The use of interlocking toy building blocks (e.g., LEGO) as teaching modules with a focus on the topics in organic chemistry is presented. Interlocking building blocks were assembled on a baseplate to depict chemistry concepts of hydrogenation of alkenes, hydration of alkenes, Markovnikov's rule, cis and trans isomers, hydrogen bonding, optical…

Team-based learning (TBL) is a research-based instructional practice (RBIP) shown to increase students' content knowledge, class engagement, motivation, and science self-efficacy. After several years of using TBL in an upper-division biochemistry course and noting the same positive effects, we were hesitant to abandon TBL when forced to consider…

Case studies are helpful teaching tools that can bring scientific concepts to life. Here, we present a case study related to protein-ligand interactions, amino acids, protein structure, and protein modification. While protein-ligand interaction is a foundational concept within Biochemistry, there are few available case studies that focus on this…

A physical chemistry lab for undergraduate students described in this report is about applying kinetic models to analyze the spread of COVID-19 in the United States and obtain the reproduction numbers. The susceptible-infectious-recovery (SIR) model and the SIR-vaccinated (SIRV) model are explained to the students and are used to analyze the…

The process of method development is at the heart of analytical chemistry, yet direct experimental experience with the process is rarely taught in the undergraduate laboratory. We report here an experiment that uses rapid, safe, and inexpensive paper-based microfluidics with cell phone detection in order to facilitate the development of a…

Simple, often artificial problems are normally preferred for introductory lab courses and are restricted to indoor participation. Microtitrations make it possible to leave the lab and study water chemistry directly in the natural environment. An exemplary outdoor challenge is presented here: travertine formation is context-rich, has to be examined…

The work in this dissertation is presented in two parts. The first part (Chapters 3 and 4) details work relating to students' explanations of reaction mechanisms in organic chemistry. The second part (Chapters 5 and 6) details work relating to the evaluating the uptake of research-based instructional practices in introductory chemistry,…

This study uses two different approaches to examining student outcomes and understanding in the context of aspects of acid-base chemistry. It introduces the use of evidence centered assessment design as a design framework of a multi-dimensional acid-base titration laboratory and as an analysis tool of student performances in a lab setting and in…

Much of the research examining teacher discourse in learning environments has given little focus to teacher discourse while using educational technology such as simulations (Erduran, 2019; Tabak & Kyza, 2018). Research has shown how discourse often contributes to the developmental aspects of the learning environment such as argumentation or…

The lack of time available for staying up to date with the literature is a common issue for scholars and practitioners in many disciplines. A recent challenge issued on Twitter with the goal to read 100 papers in 100 days attracted the attention of several members of the chemistry education research community. In this paper, we report the outcomes…

We explored how various contextual resources accumulated over multiple years operated together to facilitate a team of high school teachers' sustained and agentive learning after a 4-year research-practice partnership (RPP) grant concluded. Specifically, we examined constellations of resources that promoted the co-evolution of the teachers'…

The field of science education has put effort into providing opportunities for students to position themselves as epistemic agents pursuing the goal of making sense of natural phenomena. However, students often struggle in adapting scientific practices to achieve the sense-making goal. In this position paper, we conceptualise students'…

Quantitative reasoning (QR) competencies are increasingly called for in the data rich and complex environment of STEM disciplines, including biology. Curricular reform efforts in QR have been directed at disseminating course design and pedagogy but less work has been directed at understanding what faculty at large view as crucial for student…

In this third and final manuscript from the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) 2022 Lab Survey we document the efforts of Human Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) educators in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Institutional, instructional, and student demographics, and laboratory activities and learning outcomes were the focus of…

This article illustrates how science teachers can build upon the spatial repertoire within sheltered English instruction to support multilingual learners (MLs). Specifically, this work explores how multiple modalities within a secondary marine biology classroom can be leveraged for instruction to support language and content learning, as well as…