inferential statistics allowed the systematic and efficient analysis of the information associated with this case study, allowing to draw statistically significant conclusions.

Investigating first-year undergraduate chemistry students’ reasoning with reaction coordinate diagrams when choosing among particulate-level reaction mechanisms

Reaction coordinate diagrams (RCDs) are an important tool used to visualize the energetics of a chemical reaction. RCDs provide information about the kinetics of the reaction, the mechanism by which the reaction occurs, and the relative thermodynamic stability of the molecules in a reaction. Previous research studies have characterized student thinking about chemical kinetics, including their confusion in distinguishing between kinetics and thermodynamics. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 44 students enrolled in a second-semester, first-year undergraduate chemistry course to elicit students’ ideas about surface features of RCDs and to examine how students connect those surface features to features of particulate-level reaction mechanisms. Students were provided both a gas-phase reaction and its accompanying RCD, and then they were asked to choose the particulate-level reaction mechanism that best corresponded to both the reaction and the RCD from among several possible particulate-level reaction mechanisms. Students were asked to explain their reasoning throughout the interview. Findings include students who chose the correct mechanism with appropriate reasoning, as well as students who chose the correct mechanism yet still expressed inaccurate ideas related to the surface features of RCDs and the concepts encoded within them. Students struggled to explain and reason with surface features such as peaks, valleys, and peak height. Moreover, students frequently found it difficult to identify meaningful connections between these surface features, the stoichiometry of the reaction, and the steps in a reaction mechanism. In addition, many students failed to mention important features of RCDs when describing their reasoning about the connections between particulate-level reaction mechanisms and RCDs. The implications for incorporating these research findings into teaching practices in first-year undergraduate chemistry contexts are discussed.

SIX DEGREES OF CHEM & BACON

Some courses are just not of interest to some students but are nonetheless important to their education as engineers. First-year chemistry for engineers has been shown to be one such course; student exit surveys at graduation indicate that students from some programs didn’t see how the course connected to their program or into their careers as engineers [1]. Gamification is a popular technique where game elements, like point systems, are integrated into a course structure to motivate student learning and participation [2]. In the offering of this first-year chemistry course in the summer of 2019, the instructor applied gamification techniques in the course design. The major changes to the course structure included the ability to “unlock” an alternate grading scheme if at least five of seven tasks were completed, at least three of which were the completion of a “Six Degrees of Chem & Bacon” challenge. These challenges required the students to think about a core topic in the course module and find a practical application from their discipline of engineering. The experiences of the instructor and a student in the Spring 2019 class are shared here. The big take-aways are 1) to consider the benefits of reflection in learning, and 2) to consider the workload, both of the students and of the teaching team, when adding this type of activity to a course.

Design and Validation of an Instrument to Measure Students’ Interactions and Satisfaction in Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory Classes

This paper describes the development, final design and validation of an instrument that measures a range of student interactions and satisfaction in undergraduate chemistry laboratories. Student surveys or conceptual and attitudinal instruments are widely used techniques for collecting relevant information on student learning. However, there is a lack of specific instruments for collecting data on the relationships between social factors and learning. Consequently, this study attempted to fill this gap by introducing an instrument—the Interactions in Undergraduate Laboratory Classes (IULC). The design of the IULC instrument is based on the theory of distributed cognition, meaning that knowledge is not rooted in an individual’s mind, but develops in the process of interacting with the environment. The instrument covers three aspects: (i) frequency of interactions, (ii) satisfaction and (iii) importance of interactions for the specific laboratory. Undergraduate students (N = 204) enrolled in a first-year chemistry course participated in a test case for the instrument and the corresponding data were analysed using different methods for each of the three parts. The factor structure of the data obtained from the first part of the instrument and internal consistency measures are discussed. Among findings captured by the instrument, student-teacher (instructors in the university context) interactions correlated positively with students’ satisfaction levels. Implications and suggestions for the use of the instrument are discussed.

Revisiting the use of concept maps in a large enrollment general chemistry course: implementation and assessment

In an effort to improve student conceptual understanding and help students better connect pre-existing knowledge to new ideas, a concept map assignment was implemented in a first-year college level general chemistry course. This implementation included a quasi-experiment that was carried out in discussion group recitation sections within a third-quarter general chemistry course. Students enrolled in a single section of the course were divided into two groups in which a concept map treatment was compared to a control group that completed short journal entries. Comparison of a concept inventory post-test using an independent samples t-test indicates students in the concept map treatment appear to perform better than the students in the journal control group (t = 2.34, mean difference = 0.844, p < 0.05). However, a multi-variable regression analysis in which the concept inventory post-test scores were compared between the treatment and control groups, while traits related to incoming academic preparation were held constant, suggests there was no significant difference in performance (unstandardized b = 0.222, p = 0.540). The quality of the students’ concept maps was also evaluated and correlated to student performance on the concept inventory, and it appears students who were better at concept mapping made greater gains in conceptual understanding (Pearson's r = 0.295, p < 0.05). When the relationship between the quality of concept mapping and concept inventory post-test was determined while holding constant covariates related to incoming academic preparation, the unstandardized B coefficient was positive, but was not significant at the p = 0.05 level (unstandardized b = 0.215, p = 0.134) This study does not provide unequivocal evidence that a concept map treatment leads to greater gains in conceptual understanding compared to a control population, or that students with better concept mapping skills performed better on the concept inventory instrument. Nevertheless, a template for implementing a concept map assignment in a large enrollment course is provided, and the results presented herein might prompt chemistry instructors to consider including concept map assignments in their instructional toolbox.

Graphing Activity for the First General Chemistry Lab Session to Introduce Data Processing

The first day of lab was traditionally a day to check into lab drawers, discuss lab safety, and perform a basic primer in graphing with Microsoft (MS) Excel, but it now includes an activity that involves reproducing a rather complex graph from the scientific literature. The activity is designed to give the students a brief introduction to the layout of a scientific article; its similarity to the scientific process; and basic statistics, including mean and standard deviation. The task of reproducing the graph from the literature requires students to demonstrate their ability to perform calculations using MS Excel, plot multiple series on one graph, display trendlines, use a secondary axis, and employ custom error bars. The mastery of these skills is apparent to the students and instructors by inspection of the completed graph and grading of the spreadsheet and postactivity questions using a rubric that is specific to the learning outcomes (96.3% class average). Furthermore, the graph to be duplicated is chosen from a paper coauthored by an undergraduate from our university, which creates a sense of relevance to the students. Using an article from our institution also provides the advantage of having access to the raw data, which are not always found in the literature. The incorporation of this activity into the first lab session of our introductory first-year chemistry course has resulted in the instructors of this and subsequent courses to rarely need to assist students in creating graphs, which are the routine conclusion to many lab sessions.

Using Transition-Metal Complexes as Catalysts for Radical Addition Reactions: A Laboratory Experiment Demonstrating the Important Role of Catalysts in an Organic Transformation Reaction

This laboratory experiment demonstrates the important utility of transition-metal complexes as catalysts in the addition reaction of carbon tetrabromide (CBr4) to select alkenes. This application offers students the opportunity to understand why transition-metal complexes are worth synthesizing. The experiment builds on fundamental theories presented during first-year general chemistry courses and integrates concepts taught in organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, organometallics, and instrumental analysis. It incorporates some advanced laboratory practices for students to assimilate with, such as literature searches and interpretation; organometallic compound analysis; catalysis experiment design; reaction mechanisms; NMR spectroscopy with comprehensive spectra interpretation; and X-ray crystallography.

Exploration of Substituent and Isotope Effects on Reaction Rates by a Computational Modeling Experiment

The effects of substitution on reaction rates are at the heart of both physical chemistry and organic chemistry. In this paper, we present a computational laboratory module to explore the effects of group substitution and isotopic substitution on reaction rates by using a readily accessible graphical interface, a computational engine, and spreadsheet software. The module focuses on simple unimolecular isomerization reactions, often used as a classic example for kinetics in first-year, organic, and physical chemistry courses. In the context of a physical or physical organic chemistry course, the module is used to illustrate substituent and/or isotope effects on reaction rates, as well as chemical reaction rate calculations.

Online pre-laboratory tools for first-year undergraduate chemistry course in Uruguay: student preferences and implications on student performance

As a fundamental part of their chemical education, first-year undergraduate students are substantially involved in laboratory activities. Despite the specific teaching staff choices on the main laboratory aims, students normally receive a vast amount of information during these activities. Apart from understanding theoretical content, fundamental skills such as manipulation, data collection and interpretation should be developed. In this context, learners could feel overwhelmed since they can only process a few pieces of information at a time. Indeed, our experience at theUniversidad de la República(Uruguayan public university) shows that many first-year students are in fact not able to cope with all the information they receive during laboratory activities. As a result, many of them only follow the experimental protocol automatically, without gaining significant knowledge or developing the necessary skills. In this work, we assessed the use of new online interactive pre-laboratory activities implemented for 252 first-year university students enrolled in a 12-module General Chemistry laboratory course. The student choice of interactiveversusmore traditional material was evaluated together with observed preferences regarding the different interactive tools offered. Besides, an online pre-laboratory discussion forum was also implemented and assessed. Both the interactive material and the discussion forum were chosen freely by the majority of students (61% and 79%, respectively). Interestingly, the choice was to some extent modulated by student previous performance. Interactive pre-laboratory material was more frequently chosen by low previous performance students, whereas pre-laboratory forum was preferentially used by high previous performance students. Finally, the influence of these new materials on student laboratory performance was statistically analyzed. Other personal and academic variables were also taken into account. Interactive material access was positively correlated with the final laboratory marks for medium previous performance learners. On the other hand, for lower previous performance students, the academic discussion between teachers and partners promoted by the online forum was positively correlated with their academic performance.

Implementation and Student Assessment of a Two-stage Midterm Exam in a First-year Physical Chemistry Course for International Engineering Students

Group exams have been shown to improve student performance, retention of material, and teamwork and communication skills. This paper assesses the opinion of students regarding group exams, and their perception of potential benefits and impacts on their learning, before and after having participated in one. Both a traditional and two-stage exam were performed in first-year physical chemistry courses in the engineering stream of Vantage College at UBC, which means the participating cohort is entirely composed of international students with a range of English-language communication skills.The overall experience of students with group exams, based on survey responses, was positive, and the large majority of students indicated they would like to continue using this format of exam in the future. The perception of group exams improved before and after having written one, with the students initially overestimating the difficulty, stress, and level of conflict associated with this process. Some students indicated less confidence that peer learning helped them improve their performance after having written the exam, but further study to elucidate the significance and the causes of this result.

The Use of E-Resources and Innovative Technology in Transforming Traditional Teaching in Chemistry and its Impact on Learning Chemistry

<p><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">Chemistry is often perceived as being a dry and boring science subject, probably because of traditional teaching method, static textbook, lack of interactivity and difficulty in visualization of the abstract chemical concepts. E-learning resources (e-resources) and the utilization of technology have become one of the major trends in education, replacing the conventional textbook and traditional talk and chalk teaching method. A study was undertaken to assess students’ perceptions of the impact of the e-resources and technology on various aspects of their learning. Data were collected through a questionnaire involving 28 undergraduates, who were taking first-year Chemistry course in Taylor’s University, Malaysia. A Moodle e-Learning platform was made available to the students, where the students can assess e-resources anytime and anywhere. Innovative technologies such as mobile clicker, simulation and augmented reality (AR) were integrated into classroom instruction. Most of the students found the e-resources provided useful and well prepared them for the assessments in the course. Their understanding and ability to answer questions had improved. They were motivated to study the subject because it was more interactive and engaging. Overall findings showed that these e-resources and innovative technologies gave positive impact on students learning in chemistry.</span></span></p>