Under the appropriate conditions, oscillatory chemical reactions have the capacity to generate chemical waves and spatial patterns. Among these structures, Turing patterns are a distinct class that, to date, has not been commonly demonstrated in a classroom environment. We present here a novel, practical procedure for the demonstration of Turing…

Assessments that are open-ended and student-centered may be used to encourage formation of networks between prerequisite material and new course content thereby promoting meaningful learning. Creative Exercises (CEs) are assessments that allow multiple correct answers and do not penalize for incorrect statements thereby inspiring creativity. CEs…

Most chemistry students struggle with interpreting and understanding NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectra and the general concepts of NMR spectroscopy. NMR spectroscopy seems to be difficult to both teach and learn. Therefore, the corresponding courses should be investigated in more detail. We conducted a survey with N = 39 German university…

Active learning and student-centered learning are becoming the preferred teaching approach in higher education. Once heavily based on lectures, science instructors are adopting new teaching methods to promote active learning. Lecture-based courses can be modified to increase student engagement by including in-class discussions, activities, and…

Active learning has often been reported to improve student outcomes in STEM courses. However, there are barriers to its implementation, and it is challenging to include this approach in large classrooms with fixed seating. This investigation explores the development of a novel approach in which the class contact time was reallocated for a general…

Retention of students' attention in general chemistry courses stands as one of the main challenges that educators are facing in classes of any size and is especially prevalent with classes composed of mixed majors. Herein, we describe our experience with introducing short, 10 min student lectures ("flash talks") on popular chemistry…

We have revamped a classic analytical chemistry laboratory experiment, "Determination of an Unknown Acid", to provide students an opportunity to learn about new advances in the material sciences and their applications in analytical chemistry in an effort to reinforce the key concepts of chemical analysis. Specifically, students were…

In this paper, we present simple demonstrations aimed at explaining the fundamental principles of the photoacoustic effect. To display the audible phenomenon that occurs as laser radiation gets absorbed by ethene gas, an optical chopper was used to modulate the power of a continuous-wave laser whose beam was directed into a gas. The absorbed…

The quality and effectiveness of online teaching-learning are increasingly important with online learning becoming the norm. This cross-sectional survey study aimed to determine the relationship between first-year polytechnic students' perception of chemistry asynchronous lectures and their learning performance. Their perception was determined…

Reports of the results of research within the emerging field of biochemistry education are appearing at an ever-increasing rate. Capturing an image of the landscape of Biochemistry Education Research (BCER) is complicated, however, by the interdisciplinary nature of biochemistry courses that may be taught at different levels and in different…

Despite the substantial progress made to develop evidence-based pedagogical practices that support student learning, many courses are dominated by "traditional" practices such as a passive lecture. Thus, a continued focus on reforming courses is necessary. Here we describe the deliberate practice-driven reform of a large lecture-format…

Guided by the 5E framework (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate), a buffer solution courseware was designed using "Articulate Rise," a content authoring tool. It was deployed in a freshman general chemistry course in the April semesters of 2022 and 2023. The courseware was a supplementary resource to support instructor-created…

Analogies are useful tools instructors can use to help make challenging concepts less abstract by drawing connections to familiar contexts. In this paper we provide an overview of the various analogies published in the education literature that are situated in the context of enzyme kinetics, including narrative-based analogies (analogies intended…

"Beer Brewing: Chemical and Biochemical Principles" is a 15 week laboratory and lecture course specifically designed for nonscience majors as an introduction to science literacy via structured laboratory experiments that encourage student engagement. It provides students with a foundation in chemical and biochemical principles using a…

Active learning pedagogical approaches and methodologies have been shown to increase undergraduate student success. Specifically, the flipped classroom approach pushes course content outside of the classroom, allowing for the focus of each class period to be centered on student-student interactions and reducing student cognitive load in comparison…