CHEMISTRY EDUCATION COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE DISCIPLINE DAY WORKSHOP

Gwendolyn Lawrie, representing the RACI Chemical Education Division Committee ZOOM WORKSHOP ACTIVITIES This workshop will include 3 sessions to catalyse conversations. Activities will be facilitated by members of the RACI Chemical Education Division Committee and the wider chemistry education community. Zoom will be used to facilitate activities including breakout rooms for ‘round table’ discussions, polling and collaborative creation of content. 1. A landscape view of chemistry educators’ experiences: ‘successes’ and ‘unsuccesses’ The recent transition to emergency remote teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in adoption, adaptation and creation of chemistry pedagogies, practices and assessment in online learning environments. The opportunities and challenges in teaching will be distilled to inform the next session. 2. Defining, curating and disseminating exemplars of TPACK in practice In this session, participants will be encouraged to contribute to a co-constructed repository of shared resources for teaching and learning of chemistry online. The first step will be to re-establish shared understanding of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) to assist in collation of resources. 3. Ensuring and widening access and participation in learning chemistry online The transition of learning into online environments has amplified potential barriers that students face in accessing learning. In this session, inclusive practices will be identified to develop recommendations for practice. ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES • Strengthening networks and communities of practice in chemistry education • An open access resource bank of online teaching and assessment exemplars for the community to share • Recommendations for inclusive learning and teaching practices Submissions for this workshop session by community members have been invited through the ChemNet June newsletter. The repository will be hosted at http://chemnet.edu.au/node/37

UNDERSTANDING AND SCAFFOLDING STUDENT KNOWLEDGE OF DISPERSION FORCES THROUGH MULTIPLE REPRESENTATIONS

The role of multiple representations in exploring and addressing student conceptions related to dispersion force theory, which is an integral concept in undergraduate chemistry education, have been investigated. Stimulus-response think-aloud interviews were completed with nine first-year (FY) and two second-year university students to assess their range of thinking around this topic. Specifically, interviewees were asked to provide descriptions of dispersion forces, their mental models of the atom, and explain the basis of interactions between two butane molecules. In parallel, students were shown various representations and asked to provide their understanding of what they depicted. Also, an animation, created by the researcher, was piloted with FY students. It was further improved based on student feedback and shown to the second-year students to further consider its effectiveness as a learning tool. Findings from qualitative data analysis include that most of the FY students who had sound understandings of dispersion forces, did not have a mental model of the atom that correlated theoretically. Also, most of the FY students failed to give complete descriptions of how dispersion forces arise. As a result of the study, the tool and several recommendations were made available to instructors to improve teaching of dispersion forces

COMBINING MULTIMODAL REPRESENTATIONS TO SCAFFOLD STUDENT UNDERSTANDING OF DISPERSION FORCES

BACKGROUND As part of instructional design for hybrid learning environments, teachers have opportunity to combine multiple modes of representations aiming to support their students’ learning. The discipline of chemistry relies on representations to visualise molecular level phenomena that cannot be seen by the eye and these involve sub-micro representations of atoms and bonds. The interaction between molecules in the form of London dispersion forces are particularly challenging to portray as these involve the dynamic properties of electrons around atom nuclei. Representations typically involve the ‘electron cloud’ model which is fairly abstract and enables students to consider the unequal distribution of electrons that result in dipole-dipole and hydrogen-bonding interactions. METHOD AND OUTCOMES Individual students’ visual and connectional understanding of combinations of representations have been explored using the 3P-SIT interview methodology (Schönborn & Anderson, 2009). Representations include 2D graphics, dynamic simulations and 3D tactile models. The range of student perceptions captured have been used to inform an instructional intervention, an online module. Evaluation of student engagement with the module will be presented. REFERENCE Schönborn, K. J. & T. R. Anderson (2009). A Model of Factors Determining Students’ Ability to Interpret External Representations in Biochemistry. International Journal of Science Education 31(2), 193-232

Distilling tertiary pedagogical content knowledge to support a new generation of academics

Novice tertiary teachers rarely receive professional development in discipline-specific teaching practices. Instead they rely on a mixture of their own learning experiences, advice or mentoring provided by their colleagues and learning from their own mistakes as they gain teaching experience. This process is in stark contrast to secondary chemistry teacher training, where awareness of how students learn is linked to disciplinary context to help teachers develop their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Ask a chemistry academic about their PhD background and they will typically identify a specific chemistry sub-discipline such as inorganic, organic or physical chemistry. For the vast majority, this is not chemical education (Barthelemy, Henderson & Grunert, 2013). As tertiary teachers, their background influences their epistemological perspectives and informs their understanding and explanations of basic chemical concepts. As part of a study into the development and transfer of PCK to support the development of early career academics, we have collected a range of qualitative data. Participants in workshops and interviews were diverse in their experience and research alignment. Their explanations of their teaching strategies have been analysed inductively according to their background and the sub-disciplinary context of the teaching example that they provided. Several key elements of tertiary chemistry PCK have emerged from analysis of the qualitative data. Tertiary teachers integrated their PCK strategies in a manner parallel to that used by secondary teachers, including the use of analogies and metaphors, awareness of problematic concepts and use of representations (such as carefully selected demonstrations) (Loughran, Mulhall, & Berry, 2004). Findings indicate that the tertiary teachers’ beliefs, goals and practices align with PCK frameworks deriving from the secondary context (Fraser, 2015). A significant outcome was that experienced tertiary teachers expressed awareness of supporting students to progress to a deeper understanding of complex concepts. This presentation will identify and explore the ways that sub-discipline culture informs teaching practice Barthelemy, R. S., Henderson, C. & Grunert, M. L. (2013). How do they get here?: Paths into physics education research. Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research, 9, 020107(14). Fraser, S (2015). Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK): Exploring its usefulness for science lecturers in higher education. Research in Science Education. Published online 22 March 2015. DOI 10.1007/s11165-014-9459-1 Loughran, J., Mulhall, P., & Berry, A. (2004). In Search of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Science: Developing Ways of Articulating and Documenting Professional Practice. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41, 370-391. DOI: 10.1002/tea.2000

Student conceptions about energy transformations: progression from general chemistry to biochemistry

Students commencing studies in biochemistry must transfer and build on concepts they learned in chemistry and biology classes. It is well established, however, that students have difficulties in transferring critical concepts from general chemistry courses; one key concept is “energy.” Most previous work on students’ conception of energy has focused on their understanding of energy in the context of physics (including the idea of “work”) and/or their understanding of energy in classical physical and inorganic chemistry contexts (particularly Gibbs Free Energy changes, the second law of thermodynamics, and equilibrium under standard conditions within a closed system). For biochemistry, students must go beyond those basic thermodynamics concepts of work, standard energy changes, and closed systems, and instead they must consider what energy flow, use, and transformation mean in living, open, and dynamic systems. In this study we explored students’ concepts about free energy and flow in biological chemical reactions and metabolic pathways by surveys and in-depth interviews. We worked with students in general chemistry classes and biochemistry courses in both an Australian and a US tertiary institution. We address three primary questions (i) What are the most common alternative conceptions held by students when they explain energy-related phenomena in biochemistry?, (ii) What information do students transfer from introductory chemistry and biology when they are asked to consider energy in a biological reaction or reaction pathway?, and (iii) How do students at varying levels of competence articulate their understandings of energy in pathways and biological reactions? The answers to these questions are used to build a preliminary learning progression for understanding “energy” in biochemistry. We also propose crucial elements of content knowledge that instructors could apply to help students better grasp this threshold concept in biochemistry

Online learning in chemistry: Design, development, accessibility, and evaluation

Online learning has played an integral role in delivering large-cohort chemistry courses in undergraduate degree programs. This study includes describing how a first-year chemistry course transitioned from traditional face-to-face teaching to blended learning using the Resource-Based Learning framework (Hannafin & Hill, 2007; Reyes et al., 2022a). Using this framework, different types of online learning resources were curated to deliver chemistry content. A variety of learning activities were also developed to enhance these resources guided by Laurillard’s Conversational Framework (Laurillard, 2002). Considering that accessibility is a critical aspect to improve students’ learning experience, the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework was integrated into the learning design of first-year chemistry (Rose & Meyer, 2002; Reyes et al., 2022b). The perceived utility of online learning resources enhanced with UDL-based features was evaluated through students’ responses to surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Furthermore, learning analytics using temporal, sequence, and process mining analytical techniques were employed on students’ trace data to evaluate course learning design and to understand students’ engagement with learning resources and activities included in the course. Results of this study show the importance of careful development and implementation of learning design of the online learning component of chemistry courses, to enhance the students’ learning experiences. REFERENCES Hannafin, M. J., & Hill, J. (2007). Resource-based learning. In M. Spector, M. D. Merrill, J. van Merrienboer, & M. P. Driscoll (Eds.), Handbook of research on educational communications and technology. Erlbaum. Laurillard, D. (2002). Rethinking university teaching: A conversational framework for the effective use of learning technologies (2nd ed.). RoutledgeFalmer. Reyes, C.T., Kyne, S. H., Lawrie, G. A., & Thompson, C. D. (2022a). Implementing blended first-year chemistry in a developing country using online resources. Online Learning, 26(1), 174–202. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v26i1.2508 Reyes, C.T., Lawrie, G. A., Thompson, C. D., & Kyne, S. H. (2022b). “Every little thing that could possibly be provided helps”: analysis of online first-year chemistry resources using the universal design for learning framework. Chemistry Education Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1rp00171j Rose D. H. & Meyer A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal Design for Learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD

Insights into how students’ ‘selves’ impact on their self-regulation and self-direction in online learning

Background Students entering tertiary studies are required to quickly adapt to hybrid learning environments in which online learning is blended into university courses, often differently in each of their courses. Flipped classrooms or other variants of blended learning are multiplying and digital objects are routinely used as supporting resources (videos, simulations, animations etc) embedded in learning management systems. For many students, skills to navigate these learning environments must first be developed before they become more self-aware of their study and learning processes. Through a multi-institutional Office for Learning and Teaching project to enhance the student transition to tertiary chemistry studies, online modules were developed to support student self-regulated learning (Lawrie et al, 2013; Lawrie et al 2015). Different strategies were adopted at each institution. In the part of the study reported here, the self-regulation was scaffolded through a sequence of formative activities which students engaged independently in prior to a summative assessment task each week. Self-direction became very important in how students engaged in management of their studies in terms of time and persistence across the semester. Aims The aim of this study was to explore the factors that impacted on students' self-regulation as they engaged with formative feedback and linked online activities to remediate gaps in their understanding of chemistry concepts. Description of intervention The intervention at a single institution took the form of structured online weekly modules that supported the lectures in a large first-year chemistry course. The instructional design integrated three elements into each module: a short concept quiz (step 1) from which feedback was provided instead of marks to point students to specific online activities to address alternate or missing conceptions; a suite of interactive online learning objects (step 2) and a summative quiz based on lecture concepts (step 3). Students were required to complete a minimum number of weekly summative quizzes to gain course marks. Design and methods In this evaluative study, data was collected from four sources including Blackboard™ log data, website analytics (Google Analytics), an end of semester online questionnaire and focus group interviews. Five motivation and six learning strategies scales, originating from the well-characterised motivated strategies for learning questionnaire (MSLQ), were embedded in the online questionnaire to triangulate quantitative and qualitative data. Results Students found the modules to be valuable in sustaining their currency in concepts and engagement with the lectures across the semester. Analysis of quantitative data revealed that students had applied multiple strategies in managing their learning and these could be attributed to their individual motivation and persistence. A surprising outcome from this study was the diversity in technological skills possessed by students. A small but significant number of students failed to persist in overcoming access hurdles that arose in online resources and summative quizzes in spite of the extensive support available. Conclusions Student self-regulated learning was successfully supported through the design of integrated formative and summative activities. Student self-directed learning was dependent on multiple traits of their ‘self’, including motivation and particularly persistence. References Lawrie, G., Wright, A, Schultz, M., Dargaville, T., O.Brien, G., Bedford, S., Williams, M., Tasker, R., Dickson, H., & Thompson, C. (2013). Using formative feedback to identify and support first-year chemistry students with missing or misconceptions. International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education. 4(2) 111-6. Lawrie, G., Wright, A., Schultz, M., Dargaville, T., Tasker, R., Williams, M., Bedford, S., O’Brien, G., Thompson, C. (2015). Closing the loop: A model for inter-institutional collaboration through delivering formative assessment in large, first-year STEM classes. In G. Weaver, W. Burgess & L. Slakey (Eds.), Transforming institutions: Undergraduate STEM education for the 21st Century. (pp 399-410) Purdue University Press: Indiana. Proceedings of the Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education, The University of Queensland, Sept 28th to 30th, 2016, page X, ISBN Number 978-0-9871834-4-6

Evidencing tacit and explicit disciplinary pedagogical content knowledge as signposts of good teaching practice

Background Discipline-based pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is a growing area of interest in the tertiary sector leading to a need for robust frameworks to evidence teaching practices. In 2015, a consensus model for teacher professional knowledge and skill, integrating PCK, was published as an outcome from a summit of world leaders in this field (Gess-Newsome, 2015) focussed on the secondary level. This model highlights the different facets of PCK and teachers' professional practice, and enables exploration of what evidence of effective teaching might look like. The aim of this study was to identify elements of tertiary chemistry PCK that may be transferable (explicit) as well as elements which can only acquired through personal experience gained in teaching (tacit). We have captured multiple aspects of tertiary PCK and effective teaching practices. These have been collated and distilled into an online teaching resource of seven steps to assist new and experienced tertiary teachers to transform their teaching. Methods The methodology was informed by literature research and frameworks that have captured and explicated sophisticated teacher practice (Cooper, Loughran, & Berry, 2015), particularly the tacit forms of a teachers' professional knowledge. Data was collected through the voluntary participation (by informed consent) of tertiary chemistry faculty attending national and state-based workshops. In addition, interviews with ten teaching academics recognised as excellent teachers by their own institutions (identified through searches of institutional websites) were completed. The purposeful selection of interviewees aimed to balance gender, chemistry subdiscipline speciality, and academics who identify as teaching-focussed (that is, their research is in SoTL or discipline-based education) with those involved in typical chemistry research. The consensus model for PCK (Gess-Newsome, 2015) was applied to inform the process of data analysis, with a particular focus on topic-specific professional knowledge (TSPK). Results Analysis of the qualitative data collected revealed several elements of PCK and TSPK that were specific to the context of tertiary teaching, however still aligned with the consensus model for PCK. Some of the most significant project findings emerged from the shared stories of the individual participants in terms of how their experiences have changed their practices. Distillation of common experiences and strategies, followed by the combination of these with the latest literature in effective tertiary teaching led to the development of a set of generally applicable steps to improve teaching practice. In this presentation, we will present the steps and ways in which they can be embedded into teaching as a journey towards good practice. References Gess-Newsome, J. (2015). A model of teacher professional knowledge and skill including PCK: Results of the thinking from the PCK Summit. In A. Berry, P. Friedrichsen, & J. Loughran (Eds.), Re-examining Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Science Education (pp. 28-42). New York, NY: Routledge. Loughran, J., Mulhall, P., & Berry, A. (2004). In search of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in science: Developing ways of articulating and documenting professional practice. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41, 370-391. Proceedings of the Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education, The University of Queensland, Sept 28th to 30th, 2016, page X, ISBN Number 978-0-9871834-4-6

Student Perceptions and Engagement in Video-based Learning for Microbiology Education

Online learning increases the physical distance between instructors and students and depending on the mode of delivery, it can be challenging to close this gap. To ameliorate this potential for student isolation, instructors need to communicate to students in a variety of ways, blending original online resources with synchronous interactive learning activities. During 2020, 34 lecture videos were created for a large undergraduate microbiology and immunology course offered at The University of Queensland. The teaching team applied a subset of Mayer’s multimedia learning design principles – embodiment, mixed perspectives, segmenting, signalling – to create videos featuring instructor presence, multiple presentation styles, and dynamic pacing. When compared to voice-over presentations created by automated lecture capture software, the outcomes of this design process increased student engagement in video-based learning across the 2020 and 2021 course offerings. Analysis of student perception data collected by online questionnaires and interviews revealed broad agreement with the design principles used for video-based learning. However, their value of on-screen instructor visibility, graphics, and text was variable as a result of individual preferences. Together these findings present a case study in which instructional videos were developed iteratively through the selective application of multimedia design principles and strategic adaptation of existing learning resources

Multiplexed microsphere diagnostic tools in gene expression applications: factors and futures

Microarrays have received significant attention in recent years as scientists have firstly identified factors that can produce reduced confidence in gene expression data obtained on these platforms, and secondly sought to establish laboratory practices and a set of standards by which data are reported with integrity. Microsphere-based assays represent a new generation of diagnostics in this field capable of providing substantial quantitative and qualitative information from gene expression profiling. However, for gene expression profiling, this type of platform is still in the demonstration phase, with issues arising from comparative studies in the literature not yet identified. It is desirable to identify potential parameters that are established as important in controlling the information derived from microsphere-based hybridizations to quantify gene expression. As these evolve, a standard set of parameters will be established that are required to be provided when data are submitted for publication. Here we initiate this process by identifying a number of parameters we have found to be important in microsphere-based assays designed for the quantification of low abundant genes which are variable between studies