Organic Chemistry I and II (CHEM 343 and 345)
This two-semester organic chemistry lecture sequence is taught collaboratively by an instructional team that includes Brian Esselman, Aubrey Ellison, Jeff Martell and Ryan Stowe. Enrolled students are engaged in using disciplinary “Big Ideas” (e.g., energy, bonding interactions) to figure out mechanisms for increasingly complex phenomena. Emphasis on sensemaking is pervasive throughout all problem sets, group discussion activities and exams. Accordingly, 50-80% of points on most exams are dedicated to student using big ideas to engage in practices characteristic of work in science.
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Chemistry Education Research (CHEM 758)
This course serves as an introduction to chemistry education research and the theories that underpin it. Enrolled students will develop and refine models of of learning throughout the semester on the basis of literature discussed in-class. How theories of cognition could and should inform learning objectives and assessments in college chemistry learning environments will be explored. No prior experience with coursework in the learning sciences is assumed. Appropriate for students engaged in discipline-based education research as part of a graduate degree, those interested in pursuing academic careers, and those broadly interested in scholarship related to teaching and learning.
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