2019 Chemistry Education Research and Practice: Using Education Research to Foster Meaningful Chemistry Learning

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

This project will broaden the participation of a diverse set of chemistry education researchers and practitioners in the 2019 Gordon Research Conference on Chemistry Education Research and Practice (2019 GRC-CERP). The theme of this event will be "Using Education Research to Foster Meaningful Chemistry Learning." Participants will engage in analysis and discussion of how to integrate educational research findings into the design, implementation, and evaluation of foundational curricula, learning environments, instructional methods, and assessments that produce meaningful learning of core scientific ideas, development of valued skills, or significant changes in attitudes and beliefs of diverse students. Conference attendees will include researchers and practitioners from different areas, such as biology, chemistry, geosciences, math, and physics education; and diverse institutions, from research-intensive universities to primary undergraduate institutions (PUI), who will address practical and theoretical issues in the integration of chemistry education research and practice. The funds to support attendance will ensure a diverse set of attendees that represent all institutional types and environments, as well as early-career teachers and researchers. This project will support the participation of up to 30 early-career education researchers and practitioners, post-docs, and grad students in the 2019 GRC-CERP. Priority for support will be given to individuals who are members of an underrepresented group in the chemistry education community, are affiliated with a PUI or community college, or who are attending a GRC for the first time. These participants will gain insights into curriculum design, instructional strategies, and assessment methods that better support student learning in different class environments and when working with diverse populations. Participants will have multiple opportunities to build collaborations that transcend the event, which should promote and sustain the type of wide systemic educational reform that the NSF-IUSE program seeks to advance. Data gathered through project evaluation on the professional development of participants will inform program activities for future GRC-CERP conferences and improve recruitment of participants from underrepresented communities. It will also contribute to what is known about how belonging to a community of practice supports professional change and the adoption of evidence-based teaching strategies. 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.