In this article we describe the construction of a low-cost electronic device to adapt the widespread traditional approach of Analytical Chemistry teaching into laboratory experimentation based on the guided research model. To this aim we construct a portable electronic instrument based on the Arduino microcontroller and use it to develop various…

Experimental methods for determining 3-D atomic structures, such as crystallography, are rarely taught in the undergraduate curriculum, yet are considered to be the norm for 3-D structure determination in a research setting. Although a fully physical understanding of crystallography takes years of practice, practical applications and basic…

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is vital to synthesis and provides rich problem-solving opportunities to organic chemistry students. Using the theories of scaffolding, interleaving, and blocking, our research systematically explores how textbooks introduce and reinforce spectral features when teaching students to solve [superscript…

When Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts asked in the 2016 affirmative action case "Fisher v. University of Texas," "what unique perspective does a minority student bring to the physics classroom?" the Equity and Inclusion in Physics and Astronomy group replied by rejecting the premise of the question itself.…

In general, undergraduate experimental physics laboratories do not usually have experiments designed to address rolling friction and to measure the value of the rolling friction coefficient. This work explores an experiment, which has the potential to arouse students' curiosity about rolling friction by addressing a counterintuitive aspect of the…

When engaging with a textbook, students are inclined to highlight key content. Although students believe that highlighting and subsequent review of the highlights will further their educational goals, the psychological literature provides little evidence of benefits. Nonetheless, a student's choice of text for highlighting may serve as a window…

We investigate the effects of guided group work sessions on graduate student performance on a quantum mechanics assessment. Data from a single large Midwestern university were taken over a five-year period, during which guided group work sessions were offered to accompany the graduate-level quantum mechanics course. Students were pre- and…

Research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education supports a shift from traditional lecturing to evidence-based instruction in college courses, yet it is unknown whether particular evidence-based pedagogies are more effective than others for learning outcomes like problem solving. Research supports three distinct pedagogies:…

A simple, repeatable and inexpensive laboratory practice applied to teach and discuss aquatic metal pollution and oxidative stress detoxification mechanisms through biomarker analyses, as well as important ecotoxicology concepts, is presented herein. It has been implemented in a university in Brazil to both undergraduate and Master's and PhD…

Although active learning is well-known to positively impact student academic achievement, there is limited research on classroom behavior, interaction, and engagement in active learning settings. This research applied an explanatory case study method in order to describe students' behaviors, interactions, and engagement in an active learning…

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has become a cornerstone tool for studying a variety of molecular features in advanced chemistry laboratories. In this experiment, students prepare a pyrrole-[beta]-amide via a one-pot, three-step synthesis and use NMR spectroscopy to confirm its molecular structure. In addition, variable temperature…

Green chemistry metrics and life-cycle analysis (LCA) were used to assess inefficiencies in two current organic chemistry experiments conducted in third-year organic chemistry to synthesize ("E")-stilbene from benzaldehyde. An alternative Wittig-based, greener, one-pot experiment using the same starting material was selected as a vehicle…

Scaffolded inverse blended learning (SIBL) enables self-paced, individualized learning by incorporating different levels of learning activities. The SIBL approach is described for an online general chemistry course enhanced with face-to-face interactions for first-year students in an institute of higher learning. It can be easily modified and…

Whether it is prolonged strike action, a protest movement, or a global viral outbreak, the disruptions triggered in higher education are profound. In a STEM subject, laboratory classes are vital to teaching and learning. Chemistry educators had to transport laboratory skills-based teaching and assessment of courses to the virtual world at short…

While the suspension of face-to-face instruction disrupted laboratory components of most chemistry-based classes at the college level, it was notably disruptive to upper-level chemistry courses based solely on laboratory experiences. This communication describes the logistical and pedagogical efforts made in an integrated, upper-level,…