Anchoring Organic Chemistry in Broad Context

化学(12)本项目的目标是通过开发和评估用于跨学科和探究性学习的实验室模块，最终提高课程的教育价值，为非物理科学专业的学生提供有机化学实验室课程。一个来自历史上不相关的学科(化学系、教育系和园艺系)的学者社区正在合作这个项目，以说明有机化学应用的跨学科性质。实验室的努力建立在国际和平研究所在随附的讲座课程中取得的成功的基础上。传统实验室课程的全球性缺陷包括1)太多不同类型的分子和实验，2)缺乏现代仪器，3)缺乏相关性。这些不足之处通过课程转移得到克服，课程只关注三个多节的实验室练习，包括1)除草剂，学生在温室的试验田中制备西马津和新的衍生物，并评估它们的效力；2)蚊子引诱剂，使用经典的和化学酶方法合成引诱剂和驱蚊剂，并在嗅觉仪中进行评估；以及3)杀虫洗涤剂的分析。中心原则是，通过在三周内重复一个共同的主题，学生们对材料有了更深的理解和欣赏，与他们的经历建立了更强的概念联系，并从事真正的科学。该项目可作为将跨学科研究纳入其他机构非物理专业的有机化学和生物化学类似课程的典范。评估计划由教育学院的一名合作者制定和监督，该合作者负责监督迭代的设计-实施-测试过程，并使用各种衡量标准来确定学习结果。结果将通过在美国化学学会会议和会议上的陈述以及向化学教育期刊提交文章的方式向化学教育界传播。

Chemistry (12)The goal of this project is to anchor organic chemistry laboratory courses for non-physical science majors in context by developing and assessing laboratory modules for interdisciplinary and inquiry-based learning that ultimately enhances the educational value of the course. A community of scholars from historically unrelated disciplines (the Departments of Chemistry, Education, and Horticulture) is collaborating on this project to illustrate the interdisciplinary nature of organic chemistry applications. Efforts in the laboratory build on the success achieved by the PI in the accompanying lecture course. The global shortcomings of traditional laboratory courses include 1) too many different types of molecules and experiments, 2) a lack of modern instrumentation, and 3) lack of relevance. These deficiencies are overcome with a curricular shift focusing on only three multi-session laboratory exercises that include 1) herbicides, where the students prepare simazine and new derivatives and evaluate their potency in test plots in a greenhouse, 2) mosquito attractants, where attractants and repellants are synthesized using classical and chemo-enzymatic approaches and are evaluated in olfactometers, and 3) analysis of insecticidal detergents. The central tenet is that by repeating a common theme over three weeks, students develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the material, make stronger conceptual links to their experiences, and engage in authentic science. This project may serve as a model for incorporating cross-disciplinary research into similar courses in organic chemistry and biochemistry for non-physical sciences majors at other institutions. The assessment plan is being developed and monitored by a collaborator from the School of Education who oversees an iterative design-implement-test process and uses a variety of metrics to determine learning outcomes. Results will be disseminated to the chemical education community through presentations at ACS conferences and meetings and by submission of articles to chemical education journals.