Reimagining Organic Chemistry Labs in Education Systems

该项目旨在通过开发、评估和传播一种创新的方法，在历史悠久的黑人学院斯佩尔曼学院教授有机化学实验室课程，以服务于国家利益。斯佩尔曼学院以女性教育而闻名。新的方法将具有广泛的重要性，因为它旨在让学生参与真正的研究活动，并将化学学习与学生的生活经验和文化联系起来。这些新颖的实验活动将以广泛的学生感兴趣的主题为特色，如材料、聚合物、药物发现和有机化学研究中的计算方法。此外，实验室活动的目的是以公平为中心，培养归属感，这将通过让学生参与职业探索，让行业榜样参与，并有意通过与学生的生活和未来目标的联系来优先考虑相关性来实现。该项目团队计划衡量这些模块对学生化学归属感的影响，旨在广泛分享项目材料和学习结果。通过将以课程为基础的研究经验与以公平为导向的方法相结合来教授有机化学实验课程，该项目将为化学教育界提供一个令人信服的战略，以扩大对STEM的参与。该项目旨在开发、实施和评估有机化学实验课程以公平为基础的研究经验，作为一种机制，以增加学生的参与度和归属感。该项目的具体目标是：1)通过引入四个以研究为基础的探索单元来修订第二学期的有机化学实验课程，这些单元涵盖药物发现、聚合物化妆品科学、聚合物材料科学和动力学/机械氧化研究，每个单元都伴随着计算和光谱学组件；2)通过评估学生的参与度、有色人种女性在STEM中的归属感以及对实验室学习的看法来评估建议的模块；以及3)根据教员在模块实施过程中的观察来评估课程修订的成功。每个模块将包括有机化学实验室的创新课程方法，包括一项实验研究，然后是一项帮助分析实验数据和整合现实世界挑战的计算活动。这些模块还将为学生提供从事职业探索的机会，与行业中的榜样建立联系，并将化学与他们的日常生活联系起来。课程的影响将通过多种方式进行评估，包括出版的工具，这些工具具有衡量归属感和自我效能等概念的有效性的证据。该项目的成果将在区域和国家两级通过讲习班、同行评议出版物和会议发言广泛传播。通过在一个历史上以黑人为主的全女性学院的有机化学实验室提供一种包容性的方法，该项目有可能为如何增加学生参与和培养化学归属感提供一个模式，并反过来可能有益于STEM中被边缘化的其他学生群体。NSF IUSE：EDU计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育的有效性。通过参与的学生学习路径，该计划支持有前景的实践和工具的创建、探索和实施。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by developing, evaluating, and disseminating an innovative approach to teaching organic chemistry laboratory courses at a Historically Black College that is globally known for the education of women, Spelman College. The new approach will be of broad importance as it is intended to engage students in authentic research activities and connect chemistry learning to students’ lived experiences and culture. The novel lab activities will feature topics of interest to a broad range of students such as materials, polymers, drug discovery, and computational methods in organic chemistry research. Additionally, the lab activities are intended to center equity and foster a sense of belonging, which will be accomplished by engaging students in career exploration, involving role models from industry, and intentionally prioritizing relevance through connections to students’ lives and future goals. The project team plans to measure the impact of the modules on students’ sense of belonging in chemistry and aims to widely share project materials and study results. By combining course-based research experiences with an equity-oriented approach to teaching organic chemistry laboratory courses, this project will provide the chemistry education community with a compelling strategy for broadening participation in STEM.This project aims to develop, implement, and assess an equity-oriented course-based research experience in organic chemistry laboratory courses as a mechanism to increase student engagement and sense of belonging. The specific objectives of the project are to: 1) revise the second-semester organic chemistry laboratory curriculum by introducing four research-based exploratory modules covering topics of drug discovery, polymer-cosmetic science, polymer-material science, and a kinetic/mechanistic oxidation study that are each accompanied by computational and spectroscopy components, 2) evaluate proposed modules by assessing students’ engagement, sense of belonging for women of color in STEM, and perceptions of learning in the laboratory, and 3) assess success of course revisions based on faculty observations during module implementation. Each module will consist of an innovative curricular approach to organic chemistry labs by including an experimental study followed by a computational activity to aid in analyzing experimental data and integrating real-world challenges. The modules will also be designed to provide opportunities for students to engage in career exploration, connect with role models from industry, and make connections between chemistry and their everyday lives. The impact of the curriculum will be assessed in multiple ways including published tools that have evidence of validity for measuring constructs such as belonging and self-efficacy. The results of the project will be disseminated broadly via workshops, peer-reviewed publications, and conference presentations at the regional and national levels. By providing an inclusive approach to organic chemistry lab at an all women Historically Black College, this project has the potential to provide a model for how to increase student engagement and foster a sense of belonging in chemistry, and may in turn, be beneficial for other student populations that have been marginalized in STEM. The NSF IUSE: EDU 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.