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131	"You get what you pay for" vs "You can alchemize": Investigating Discovery Research Experiences in Inorganic Chemistry/Chemistry Education via an Undergraduate Instructional Laboratory Bodenstedt, Kurt Wallace 08 1900 (has links) Synthesis of d10 complexes of monovalent coinage metals, copper(I) and gold(I), with dithiophosphinate/diphosphine ligands -- along with their targeted characterization and screening for inorganic or organic light emitting diodes (LEDs or OLEDs, respectively) -- represents the main scope of this dissertation's scientific contribution in inorganic and materials chemistry. Photophysical studies were undertaken to quantify the phosphorescence properties of the materials in the functional forms required for LEDs or OLEDs. Computational studies were done to gain insights into the assignment of the phosphorescent emission peaks observed. The gold(I) dinuclear complexes studied would be candidates of OLED/LED devices due to room temperature phosphorescence, visible absorption/excitation bands, and low single-digit lifetimes -- which would promote higher quantum yield at higher voltages in devices with concomitant lower roll-off efficiency. The copper(I) complexes were not suited to the OLED/LED applications but can be used for thermosensing materials. Crystallographic studies were carried to elucidate coefficients of thermal expansion of the crystal unit cell for additional usage in materials applications besides optoelectronic devices. This has uncovered yet another unplanned potential application for both copper(I) and gold(I) complexes herein, as both types have been found to surpass the literature's threshold for "colossal" thermal expansion coefficients. Two other investigations represent contribution to the field of chemistry education have also been accounted for in this dissertation. First, a 12-week advanced research discovery experiment for inorganic chemistry has been designed to help students develop application-based content expertise, as well as to introduce students to research experiences that are similar to those found in academia, industry, and government research laboratories. Students are expected to develop a novel research project through conducting a literature search to find suitable reaction protocols, incorporating synthetic techniques, collecting data, characterizing products and applications of those products, and presenting their results. This multi-week research discovery experiment is centered on applications of inorganic synthetic techniques to design, analyze, and screen d10 coinage metal complexes for possible LED/OLED-based applications that were presented in chapter 3 of the dissertation. The second chemistry education contribution pertains to designing a pilot research study to investigate undergraduate chemistry majors' perceptions of environmental sources/influences, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, career interests, and career choice goals in the lab designed in chapter 4 of the dissertation. Specifically, this research aims to gauge students' perceptions of their ability to perform synthetic and analytical methods for the creation of materials that were used in a novel research experiment in the context of an inorganic chemistry laboratory. This research study used a survey to collect data on students' motivation, self-efficacy, career interests, and career goals upon graduation, along with their perceived barriers within the course. This research study is guided by the following research question: How does an inorganic chemistry laboratory course, following a research discovery model, impact undergraduate students' (a) confidence with techniques and skills, (b) perception of ability to conduct research, and (c) interest in pursuing careers involving chemistry? Photoluminescence d10-d10 Interactions Coinage Metal Complexes OLED Materials LED Materials Upper-Division Undergraduate Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory Instruction Hands-On Learning/Manipulatives Discovery Learning IR Spectroscopy Laboratory Equipment/Apparatus NMR Spectroscopy Spectroscopy Undergraduate Research Chemistry Education Research Student Perceptions on Learning Pilot Study Social Cognitive Career Theory
132	Chemické vzdělávání ve Skotsku - výuka chemie na středních školách a vzdělávání učitelů chemie / Chemical Education in Scotland - teaching of chemistry at high schools and chemistry teachers education Laburdová, Jiřina January 2015 (has links) The Czech Republic and Scotland rank similarly in international pupil's performance tests. However, education systems of these countries differ greatly. This research has three main focus areas: 1) general aspects of Scottish education including teaching methods, school and real life connections in teaching, and school leaver's destinations 2) studying Chemistry and teaching at university 3) Chemistry in the senior phase of secondary education and the change of topics and exam paper brought in with the new Curriculum for Excellence. Comparative analysis of syllabi, exam papers, government publications and OECD reports was used and personal experience from an exchange study programme at a Scottish university and a work placement at a secondary school in England were utilized. The Higher exam paper was translated and Czech secondary students sat the test Furthermore, teacher trainees and Chemistry teachers were asked to evaluate the test. Results show that Czech students are taught different things and are accustomed to different ways of being tested, ones that are more focused on knowledge and less on critical thinking. Chemistry education in Scotland is more focused on school and real life connections and newest scientific discoveries. Therefore, Chemistry support notes for the senior phase were analyzed...
133	Undergraduate Students' Understanding and Interpretation of Carbohydrates and Glycosidic Bonds Jennifer Garcia (16510035) 10 July 2023 (has links) <p>For the projects titled Undergraduate Students’ Interpretation of Fischer and Haworth Carbohydrate Projections and Undergraduate Students' Interpretation of Glycosidic Bonds – there is a prevalent issue in biochemistry education in which students display fragmented knowledge of the biochemical concepts learned when asked to illustrate their understandings (via drawings, descriptions, analysis, etc.). In science education, educators have traditionally used illustrations to support students’ development of conceptual understanding. However, interpreting a representation is dependent on prior knowledge, ability to decode visual information, and the nature of the representation itself. With a prevalence of studies conducted on visualizations, there is little research with a focus on the students’ interpretation and understanding of carbohydrates and/or glycosidic bonds. The aim of these projects focuses on how students interpret representations of carbohydrates and glycosidic bonds. This study offers a description of undergraduate students’ understanding and interpretation using semi-structured interviews through Phenomenography, Grounded Theory and the Resources Frameworks. The data suggests that students have different combinations of (low or high) accuracy and productivity for interpreting and illustrating carbohydrates and glycosidic bonds, among other findings to be highlighted in their respective chapters. More effective teaching strategies can be designed to assist students in developing expertise in proper illustrations and guide their thought process in composing proper explanations in relation to and/or presence of illustrations.</p> <p><br></p> <p>For the project titled Impact of the Pandemic on Student Readiness: Laboratories, Preparedness, and Support – it was based upon research by Meaders et. al (2021) published in the International Journal of STEM Education. Messaging during the first day of class is highly important in establishing positive student learning environments. Further, this research suggests that students are detecting the messages that are communicated. Thus, attention should be given to prioritizing what information and messages are most important for faculty to voice. There is little doubt that the pandemic has had a significant impact on students across the K-16 spectrum. In particular, for undergraduate chemistry instructors’, data on the number of laboratories students completed in high school and in what mode would be important information in considering what modifications could be implemented in the laboratory curriculum and in messaging about the laboratory activities – additionally on how prepared students feel to succeed at college work, how the pandemic has impacted their preparedness for learning, and what we can do to support student learning in chemistry can shape messaging on the first day and for subsequent activities in the course. An initial course survey that sought to highlight these student experiences and perspectives will be discussed along with the impact on course messaging and structure. </p> <p><br></p> Glycobiology Higher education Education assessment and evaluation Learning sciences Other education not elsewhere classified Public health not elsewhere classified Carbohydrates Glycosidic bonds COVID-19 glycoscience Glycoscience Education Higher Education COVID-19 Pandemic Laboratory Visualizations Representations representations in learning Fischer Haworth Fischer projection formulas Fischer projections Haworth projections Glucose Fructose Alpha bond Beta bond Sugar molecules biochemistry education Biochemistry general chemistry laboratory general chemistry General chemistry education curriculum distance learning students distance learning laboratories distance learning technologies Self instruction student centered learning Student centered teaching representational competence representational competencies
134	Evaluation of a Novel Biochemistry Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Stefan M Irby (6326255) 15 May 2019 (has links) <p>Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) have been described in a range of educational contexts. Although various learning objectives, termed anticipated learning outcomes (ALOs) in this project, have been proposed, processes for identifying them may not be rigorous or well-documented, which can lead to inappropriate assessment and speculation about what students actually learn from CUREs. Additionally, evaluation of CUREs has primarily relied on student and instructor perception data rather than more reliable measures of learning.This dissertation investigated a novel biochemistry laboratory curriculum for a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) known as the Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Lab (BASIL). Students participating in this CURE use a combination of computational and biochemical wet-lab techniques to elucidate the function of proteins of known structure but unknown function. The goal of the project was to evaluate the efficacy of the BASIL CURE curriculum for developing students’ research abilities across implementations. Towards achieving this goal, we addressed the following four research questions (RQs): <b>RQ1</b>) How can ALOs be rigorously identified for the BASIL CURE; <b>RQ2</b>) How can the identified ALOs be used to develop a matrix that characterizes the BASIL CURE; <b>RQ3</b>) What are students’ perceptions of their knowledge, confidence and competence regarding their abilities to perform the top-rated ALOs for this CURE; <b>RQ4</b>) What are appropriate assessments for student achievement of the identified ALOs and what is the nature of student learning, and related difficulties, developed by students during the BASIL CURE? To address these RQs, this project focused on the development and use of qualitative and quantitative methods guided by constructivism and situated cognition theoretical frameworks. Data was collected using a range of instruments including, content analysis, Qualtrics surveys, open-ended questions and interviews, in order to identify ALOs and to determine student learning for the BASIL CURE. Analysis of the qualitative data was through inductive coding guided by the concept-reasoning-mode (CRM) model and the assessment triangle, while analysis of quantitative data was done by using standard statistical techniques (e.g. conducting a parried t-test and effect size). The results led to the development of a novel method for identifying ALOs, namely a process for identifying course-based undergraduate research abilities (PICURA; RQ1; Irby, Pelaez, & Anderson 2018b). Application of PICURA to the BASIL CURE resulted in the identification and rating by instructors of a wide range of ALOs, termed course-based undergraduate research abilities (CURAs), which were formulated into a matrix (RQs 2; Irby, Pelaez, & Anderson, 2018a,). The matrix was, in turn, used to characterize the BASIL CURE and to inform the design of student assessments aimed at evaluating student development of the identified CURAs (RQs 4; Irby, Pelaez, & Anderson, 2018a). Preliminary findings from implementation of the open-ended assessments in a small case study of students, revealed a range of student competencies for selected top-rated CURAs as well as evidence for student difficulties (RQ4). In this way we were able to confirm that students are developing some of the ALOs as actual learning outcomes which we term VLOs or verified learning outcomes. In addition, a participant perception indicator (PPI) survey was used to gauge students’ perceptions of their gains in knowledge, experience, and confidence during the BASIL CURE and, therefore, to inform which CURAs should be specifically targeted for assessment in specific BASIL implementations (RQ3;). These results indicate that, across implementations of the CURE, students perceived significant gains with large effect sizes in their knowledge, experience, and confidence for items on the PPI survey (RQ3;). In our view, the results of this dissertation will make important contributions to the CURE literature, as well as to the biochemistry education and assessment literature in general. More specifically, it will significantly improve understanding of the nature of student learning from CUREs and how to identify ALOs and design assessments that reveal what students actually learn from such CUREs - an area where there has been a dearth of available knowledge in the past. The outcomes of this dissertation could also help instructors and administrators identify and align assessments with the actual features of a CURE (or courses in general), use the identified CURAs to ensure the material fits departmental or university needs, and evaluate the benefits of students participating in these innovative curricula. Future research will focus on expanding the development and validation of assessments so that practitioners can better evaluate the efficacy of their CUREs for developing the research competencies of their undergraduate students and continue to render improvements to their curricula.</p> Biochemistry Education Course-based Undergraduate Research Course-based Research Experiences CURE anticipated learning outcomes ALOs ALO CURAs research abilities PICURA ALO matrix BASIL weighted-relevance WR verified learning outcomes VLOs CUREs biochemistry computational biochemistry bioinformatics biochemistry education chemistry education chemistry teaching laboratory upper-division ACE-Bio experimental competencies Authentic science inquiry chemical education assessment assessment design Student understanding student difficulties biochemistry laboratory experiments biochemistry teaching laboratory chemistry teaching laboratory chemistry teaching laboratories predicting protein function protein inquiry-based learning inquiry-based teaching content analysis open-ended survey interviews semi-structured interviews PPI participant perception indicator assessment triangle CRM conceptual reasoning mode conceptual-reasoning-mode model curriculum evaluation experimental abilities discovery skills learning objectives learning outcomes LO LOs collaborations collaborative course implementation implementation student difficuluties experimental learning experimental literacy data-representation ACE-Bio Network Likert-survey

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