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Commentary
Systems Thinking and Educating the Heads, Hands, and Hearts of Chemistry MajorsClick to copy article linkArticle link copied!
- Matthew A. Fisher*Matthew A. Fisher*E-mail: [email protected]Department of Chemistry, Saint Vincent College, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, Pennsylvania 15650, United StatesMore by Matthew A. Fisher
Abstract
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The recent calls to reorient chemistry education so that it explicitly incorporates a systems perspective offer the potential for learning environments where students not only learn how chemists think and do various tasks in the lab, but also learn about the relationship between chemistry and the larger society. This reorientation will more fully engage students in the three complementary dimensions central to their preparation to become members of a profession like chemistry. The pedagogical approach developed by SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities) is one way that faculty could reorient chemistry courses toward a systems perspective and provide increased emphasis on the ethical nature of chemistry’s impact on society. An undergraduate chemistry curriculum that educates “head, hands, and heart” offers great potential to prepare students to become chemists that are fully committed to the ACS vision of “improving people’s lives through the transforming power of chemistry”.
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Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
SPECIAL ISSUE
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The traditional approach to learning chemistry focuses on starting with the lower levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, knowledge and comprehension, with the goal of working toward application and analysis. In this approach, connections to real-world issues are incorporated only to the extent that time allows, which often results in those connections being presented in a cursory manner if at all. A big problem with the traditional approach is the extent to which it leads to one or more of the three different pathologies of learning described by Shulman: (1)
amnesia, forgetting by students of what they have learned
fantasia, illusionary understandings or persistent misconceptions that students retain over an extended period of time
inertia, ideas learned in a way where students are unable to use these ideas in thinking or to apply them to new situations
In the past 10–15 years, there have been many proposals for redesigning chemistry courses in ways that address one or more of these pathologies. Most recently, several papers have been published that call for a transformation in chemistry education so that student learning of chemical concepts and processes is embedded in a systems perspective. (2,3) A system is “any group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent parts that form a complex and unified whole that has a specific purpose”. (4) This definition makes clear the distinction between a system and a collection; the systems that authors like Matlin and Mahaffy point to as important in chemistry education include social and environmental systems. The call to transform chemistry education to a systems approach is rooted in the concern that students learn chemistry in a way which makes clear its relevance to the diverse challenges of the 21st century, including various challenges related to sustainability. In this context, the pathology of inert knowledge is particularly problematic. The calls for a systems approach to chemistry education parallel calls for the chemistry community to reconceptualize how chemistry is structured and presents itself as a discipline to other groups. (5−7) A common thread in these essays has been the wide range of challenges in the 21st century where chemistry can make a significant contribution but where traditional perspectives interfere with seeing those contributions. In this commentary, I want to explore how the call to ground undergraduate chemistry education in a systems approach also provides new and powerful opportunities for the ethical education of chemistry majors. To better understand the nature of these opportunities, I will start by looking at chemistry as a profession and its relationship to society. In addition, I also want to advocate for the potential utility of the pedagogy developed by the SENCER community in this context.
Chemistry and Society
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Chemistry as a Profession
Shulman and Gardner described a profession as consisting of a group of individuals who are given by society “a certain amount of prestige and autonomy in return for performing for society a set of services in a disinterested way”. (8) In their model, professions share several characteristics:
A commitment to serving others, either individual clients or society in general
A body of special knowledge that contains principles supportive of the ongoing development of the profession
A specialized set of skills and practices that are unique to that profession
The ability to render judgments characterized by integrity under conditions characterized by uncertainty (either technical or ethical)
The ability to learn from experience (individually or collectively) so that new knowledge is obtained in the context of professional practice
A professional community that provides oversight and monitoring of professional practice and education in the profession
These characteristics clearly apply to chemistry. Building on this description of professions, Sullivan and colleagues described three distinct dimensions that characterize professional education. (9,10) The first is a cognitive dimension (“head”) where an individual learns to think like members of the profession. The second is a skills dimension (“hand”) where an individual learns the specific skills that members of the profession use on a regular basis (such as running an instrument or carrying out a reaction). The third is an ethical dimension (“heart”) where an individual develops an understanding of the ethical responsibilities that accompany becoming a member of the profession. This last element of professional education serves to, in the words of Colby and Sullivan (ref (10), p 410):
capture students’ induction into the field’s ethical standards and practices, professional sensibilities, appreciation for and commitment to the field’s essential social purposes, and sense of professional identity in which those purposes and standards are experienced as core features of what it means to practice that profession.
What Colby and Sullivan describe is particularly relevant in the context of the calls for a systems approach to chemistry education. The three dimensions function together as a system, where the outcome, education and professional identity formation of undergraduate students, is greater when we pay attention to the process as a whole than it would be from focusing on the individual components in isolation. The ethical dimension, often overlooked in STEM education, (11) serves as a way of integrating the other dimensions into a holistic view by the individual of what constitutes good work as a member of a profession.
Chemistry and Society
In her presidential address to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Jane Lubchenco stated “Society supports science because doing so in the past has brought benefits and doing so now is expected to provide more.” (12) She went on to point out that society expects two outcomes from the resources it invests in science, production of the best possible knowledge/understanding and the production of something useful that will contribute to the achievement of important goals such as conquering diseases or improving the economy. Along the same lines, The World Congress on Science held in 1999 in Budapest issued a “Declaration on Science and the Use of Scientific Knowledge” that stated (ref (13), p 466):
The practice of scientific research and the use of knowledge from that research should always aim at the welfare of humankind, including the reduction of poverty, be respectful of the dignity and rights of human beings, and of the global environment, and take fully into account our responsibility towards present and future generations.
These statements, while framed in the context of science broadly construed, are clearly applicable to chemistry. We only need to look at several examples to see how the responsibility of chemistry to society is framed in very similar ways:
The American Chemical Society’s statements of vision, “Improving people’s lives through the transforming power of chemistry”, and mission, “Advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people” (14)
The Chemical Professional’s Code of Conduct, (15) established in its earliest form in 1965 by the ACS Board of Directors
The Hague Ethical Guidelines, (16) developed by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
The recently developed Global Chemists Code of Ethics, (17) developed in 2016 and guided by The Hague Ethical Guidelines
These documents, as well as others, articulate an understanding of how chemistry benefits society that should be an important part of the ethical dimension of professional education that undergraduate chemistry majors experience.
At the same time, there has been a reluctance within scientific communities to wrestle with the full implications of the above statements. Joseph Rotblat described this reluctance in his comments to the World Congress of Science where he pointed out the problems with precepts such as “science for its own sake”, “science is neutral”, “science has nothing to do with politics”, or “science cannot be blamed for its misapplication”. (18) The historical development of these precepts is complex and beyond the scope of this commentary. However, Sullivan clearly summarized the change needed in the current perspective of professions when he wrote (ref (19)):
The idea of the professional as neutral problem solver, above the fray, which was launched with great expectations a century ago, is now obsolete. A new ideal of a more engaged, civic professionalism must take its place.
Undergraduate Chemistry Education and the Dimensions of Professional Education
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The Association of American Colleges and Universities describes the essential learning outcomes of a liberal education (20) as
Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world
Intellectual and practical skills such as analysis, written/oral communication, teamwork, and problem solving
Personal and social responsibility
Integrative learning
The first two learning outcomes have been, to varying degrees of success, the focus of undergraduate chemistry education for many years. However, the last two learning outcomes, personal and social responsibility, and integrative learning, have received much less attention. Ethics has gradually become a more important part of the Guidelines for Undergraduate Professional Education issued by the ACS Committee on Professional Training (CPT) to the point where the most recent version of the Guidelines states that “Ethics should be an intentional part of the instruction in a chemistry program.” (21) As part of the ethics component of the undergraduate chemistry curriculum, CPT goes on to state that the curriculum “should expose students to the role of chemistry in contemporary societal and global issues, including areas such as sustainability and green chemistry.”
While several papers have been published in this Journal on the ethical education of undergraduates, (22−25) almost all have focused entirely on preparing students to understand and follow the norms that characterize the responsible conduct of research. While a critically important part of the ethical relationships between chemists (and other scientists), this aspect is internally oriented and does not have the external orientation required to understand the relationship between chemistry and society. As the National Academies document On Being a Scientist stated (ref (26), p 48):
The standards of science extend beyond responsibilities that are internal to the scientific community. Researchers also have a responsibility to reflect on how their work and the knowledge they are generating might be used in the broader society.
Both orientations, internal and external, need to be included if chemistry education is to encompass fully the third dimension of Sullivan’s model that is centered on an ethical perspective. What he describes includes not only relationships between members of the profession but also the relationship between members of the profession and the larger society where it functions. Simply exposing “students to the role of chemistry in contemporary societal and global issues” does not automatically rise to the level of what Sullivan was calling for. As Colby et al. (ref (27), p 185), wrote:
It is equally important to weave moral and civic learning into the disciplines and into the majors... Disciplines and majors are the primary focus of undergraduate education. Students define themselves to a great extent through their majors... moral and civic learning can be integrated into every discipline in a way that will strengthen rather than distort disciplinary learning.
The combination of Sullivan’s approach to professional education and the call for reorienting chemistry education to a systems perspective provide a powerful opportunity to accomplish what Colby et al. describe.
A Systems Perspective in Chemistry Education and the SENCER Approach
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SENCER
How might we incorporate earth and societal systems into chemistry courses so that we “orient chemistry education toward meeting societal and environmental needs”? (3) How might chemistry courses engage “diverse and competing perspectives as a resource for learning, citizenship, and work”? (28) How might chemistry education more fully reflect the ethical/“heart” dimension of professional education? This is different than asking how we can help students learn chemical concepts better or develop the range of skills needed in chemical research. These two questions are clearly connected to the first and second dimensions of professional education, and numerous papers have been published in this Journal that provide a range of ideas and suggestions. However, in terms of bringing other perspectives (societal and/or environmental) into chemistry courses, the challenge is that the undergraduate chemistry curriculum is already too crowded with concepts. One possible answer may be in the pedagogical approach developed by the SENCER community. (29) SENCER, Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities, is a STEM education reform community started in 2001 with funding from the National Science Foundation. Rather than starting with scientific concepts that are “decontextualized”, the SENCER approach to course design starts with a complex civic issue and teaches “through” that issue to the important underlying science concepts. (30−32) In terms of context and content, rather than privileging one over the other, the SENCER approach explicitly takes both into account in the design of the course and intentionally seeks to foster deep connections between the two. While much of the initial work in SENCER focused on courses for nonscience majors, there are some examples of this approach being used in chemistry courses for majors. (33) In this commentary, I will use one example for majors clearly connected to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. (34) Over a decade ago I redesigned the two-semester biochemistry sequence at Saint Vincent College taken by various STEM majors (biochemistry, biology, chemistry) so that all concepts in the course are encountered by students in the context of public health issues. Figure 1 gives a visual representation of one section of the course, where the complex civic issue of HIV and AIDS is the context for learning about enzyme function.
Figure 1
Figure 1. Visual representation of the various concepts that link the civic issue of global AIDS infections to underlying canonical biochemistry concepts related to enzyme function. This representation is patterned after the ones used by Middlecamp et al. (30)
Public health issues were incorporated into the two courses in several ways; readers interested in more detail of how the courses were redesigned, what students learned in these courses, and where students struggled are encouraged to look at previous publications on this work including the description of the course as a SENCER model course. (35−37) Here I will focus on aspects that are particularly relevant to the ethical dimension of professional education. When starting a new section, students were provided with initial material related to the specific public health topic being used for context. Those materials, sometimes videos from programs like NOVA, sometimes readings from sources like The New Yorker or The Atlantic or selections from relevant books, were chosen to provide students with an introduction to the broader contexts and different perspectives important to the issue being examined. Each assignment also included prompts for a writing assignment that guided students in reflecting on different perspectives represented in the materials and how those perspectives connected to what students had encountered in other courses as well as personal and institutional (Saint Vincent College) values. Students completed three of these assignments each semester. A second element of the course was a “public health project”, due at the end of the semester and completed by small groups of students, that required bringing together both biochemistry concepts and ideas from other disciplines to create a web-based product with Google Sites. Like the reflective reading/writing assignments, the public health project also provided students with experience working with diverse perspectives. Both assignments are designed to help students look beyond the science at the same time they are working to understand and use biochemical concepts. While the reflective reading/writing assignments are more structured by materials and prompts selected by me, the public health project is different in that students now have more responsibility for identifying relevant perspectives outside of science and connecting those perspectives to the chosen topic. The Supporting Information for this commentary includes both several examples of the reflective reading/writing assignments as well as the information given to students for the public health project.
It is important to note that the SENCER approach is not simply another version of teaching course concepts “in context”. The SENCER approach involves bringing context and content together through a complex civic issue where multiple perspectives are important. As a result, students are engaged in a learning environment that, as Mahaffy et al. wrote (ref (3), p 2), engages them in
analysing the linkages between chemical systems and physical, biological, ecological and human systems (the latter include legal and regulatory systems, social and behavioural systems, and economic and political systems).
As Mahaffy et al. (3) point out, learning chemical concepts through engagement with rich contexts (such as public health issues) and examining the linkages between the various systems present in the contexts is one way to incorporate systems thinking into chemistry education. The SENCER approach also offers opportunities to engage students in what Colby and Sullivan have described as “deep engagement with the profession’s public purposes”. (10) I see this deep engagement in a civic/public context as lining up very effectively with the earth/societal component of the framework for analysis proposed by Mahaffy et al. (3) as well as being consistent with the points made by Colby et al. (27,28) described earlier in this essay.
Course vs Curriculum
I have described using the SENCER approach in the context of a two-semester biochemistry sequence. However, the call for chemistry education to be reoriented to a systems thinking approach requires that students encounter such learning environments in multiple courses throughout the curriculum so that they have several opportunities to “look beyond the science” at the same time they are learning chemical principles. Consider for a moment how a student’s understanding of chemistry and its impact on society would change if, while completing his or her undergraduate chemistry degree over a period of four years or more, the student experienced:
using some of the Sustainable Development Goals as contexts in general chemistry to learn principles of chemical bonding, stoichiometry, types of reactions, or properties of solutions
using the challenge of discovering and developing new antibiotics as the context in organic chemistry to learn stereochemistry, nucleophilic substitution, or the reactions of carboxylic acid derivatives
using the issue of critical materials such as “endangered elements” so central to modern technology as the context to learn transition metal chemistry or solid-state materials
using atmospheric chemistry or energy issues like fuel cells as a context to learn kinetics and thermodynamics
using the challenge of detecting low levels of endocrine disruptors, which show effects that are nonlinear and can occur at low doses in a way not predictable by experimental results at higher doses, (38,39) as the context to learn about the selection of an analytical method and sample preparation
Mahaffy and colleagues have described specific ideas for the first bullet point, (40,41) but the others remain, to my knowledge, largely unexplored. These are offered as illustrative examples; there are a number of other complex civic issues that could be effectively used as the context for teaching “through” to the underlying chemical concepts. Using the SENCER approach to put more attention on the ethical dimension of professional education provides opportunities to reorient undergraduate chemistry education to a systems perspective and take advantage of the synergistic characteristics of systems. The learning environment created by this would not only engage students in learning chemical concepts, but also in developing other aspects of learning such as engagement, commitment, understanding, judgment, reflection, and action. (42) Doing so will bring chemistry education even closer to reflecting the ACS mission to “advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people”.
Supporting Information
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The Supporting Information is available on the ACS Publications website at DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00346.
Example reflective reading/writing assignments from both semesters as well as the guidelines given to students for the public health project (PDF, DOCX)
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Most electronic Supporting Information files are available without a subscription to ACS Web Editions. Such files may be downloaded by article for research use (if there is a public use license linked to the relevant article, that license may permit other uses). Permission may be obtained from ACS for other uses through requests via the RightsLink permission system: http://pubs.acs.org/page/copyright/permissions.html.
Author Information
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- Matthew A. Fisher - Department of Chemistry, Saint Vincent College, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, Pennsylvania 15650, United States;
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0344-235X;
References
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- 23Montes, I.; Padilla, A.; Maldonado, A.; Negretti, S. Student-Centered Use of Case Studies Incorporating Oral and Writing Skills To Explore Scientific Ethical Misconduct. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86 (8), 936– 939, DOI: 10.1021/ed086p936Google Scholar23https://chemport.cas.org/services/resolver?origin=ACS&resolution=options&coi=1%3ACAS%3A528%3ADC%252BD1MXosVWisbY%253D&md5=3f8292e0046667f555dbc94a86f31477Student-centered use of case studies incorporating oral and writing skills to explore scientific ethical misconductMontes, Ingrid; Padilla, Adriana; Maldonado, Atenaida; Negretti, SolymarJournal of Chemical Education (2009), 86 (8), 936-939CODEN: JCEDA8; ISSN:0021-9584. (Journal of Chemical Education, Dept. of Chemistry)The use of case studies to educate students about ethical misconduct in science in an ethics discussion board for a class group project is discussed.
- 24Mabrouk, P. A. What Knowledge of Responsible Conduct of Research Do Undergraduates Bring to Their Undergraduate Research Experiences?. J. Chem. Educ. 2016, 93 (1), 46– 55, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.5b00264Google Scholar24https://chemport.cas.org/services/resolver?origin=ACS&resolution=options&coi=1%3ACAS%3A528%3ADC%252BC2MXhs1Kgt7nF&md5=c1160fc43753be70df208b3dd3d7c943What Knowledge of Responsible Conduct of Research Do Undergraduates Bring to Their Undergraduate Research Experiences?Mabrouk, Patricia AnnJournal of Chemical Education (2016), 93 (1), 46-55CODEN: JCEDA8; ISSN:0021-9584. (American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.)Over a three-year period, chem. and engineering students participating in six Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs were surveyed before and after participating in a research ethics training workshop. The goal was to learn what undergraduate students already knew about key concepts in research ethics at the start of their research experience and to learn the impact of participation in the workshop on their knowledge and understanding of important research ethics concepts. At least two-thirds of the respondents could define fabrication of data, falsification of data, plagiarism, intellectual property, and confidentiality before participating in the training workshop. More than a third, however, could not define the terms personal misrepresentation, authorship, and conflict of interest. Though many students had factual knowledge of the key concepts at the outset, they were found to be unable to apply this knowledge to their summer research projects. Participation in the workshop was found to lead to improved comprehension of all the key science ethics terms selected for study in this project by all participants as reflected in the participants' ability to define the key concepts at the end of the workshop. Participation in the workshop, however, was not found to improve students' ability to apply their knowledge to their research projects. Student responses indicate that the students lacked crit. local information on ethical stds. needed for them to successfully apply their knowledge to their research projects. These findings together with those of our earlier work point to the importance of engaging individual faculty research mentors in their students' research ethics training.
- 25Marteel-Parrish, A. E.; Lipchock, J. M. Preparing Chemistry Majors for the 21st Century through a Comprehensive One-Semester Course Focused on Professional Preparation, Contemporary Issues, Scientific Communication, and Research Skills. J. Chem. Educ. 2018, 95 (1), 68– 75, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00439Google Scholar25https://chemport.cas.org/services/resolver?origin=ACS&resolution=options&coi=1%3ACAS%3A528%3ADC%252BC2sXhslSrtr7I&md5=d3c1eec52f47e171ff0a0f2b7d9f8526Preparing Chemistry Majors for the 21st Century through a Comprehensive One-Semester Course Focused on Professional Preparation, Contemporary Issues, Scientific Communication, and Research SkillsMarteel-Parrish, Anne E.; Lipchock, James M.Journal of Chemical Education (2018), 95 (1), 68-75CODEN: JCEDA8; ISSN:0021-9584. (American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.)Success in chem. in the 21st century requires not only a mastery of important chem. concepts, but also the skills to apply this knowledge to important societal issues and the ability to effectively convey scientific information using a range of media. In response to this challenge we have developed an innovative four-credit seminar that comprehensively integrates the skills needed for chem. majors to become successful professionals and experts in the chem. field. It is expected that after taking this course chem. majors will (i) develop scientific literature proficiency; (ii) gain valuable career prepn./marketing skills; (iii) enhance their scientific communication skills (oral, written, and visual); (iv) increase their awareness for research ethics codes and policies; and (v) gain an appreciation for the role of chem. in contemporary moral/societal issues, particularly sustainable science literacy. Details pertaining to the design of the course such as learning objectives, assessment outcomes, impacts of the new course, along with student views on how this new course influenced their level of prepn. for the work force, and future directions are presented.
- 26National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research, 3rd ed.; The National Academies Press: Washington, DC, 2009. DOI: 10.17226/12192 .Google ScholarThere is no corresponding record for this reference.
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- 28Colby, A.; Sullivan, W. M. Strengthening the Foundations of Students’ Excellence, Integrity, and Social Contribution. Liberal Education 2009, 95 (1), 22– 29Google ScholarThere is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 29SENCER—An NCSCE Initiative. http://sencer.net/ (accessed Oct 25, 2019).Google ScholarThere is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 30Middlecamp, C. H.; Jordan, T.; Shachter, A. M.; Kashmanian Oates, K.; Lottridge, S. Chemistry, Society, and Civic Engagement (Part 1): The SENCER Project. J. Chem. Educ. 2006, 83 (9), 1301– 1307, DOI: 10.1021/ed083p1301Google Scholar30https://chemport.cas.org/services/resolver?origin=ACS&resolution=options&coi=1%3ACAS%3A528%3ADC%252BD28XotlGmu7c%253D&md5=e693cbb5d27ad513987bd6c8b67ba041Chemistry, society, and civic engagement (part 1): The SENCER projectMiddlecamp, Catherine Hurt; Jordan, Trace; Shachter, Amy M.; Lottridge, Sue; Oates, Karen KashmanianJournal of Chemical Education (2006), 83 (9), 1301-1307CODEN: JCEDA8; ISSN:0021-9584. (Journal of Chemical Education, Dept. of Chemistry)The Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities (SENCER) is a national dissemination project concerned with institutional and curricular reform, particularly in regards to designing new science courses and rethinking older ones in ways that make the connections between science, people, and society more transparent. A brief description of how the SENCER approach contributes to the undergraduate chem. curriculum is presented. In addn., examples of chem. courses that have been constructed on the SENCER model are given. Some of the challenges that underlie the project, including designing the SENCER course, setting and assessing its goal, and teaching for civic engagement are presented.
- 31Science Education and Civic Engagement: The SENCER Approach; Sheardy, R. D., Ed.; ACS Symposium Series 1037; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2010. DOI: 10.1021/bk-2010-1037 .Google ScholarThere is no corresponding record for this reference.
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- 33Fisher, M. A. Connecting Head, Hand, and Heart: SENCER and Becoming a Chemist. In Science Education and Civic Engagement: The Next Level; Sheardy, R. D., Burns, W. D., Eds.; ACS Symposium Series 1121; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2012; pp 81– 89. DOI: 10.1021/bk-2012-1121.ch006 .Google ScholarThere is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 34United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ (accessed Oct 25, 2019).Google ScholarThere is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 35Undergraduate Biochemistry Through Public Health Issues: A SENCER Model Course. http://ncsce.net/undergraduate-biochemistry-through-public-health-issues/ (accessed Oct 25, 2019).Google ScholarThere is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 36Fisher, M. A. Educating for Scientific Knowledge, Awakening to a Citizen’s Responsibility. In Citizenship Across the Curriculum; Smith, M. B., Nowacek, R. S., Bernstein, J. L., Eds.; Indiana University Press: Bloomington, IN, 2010; pp 110– 131.Google ScholarThere is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 37Fisher, M. A. Public Health and Biochemistry: Connecting Content, Issues, and Values for Majors. In Connected Science: Strategies for Integrative Learning in College; Ferrett, T. A., Geelan, D., Schlegel, W. M., Stewart, J. L., Eds.; Indiana University Press: Bloomington, IN, 2013; pp 31– 39.Google ScholarThere is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 38Vandenberg, L. N.; Colborn, T.; Hayes, T. B.; Heindel, J. J.; Jacobs, D. R., Jr.; Lee, D.-H.; Shioda, T.; Soto, A. M.; vom Saal, F. S.; Welshons, W. V.; Zoeller, R. T.; Myers, J. P. Hormones and Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Low-Dose Effects and Nonmonotonic Dose Responses. Endocr. Rev. 2012, 33 (3), 378– 455, DOI: 10.1210/er.2011-1050Google Scholar38https://chemport.cas.org/services/resolver?origin=ACS&resolution=options&coi=1%3ACAS%3A528%3ADC%252BC38XhtFSrtr7L&md5=b83b4c6a60a588f76f2a4ee379947f27Hormones and endocrine-disrupting chemicals: low-dose effects and nonmonotonic dose responsesVandenberg, Laura N.; Colborn, Theo; Hayes, Tyrone B.; Heindel, Jerrold J.; Jacobs, David R., Jr.; Lee, Duk-Hee; Shioda, Toshi; Soto, Ana M.; vom Saal, Frederick S.; Welshons, Wade V.; Zoeller, R. Thomas; Myers, John PetersonEndocrine Reviews (2012), 33 (3), 378-455CODEN: ERVIDP; ISSN:0163-769X. (Endocrine Society)A review. For decades, studies of endocrine-disrupting chems. (EDCs) have challenged traditional concepts in toxicol., in particular the dogma of "the dose makes the poison," because EDCs can have effects at low doses that are not predicted by effects at higher doses. Here, we review two major concepts in EDC studies: low dose and nonmonotonicity. Low-dose effects were defined by the National Toxicol. Program as those that occur in the range of human exposures or effects obsd. at doses below those used for traditional toxicol. studies. We review the mechanistic data for low-dose effects and use a wt.-of-evidence approach to analyze five examples from the EDC literature. Addnl., we explore nonmonotonic dose-response curves, defined as a nonlinear relationship between dose and effect where the slope of the curve changes sign somewhere within the range of doses examd. We provide a detailed discussion of the mechanisms responsible for generating these phenomena, plus hundreds of examples from the cell culture, animal, and epidemiol. literature. We illustrate that nonmonotonic responses and low-dose effects are remarkably common in studies of natural hormones and EDCs. Whether low doses of EDCs influence certain human disorders is no longer conjecture, because epidemiol. studies show that environmental exposures to EDCs are assocd. with human diseases and disabilities. We conclude that when nonmonotonic dose-response curves occur, the effects of low doses cannot be predicted by the effects obsd. at high doses. Thus, fundamental changes in chem. testing and safety detn. are needed to protect human health.
- 39Gore, A. C.; Chappell, V. A.; Fenton, S. E.; Flaws, J. A.; Nadal, A.; Prins, G. S.; Toppari, J.; Zoeller, R. T. EDC-2: The Endocrine Society’s Second Scientific Statement on Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals. Endocr. Rev. 2015, 36 (6), E1– E150, DOI: 10.1210/er.2015-1010Google ScholarThere is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 40Mahaffy, P. G.; Martin, B. E.; Kirchhoff, M.; McKenzie, L.; Holme, T.; Versprille, A.; Towns, M. Infusing Sustainability Science Literacy Through Chemistry Education: Climate Science as a Rich Context for Learning Chemistry. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2014, 2 (11), 2488– 2494, DOI: 10.1021/sc500415kGoogle Scholar40https://chemport.cas.org/services/resolver?origin=ACS&resolution=options&coi=1%3ACAS%3A528%3ADC%252BC2cXhs1ymt7%252FP&md5=4dfa16f920673b3f5f88214d5c5e6fa8Infusing Sustainability Science Literacy through Chemistry Education: Climate Science as a Rich Context for Learning ChemistryMahaffy, Peter G.; Martin, Brian E.; Kirchhoff, Mary; McKenzie, Lallie; Holme, Thomas; Versprille, Ashley; Towns, MarcyACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (2014), 2 (11), 2488-2494CODEN: ASCECG; ISSN:2168-0485. (American Chemical Society)Global science is paying increasingly urgent attention to sustainability challenges, as evidenced by initiatives such as the working group detg. whether Earth has moved from the Holocene to the Anthropocene Epoch on the geol. time scale and the interdisciplinary efforts to define and quantify our planetary boundaries. Despite the fact that much of the scientific work underlying these initiatives is based on measurements of fundamental chem. parameters, sustainability literacy has not been incorporated in any systematic way into the undergraduate chem. curriculum. We report here on the philosophy and implementation of a NSF-funded initiative, Visualizing the Chem. of Climate Change (VC3), which provides an exemplar for developing strategies to fill that gap, focusing on climate change, one of the defining sustainability challenges of the 21st century. VC3 targets the strategic first year university and college chem. courses that are common to the program requirements of many science and engineering majors. The overall goals of the VC3 project are to infuse climate literacy principles into the learning of representative core topics in North American general chem. courses for science majors, while demonstrating that learning core chem. topics by starting with an important rich context is a viable approach.
- 41Mahaffy, P. G.; Holme, T. A.; Martin-Visscher, L.; Martin, B. E.; Versprille, A.; Kirchhoff, M.; McKenzie, L.; Towns, M. Beyond “Inert” Ideas to Teaching General Chemistry from Rich Contexts: Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change. J. Chem. Educ. 2017, 94 (8), 1027– 1035, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b01009Google Scholar41https://chemport.cas.org/services/resolver?origin=ACS&resolution=options&coi=1%3ACAS%3A528%3ADC%252BC2sXhtV2qu7vN&md5=678e99e99b5738f04e242577587e9feaBeyond "Inert" Ideas to Teaching General Chemistry from Rich Contexts: Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change (VC3)Mahaffy, Peter G.; Holme, Thomas A.; Martin-Visscher, Leah; Martin, Brian E.; Versprille, Ashley; Kirchhoff, Mary; McKenzie, Lallie; Towns, MarcyJournal of Chemical Education (2017), 94 (8), 1027-1035CODEN: JCEDA8; ISSN:0021-9584. (American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.)As one approach to moving beyond transmitting "inert" ideas to chem. students, we use the term "teaching from rich contexts" to describe implementations of case studies or context-based learning based on systems thinking that provide deep and rich opportunities for learning crosscutting concepts through contexts. This approach nurtures the use of higher-order cognitive skills to connect concepts and apply the knowledge gained to new contexts. We describe the approach used to design a set of resources that model how rich contexts can be used to facilitate learning of general chem. topics. The Visualizing the Chem. of Climate Change (VC3) initiative provides an exemplar for introducing students in general chem. courses to a set of core chem. concepts, while infusing rich contexts drawn from sustainability science literacy. Climate change, one of the defining sustainability challenges of our century, with deep and broad connections to chem. curriculum and crosscutting concepts, was selected as a rich context to introduce four topics (isotopes, acids-bases, gases, and thermochem.) into undergraduate general chem. courses. The creation and assessment of VC3 resources for general chem. was implemented in seven steps: (i) mapping the correlation between climate literacy principles and core first-year university chem. content, (ii) documenting underlying science conceptions, (iii) developing an inventory of chem. concepts related to climate change and validating instruments that make use of the inventory to assess understanding, (iv) articulating learning outcomes for each topic, (v) developing and testing peer-reviewed interactive digital learning objects related to climate literacy principles with particular relevance to undergraduate chem., (vi) piloting the materials with first-year students and measuring the change in student understanding of both chem. and climate science concepts, and (vii) disseminating the interactive resources for use by chem. educators and students. A novel feature of the approach was to design resources (step v) based on tripartite sets of learning outcomes (step iv) for each chem. and climate concept, with each knowledge outcome accompanied by an outcome describing the evidential basis for that knowledge, and a third outcome highlighting the relevance of that knowledge for students.
- 42Shulman, L. S. Making Differences: A Table of Learning. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning. 2002, 34 (6), 36– 44, DOI: 10.1080/00091380209605567Google ScholarThere is no corresponding record for this reference.
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Figure 1
Figure 1. Visual representation of the various concepts that link the civic issue of global AIDS infections to underlying canonical biochemistry concepts related to enzyme function. This representation is patterned after the ones used by Middlecamp et al. (30)
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- 21Committee on Professional Training. Undergraduate Professional Education in Chemistry: ACS Guidelines and Evaluation Procedures for Bachelor’s Degree Programs; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.There is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 22Niece, B. K. Who Is Responsible for a Fraud: An Exercise Examining Research Misconduct and the Obligations of Authorship through Case Studies. J. Chem. Educ. 2005, 82 (10), 1521– 1522, DOI: 10.1021/ed082p1521There is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 23Montes, I.; Padilla, A.; Maldonado, A.; Negretti, S. Student-Centered Use of Case Studies Incorporating Oral and Writing Skills To Explore Scientific Ethical Misconduct. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86 (8), 936– 939, DOI: 10.1021/ed086p93623https://chemport.cas.org/services/resolver?origin=ACS&resolution=options&coi=1%3ACAS%3A528%3ADC%252BD1MXosVWisbY%253D&md5=3f8292e0046667f555dbc94a86f31477Student-centered use of case studies incorporating oral and writing skills to explore scientific ethical misconductMontes, Ingrid; Padilla, Adriana; Maldonado, Atenaida; Negretti, SolymarJournal of Chemical Education (2009), 86 (8), 936-939CODEN: JCEDA8; ISSN:0021-9584. (Journal of Chemical Education, Dept. of Chemistry)The use of case studies to educate students about ethical misconduct in science in an ethics discussion board for a class group project is discussed.
- 24Mabrouk, P. A. What Knowledge of Responsible Conduct of Research Do Undergraduates Bring to Their Undergraduate Research Experiences?. J. Chem. Educ. 2016, 93 (1), 46– 55, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.5b0026424https://chemport.cas.org/services/resolver?origin=ACS&resolution=options&coi=1%3ACAS%3A528%3ADC%252BC2MXhs1Kgt7nF&md5=c1160fc43753be70df208b3dd3d7c943What Knowledge of Responsible Conduct of Research Do Undergraduates Bring to Their Undergraduate Research Experiences?Mabrouk, Patricia AnnJournal of Chemical Education (2016), 93 (1), 46-55CODEN: JCEDA8; ISSN:0021-9584. (American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.)Over a three-year period, chem. and engineering students participating in six Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs were surveyed before and after participating in a research ethics training workshop. The goal was to learn what undergraduate students already knew about key concepts in research ethics at the start of their research experience and to learn the impact of participation in the workshop on their knowledge and understanding of important research ethics concepts. At least two-thirds of the respondents could define fabrication of data, falsification of data, plagiarism, intellectual property, and confidentiality before participating in the training workshop. More than a third, however, could not define the terms personal misrepresentation, authorship, and conflict of interest. Though many students had factual knowledge of the key concepts at the outset, they were found to be unable to apply this knowledge to their summer research projects. Participation in the workshop was found to lead to improved comprehension of all the key science ethics terms selected for study in this project by all participants as reflected in the participants' ability to define the key concepts at the end of the workshop. Participation in the workshop, however, was not found to improve students' ability to apply their knowledge to their research projects. Student responses indicate that the students lacked crit. local information on ethical stds. needed for them to successfully apply their knowledge to their research projects. These findings together with those of our earlier work point to the importance of engaging individual faculty research mentors in their students' research ethics training.
- 25Marteel-Parrish, A. E.; Lipchock, J. M. Preparing Chemistry Majors for the 21st Century through a Comprehensive One-Semester Course Focused on Professional Preparation, Contemporary Issues, Scientific Communication, and Research Skills. J. Chem. Educ. 2018, 95 (1), 68– 75, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b0043925https://chemport.cas.org/services/resolver?origin=ACS&resolution=options&coi=1%3ACAS%3A528%3ADC%252BC2sXhslSrtr7I&md5=d3c1eec52f47e171ff0a0f2b7d9f8526Preparing Chemistry Majors for the 21st Century through a Comprehensive One-Semester Course Focused on Professional Preparation, Contemporary Issues, Scientific Communication, and Research SkillsMarteel-Parrish, Anne E.; Lipchock, James M.Journal of Chemical Education (2018), 95 (1), 68-75CODEN: JCEDA8; ISSN:0021-9584. (American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.)Success in chem. in the 21st century requires not only a mastery of important chem. concepts, but also the skills to apply this knowledge to important societal issues and the ability to effectively convey scientific information using a range of media. In response to this challenge we have developed an innovative four-credit seminar that comprehensively integrates the skills needed for chem. majors to become successful professionals and experts in the chem. field. It is expected that after taking this course chem. majors will (i) develop scientific literature proficiency; (ii) gain valuable career prepn./marketing skills; (iii) enhance their scientific communication skills (oral, written, and visual); (iv) increase their awareness for research ethics codes and policies; and (v) gain an appreciation for the role of chem. in contemporary moral/societal issues, particularly sustainable science literacy. Details pertaining to the design of the course such as learning objectives, assessment outcomes, impacts of the new course, along with student views on how this new course influenced their level of prepn. for the work force, and future directions are presented.
- 26National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research, 3rd ed.; The National Academies Press: Washington, DC, 2009. DOI: 10.17226/12192 .There is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 27Colby, A.; Ehrlich, T.; Beaumont, E.; Stephens, J. Educating Citizens: Preparing America’s Undergraduates for Lives of Moral and Civic Responsibility; Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, 2003.There is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 28Colby, A.; Sullivan, W. M. Strengthening the Foundations of Students’ Excellence, Integrity, and Social Contribution. Liberal Education 2009, 95 (1), 22– 29There is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 29SENCER—An NCSCE Initiative. http://sencer.net/ (accessed Oct 25, 2019).There is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 30Middlecamp, C. H.; Jordan, T.; Shachter, A. M.; Kashmanian Oates, K.; Lottridge, S. Chemistry, Society, and Civic Engagement (Part 1): The SENCER Project. J. Chem. Educ. 2006, 83 (9), 1301– 1307, DOI: 10.1021/ed083p130130https://chemport.cas.org/services/resolver?origin=ACS&resolution=options&coi=1%3ACAS%3A528%3ADC%252BD28XotlGmu7c%253D&md5=e693cbb5d27ad513987bd6c8b67ba041Chemistry, society, and civic engagement (part 1): The SENCER projectMiddlecamp, Catherine Hurt; Jordan, Trace; Shachter, Amy M.; Lottridge, Sue; Oates, Karen KashmanianJournal of Chemical Education (2006), 83 (9), 1301-1307CODEN: JCEDA8; ISSN:0021-9584. (Journal of Chemical Education, Dept. of Chemistry)The Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities (SENCER) is a national dissemination project concerned with institutional and curricular reform, particularly in regards to designing new science courses and rethinking older ones in ways that make the connections between science, people, and society more transparent. A brief description of how the SENCER approach contributes to the undergraduate chem. curriculum is presented. In addn., examples of chem. courses that have been constructed on the SENCER model are given. Some of the challenges that underlie the project, including designing the SENCER course, setting and assessing its goal, and teaching for civic engagement are presented.
- 31Science Education and Civic Engagement: The SENCER Approach; Sheardy, R. D., Ed.; ACS Symposium Series 1037; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2010. DOI: 10.1021/bk-2010-1037 .There is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 32Science Education and Civic Engagement: The Next Level; Sheardy, R. D., Burns, W. D., Eds.; ACS Symposium Series 1121; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2012. DOI: 10.1021/bk-2012-1121 .There is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 33Fisher, M. A. Connecting Head, Hand, and Heart: SENCER and Becoming a Chemist. In Science Education and Civic Engagement: The Next Level; Sheardy, R. D., Burns, W. D., Eds.; ACS Symposium Series 1121; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2012; pp 81– 89. DOI: 10.1021/bk-2012-1121.ch006 .There is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 34United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ (accessed Oct 25, 2019).There is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 35Undergraduate Biochemistry Through Public Health Issues: A SENCER Model Course. http://ncsce.net/undergraduate-biochemistry-through-public-health-issues/ (accessed Oct 25, 2019).There is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 36Fisher, M. A. Educating for Scientific Knowledge, Awakening to a Citizen’s Responsibility. In Citizenship Across the Curriculum; Smith, M. B., Nowacek, R. S., Bernstein, J. L., Eds.; Indiana University Press: Bloomington, IN, 2010; pp 110– 131.There is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 37Fisher, M. A. Public Health and Biochemistry: Connecting Content, Issues, and Values for Majors. In Connected Science: Strategies for Integrative Learning in College; Ferrett, T. A., Geelan, D., Schlegel, W. M., Stewart, J. L., Eds.; Indiana University Press: Bloomington, IN, 2013; pp 31– 39.There is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 38Vandenberg, L. N.; Colborn, T.; Hayes, T. B.; Heindel, J. J.; Jacobs, D. R., Jr.; Lee, D.-H.; Shioda, T.; Soto, A. M.; vom Saal, F. S.; Welshons, W. V.; Zoeller, R. T.; Myers, J. P. Hormones and Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Low-Dose Effects and Nonmonotonic Dose Responses. Endocr. Rev. 2012, 33 (3), 378– 455, DOI: 10.1210/er.2011-105038https://chemport.cas.org/services/resolver?origin=ACS&resolution=options&coi=1%3ACAS%3A528%3ADC%252BC38XhtFSrtr7L&md5=b83b4c6a60a588f76f2a4ee379947f27Hormones and endocrine-disrupting chemicals: low-dose effects and nonmonotonic dose responsesVandenberg, Laura N.; Colborn, Theo; Hayes, Tyrone B.; Heindel, Jerrold J.; Jacobs, David R., Jr.; Lee, Duk-Hee; Shioda, Toshi; Soto, Ana M.; vom Saal, Frederick S.; Welshons, Wade V.; Zoeller, R. Thomas; Myers, John PetersonEndocrine Reviews (2012), 33 (3), 378-455CODEN: ERVIDP; ISSN:0163-769X. (Endocrine Society)A review. For decades, studies of endocrine-disrupting chems. (EDCs) have challenged traditional concepts in toxicol., in particular the dogma of "the dose makes the poison," because EDCs can have effects at low doses that are not predicted by effects at higher doses. Here, we review two major concepts in EDC studies: low dose and nonmonotonicity. Low-dose effects were defined by the National Toxicol. Program as those that occur in the range of human exposures or effects obsd. at doses below those used for traditional toxicol. studies. We review the mechanistic data for low-dose effects and use a wt.-of-evidence approach to analyze five examples from the EDC literature. Addnl., we explore nonmonotonic dose-response curves, defined as a nonlinear relationship between dose and effect where the slope of the curve changes sign somewhere within the range of doses examd. We provide a detailed discussion of the mechanisms responsible for generating these phenomena, plus hundreds of examples from the cell culture, animal, and epidemiol. literature. We illustrate that nonmonotonic responses and low-dose effects are remarkably common in studies of natural hormones and EDCs. Whether low doses of EDCs influence certain human disorders is no longer conjecture, because epidemiol. studies show that environmental exposures to EDCs are assocd. with human diseases and disabilities. We conclude that when nonmonotonic dose-response curves occur, the effects of low doses cannot be predicted by the effects obsd. at high doses. Thus, fundamental changes in chem. testing and safety detn. are needed to protect human health.
- 39Gore, A. C.; Chappell, V. A.; Fenton, S. E.; Flaws, J. A.; Nadal, A.; Prins, G. S.; Toppari, J.; Zoeller, R. T. EDC-2: The Endocrine Society’s Second Scientific Statement on Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals. Endocr. Rev. 2015, 36 (6), E1– E150, DOI: 10.1210/er.2015-1010There is no corresponding record for this reference.
- 40Mahaffy, P. G.; Martin, B. E.; Kirchhoff, M.; McKenzie, L.; Holme, T.; Versprille, A.; Towns, M. Infusing Sustainability Science Literacy Through Chemistry Education: Climate Science as a Rich Context for Learning Chemistry. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2014, 2 (11), 2488– 2494, DOI: 10.1021/sc500415k40https://chemport.cas.org/services/resolver?origin=ACS&resolution=options&coi=1%3ACAS%3A528%3ADC%252BC2cXhs1ymt7%252FP&md5=4dfa16f920673b3f5f88214d5c5e6fa8Infusing Sustainability Science Literacy through Chemistry Education: Climate Science as a Rich Context for Learning ChemistryMahaffy, Peter G.; Martin, Brian E.; Kirchhoff, Mary; McKenzie, Lallie; Holme, Thomas; Versprille, Ashley; Towns, MarcyACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (2014), 2 (11), 2488-2494CODEN: ASCECG; ISSN:2168-0485. (American Chemical Society)Global science is paying increasingly urgent attention to sustainability challenges, as evidenced by initiatives such as the working group detg. whether Earth has moved from the Holocene to the Anthropocene Epoch on the geol. time scale and the interdisciplinary efforts to define and quantify our planetary boundaries. Despite the fact that much of the scientific work underlying these initiatives is based on measurements of fundamental chem. parameters, sustainability literacy has not been incorporated in any systematic way into the undergraduate chem. curriculum. We report here on the philosophy and implementation of a NSF-funded initiative, Visualizing the Chem. of Climate Change (VC3), which provides an exemplar for developing strategies to fill that gap, focusing on climate change, one of the defining sustainability challenges of the 21st century. VC3 targets the strategic first year university and college chem. courses that are common to the program requirements of many science and engineering majors. The overall goals of the VC3 project are to infuse climate literacy principles into the learning of representative core topics in North American general chem. courses for science majors, while demonstrating that learning core chem. topics by starting with an important rich context is a viable approach.
- 41Mahaffy, P. G.; Holme, T. A.; Martin-Visscher, L.; Martin, B. E.; Versprille, A.; Kirchhoff, M.; McKenzie, L.; Towns, M. Beyond “Inert” Ideas to Teaching General Chemistry from Rich Contexts: Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change. J. Chem. Educ. 2017, 94 (8), 1027– 1035, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b0100941https://chemport.cas.org/services/resolver?origin=ACS&resolution=options&coi=1%3ACAS%3A528%3ADC%252BC2sXhtV2qu7vN&md5=678e99e99b5738f04e242577587e9feaBeyond "Inert" Ideas to Teaching General Chemistry from Rich Contexts: Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change (VC3)Mahaffy, Peter G.; Holme, Thomas A.; Martin-Visscher, Leah; Martin, Brian E.; Versprille, Ashley; Kirchhoff, Mary; McKenzie, Lallie; Towns, MarcyJournal of Chemical Education (2017), 94 (8), 1027-1035CODEN: JCEDA8; ISSN:0021-9584. (American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.)As one approach to moving beyond transmitting "inert" ideas to chem. students, we use the term "teaching from rich contexts" to describe implementations of case studies or context-based learning based on systems thinking that provide deep and rich opportunities for learning crosscutting concepts through contexts. This approach nurtures the use of higher-order cognitive skills to connect concepts and apply the knowledge gained to new contexts. We describe the approach used to design a set of resources that model how rich contexts can be used to facilitate learning of general chem. topics. The Visualizing the Chem. of Climate Change (VC3) initiative provides an exemplar for introducing students in general chem. courses to a set of core chem. concepts, while infusing rich contexts drawn from sustainability science literacy. Climate change, one of the defining sustainability challenges of our century, with deep and broad connections to chem. curriculum and crosscutting concepts, was selected as a rich context to introduce four topics (isotopes, acids-bases, gases, and thermochem.) into undergraduate general chem. courses. The creation and assessment of VC3 resources for general chem. was implemented in seven steps: (i) mapping the correlation between climate literacy principles and core first-year university chem. content, (ii) documenting underlying science conceptions, (iii) developing an inventory of chem. concepts related to climate change and validating instruments that make use of the inventory to assess understanding, (iv) articulating learning outcomes for each topic, (v) developing and testing peer-reviewed interactive digital learning objects related to climate literacy principles with particular relevance to undergraduate chem., (vi) piloting the materials with first-year students and measuring the change in student understanding of both chem. and climate science concepts, and (vii) disseminating the interactive resources for use by chem. educators and students. A novel feature of the approach was to design resources (step v) based on tripartite sets of learning outcomes (step iv) for each chem. and climate concept, with each knowledge outcome accompanied by an outcome describing the evidential basis for that knowledge, and a third outcome highlighting the relevance of that knowledge for students.
- 42Shulman, L. S. Making Differences: A Table of Learning. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning. 2002, 34 (6), 36– 44, DOI: 10.1080/00091380209605567There is no corresponding record for this reference.
Supporting Information
Supporting Information
The Supporting Information is available on the ACS Publications website at DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00346.
Example reflective reading/writing assignments from both semesters as well as the guidelines given to students for the public health project (PDF, DOCX)
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