Holistic assessment is an evaluative approach in which assessors work backwards from an overall appraisal of work to determine the criteria relevant to individual student responses. One of the strongest proponents of this approach in higher education is Royce Sadler, whose theoretical contributions over recent decades provide a strong conceptual…

Multilingual learners face significant challenges when navigating the linguistic complexities of chemistry assessments. This study, employing the Equitable Framework for Classroom Assessment, identified these specific challenging features in general chemistry assessment items on the topics of limiting reactant and percent yield. Through in-depth,…

Study abroad attempts to prepare students to effectively work in a multi-national environment. This study compares students' experiences in a unit operations laboratory course offered in multiple modalities: at students' home university, and four- and eight-week study abroad. The results examine the impact of support on students' learning and…

The main purpose of this study is to reveal the opinions of science teacher candidates regarding the implementation of Discovery Learning-Based STEM Education in distance education with Applied Activities. The study was designed as a case study. Participants were first given basic chemistry education and introduced to the concepts of STEM,…

A dual-enrollment course was designed in which the elementary concepts of organic chemistry were introduced to high school students. Students were assessed at the end of the term using an American Chemical Society (ACS) standardized exam. The same exam was given to corresponding traditional on-campus sections of the same class taught by the same…

Herein we present an engaging description of the existent analogy between social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic and the collision cross-section of particles as defined in the collisional model for a chemical reaction. In addition, the link between collision cross-sections and kinetic rate constants is thoroughly established, bridging…

Volumetric titrations are an accurate and precise analytical method, which explains their use in industrial and research settings and their inclusion in senior secondary chemistry curricula around the world. Students often have difficulty understanding the intricacies of titrations because they are novices being presented with a long list of…

Data-handling, processing, and analysis skills are an integral part of a chemist's skill set and, more generally, are highly sought by employers. We report a self-directed workshop to develop and advance these key skills using the popular spreadsheet program Microsoft Excel. Making use of its accessible user interface, various contextualized…

The use of synchronous remote teaching methods in two undergraduate analytical chemistry courses during the COVID-19 pandemic is described. Classes were convened using cloud-based video conferencing software, and the majority of class time involved students working in small groups on worksheets. All group activities were followed by a whole-class…

Investigation of the kinetics of phosphorescence decay is a suitable learning task in studying the formal kinetics, and also properties of crystal phosphors. Kinetics of phosphorescence decay of crystal phosphors can be experimentally investigated at home as part of distance learning, using a conventional digital photo camera and a luminescent…

The closure of campuses in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic meant that scheduled practical activities for introductory chemistry students could not take place. The first practical class started prior to shutdown, and 21.5% of the students undertook the face-to-face offering. The remainder completed an online offering consisting of the same…

The purpose of this study was to develop two Sudoku puzzles for undergraduate students which can be utilised in the context of introductory physical science courses in order to assist them to practice SI prefixes. For this reason, SI prefixes for decimal multiples and submultiples were addressed in two separate puzzles. To test the puzzles, a case…

Research in the past decades repeatedly revealed university students' struggles to properly understand physical chemistry concepts. In contrast to school, tertiary teaching relies heavily on the symbolic level, mainly applying abstract representations such as equations and diagrams. To follow the lessons and generate conceptual understanding,…

This comment discusses some issues about the use and reporting of experimental studies in education, illustrated by a recently published study that claimed (i) that an educational innovation was effective despite outcomes not reaching statistical significance, and (ii) that this refuted the findings of an earlier study. The two key issues raised…

The development of science education in many countries is varied and diverse. However, one common goal of science education in the different contexts is the focus on scientific literacy. To promote scientific literacy, the Nature of Science (NoS) is one of the vital components for raising scientifically literate citizens. In view of this, the…