Scanning probe microscopy such as atomic force microscopy has become increasingly integrated and relevant in undergraduate laboratory investigations. As the "hands and eyes of the nanoworld", atomic force microscopes (AFMs) continue to be used to innovate the nanowriting process for data storage and in the exploration of novel materials…

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increasing amount of research on redesigning educational models. This paper describes the contents of a new laboratory course on physical chemistry based on blended learning, designed for third-year students in the Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University. We provided…

Digital badges are emerging as an approach to offer microaccreditation for student achievements obtained in ongoing course work. They act to offer a formal recognition and framework for multiple small components which together make a significant contribution to student learning. Badges are promoted as a way of highlighting these particular…

The majority of undergraduates own a smartphone, yet fewer than half view it as a valuable learning technology. Consequently, a digital laboratory notebook (DLN) was developed for an upper-division undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course using the free mobile application Evernote. The cloud-based DLN capitalized on the unique features of…

American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meetings are valuable for the development of undergraduate researchers but can be overwhelming for first-time attendees. To orient and engage students with the range of offerings at an ACS meeting, we developed a cloud-based scavenger hunt. Using their mobile devices, teams of undergraduates…

Building on previous success with a digital pipet badge, an evidence-centered design approach was used to develop new digital badges for measuring the volume of liquids with a buret and making a solution in a volumetric flask. These badges were implemented and assessed in two general chemistry courses. To earn the badges, students created videos…