Making Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Resonate With Students: Integrating Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Into the Undergraduate Science Curriculum

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This project aims to serve the national interest by enhancing undergraduate science curricula through development of interdisciplinary course materials that implement evidence-based teaching practices. Through support from the NSF IUSE: EHR Program Engaged Student Learning track, this project will address the need for more varied and relevant laboratory and research offerings in the undergraduate science curriculum to strengthen learning about nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). NMR is an important tool in the modern STEM workforce that provides a foundation for more in-depth explorations in a variety of scientific disciplines - ranging from pharmacology to quantum computing. Despite the prevalence of NMR as an essential research tool, there has historically been unequitable access to this important piece of laboratory equipment due to its high cost and maintenance requirements. The recent development of inexpensive benchtop NMR instruments and freely available online simulations offer great opportunities for predominantly undergraduate institutions to provide their students with widely-applicable research skills. Unfortunately, there is no set of curricular materials that covers the full spectrum of NMR in a multidisciplinary fashion nor addresses all levels of the undergraduate curriculum. Moreover, few materials make broad use of research-based science pedagogy or can be used with or without access to a particular NMR apparatus. This project will fill this curricular gap by establishing an interdisciplinary and cross-institutional team to develop, assess, and disseminate curricular material that integrates NMR into the undergraduate science curriculum.Three goals guide this project. First is to develop interdisciplinary curricular materials that make use of current pedagogical best practices for an engaged and inclusive science learning environment. Second is to provide students with class-based undergraduate laboratory experiences that introduce research skills and emulate experimental research in a lab. Third is to ensure curricular materials are designed to be easily adapted and adopted for use in a wide array of educational environments. To accomplish these goals, the project team will utilize its expertise in using active learning models such as investigative science learning environment (ISLE), process-oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL), and peer-led team learning (PLTL). The curricular materials will be developed with the help of undergraduate students at both Sarah Lawrence College and City College of New York and then vetted by an advisory board of NMR and science education specialists. The project will be evaluated using established education research techniques - including student surveys, in-class recordings, and student focus group interviews conducted by an external evaluator. The project team will publish their research findings in peer-reviewed journals and present their work at national and regional scientific meetings. The developed curricular materials will be primarily disseminated through open-sourced, electronic documents with instructors’ manual and online course materials. These documents will be made available via a customized webpage as well as several online repositories for sharing educational resources. Along with the impacts of this work on enhancing the undergraduate science curriculum, this project will positively impact the science education research community by advancing knowledge and understanding the best practices and student outcomes resulting from the implementation of an interdisciplinary course-based undergraduate research experience in different institutional settings. With the overarching goal of retaining and preparing a thriving and diverse STEM workforce, this project will benefit both society and the STEM education community. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.