Nitrate is a crucial parameter for assessing water quality, owing to its dual function in ecological systems. These functions can be beneficial or detrimental depending on whether nitrate concentrations are low or high, respectively. The ultraviolet spectrophotometric method (standard as 4500-NO[subscript 3]--B) is a classic method for determining…

Practical skills in chemistry are considered an essential outcome of an undergraduate chemistry degree. To achieve this, chemistry curricula are designated a substantial number of hours in teaching laboratories. However, the general method of a summative assessment of these sessions is through a written laboratory report and not through the actual…

This paper describes an innovative method to evaluate students' learning after teaching the topic of stereochemistry using molecular models in an organic chemistry course for second-year pharmacy students at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University. This method is practical and relevant and directly measures the intended learning skills. It is…

Recent efforts to reform K-12 science curricula, embedded within the "NRC Framework for K-12 Science Education" and the "Next Generation Science Standards," have focused on unifying core disciplinary content with crosscutting concepts that span across science disciplines and scientific practices. With these reforms comes the…

Numerous options exist to assess student performance using standardized, multiple-choice exams at the course and department levels. This paper describes the development and implementation of an alternative department-level assessment for graduating chemistry majors. The assessment detailed here evaluates students' ability to transfer chemical…

Increase in tuition fees means there will be renewed pressure on universities to provide "value for money" courses that provide extensive training in both subject-specific and generic skills. For graduates of chemistry this includes embedding the generic, practical, and laboratory-based skills associated with industrial research as an…

The purpose of this study was to develop a scoring rubric to assess students' manipulation skills and identify students' learning difficulties in conducting organic chemistry experiments. In constructing the scoring rubric, we first analyzed the skills needed in the experiment, then divided the skills into subskills, and finally…

The Department of Chemistry at Duke University has endeavored to expand participation in undergraduate honors thesis research while maintaining the quality of the learning experience. Accomplishing this goal has been constrained by limited departmental resources (including faculty time) and increased diversity in students' preparation to engage in…

An evidence centered design approach was used to develop, implement, and assess a novel and innovative digital pipetting badge using Purdue's Passport system. Each student in a large lecture course created a video demonstrating how to use a 10 mL pipet to dispense liquid. The video was uploaded into the Passport system, which allowed instructors…

An environmental research project was carried out by a consortium established among scientists and university lecturers in collaboration with two high schools. High school students participated in a long-term study of the local temporal profiles of tropospheric ozone and the relationship to pollution and meteorological parameters. Low-cost…

A station-based laboratory practical exam for first-year high school chemistry students is described. Students move individually through six stations meant to authentically assess both basic lab skills and problem-solving skills utilized throughout the year. The exam can be completed in an approximately 85 min lab period and can be easily adapted…

A project involving the synthesis of several naturally occurring copper double salts using simple aqueous conditions is reported. The ions present in the compound are analyzed using colorimetric, gravimetric, and gas-analysis techniques appropriate for the first-year laboratory and from the percent composition, the empirical formula of each…

The use of crude flower extracts to the principle of analytical chemistry automation, with the flow injection analysis (FIA) procedure developed to determine hypochlorite in household bleaching products was performed. The FIA comprises a group of techniques based on injection of a liquid sample into a moving, nonsegmented carrier stream of a…

The chemical and instrumental methods used in the study of transition-metal complexes provide a complete determination of their structure, bonding, and properties. It unites concepts of analytical, inorganic, and physical chemistry in a way that students might appreciate that these areas of chemistry are not different.