Laboratory skills assignments were developed as a novel approach to providing students with the opportunity to engage in hands-on laboratory skills development outside of the lab during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the assignments were implemented within a second-year forensic chemistry course of 48 students and redesigned and modified to be…

All students pursuing STEM careers need to be adept at interpreting and evaluating primary research literature. The complexity of research articles requires significant practice and training in order to become skilled and efficient at this process. Thus, an early start in undergraduate education is essential and allows for development and practice…

In recent years, pedagogical advancements have allowed the adoption of more engaging forms of course assignments to help students better understand and communicate chemistry. In this context, informational graphics, known as infographics, emerge as an effective teaching aid in educational settings and in disseminating scientific content to the…

How often do students get to delve deeper into the lives of the scientists that are typically mentioned in a general chemistry class? Most of the time, the scientist's name is mentioned, and then their scientific contribution becomes the main topic of discussion. A Scientist Report writing assignment has been used in a General Chemistry I course…

In undergraduate science education, laboratory courses stand as essential cornerstones of experiential learning. Chemistry laboratory courses offer students unique hands-on experiences that bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. The journey through the undergraduate chemistry curriculum is paved with a series of…

Organic chemistry courses enroll students from many majors with diverse interests. Although instructors may strive to appeal to these interests by relating course content to real life, it is challenging to intrinsically appeal to students at the personal level, particularly in high enrollment courses like organic chemistry. When students identify…

Fourth- and fifth-year pharmacy students attending integrated pharmacotherapy courses at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University completed a medicinal chemistry assignment using computer-based technology. This written assignment encompassed multiple components requiring the use of free online resources to study and illustrate several stages of…

The ability to collaborate with culturally diverse groups is essential, not only to further scientific knowledge but also to solve complex global problems. However, not all students have opportunities to develop intercultural competencies through study abroad programs, due to various issues such as cost, rigid curriculum, and unrelated field of…

Plant-derived natural products are an important source of potential medicines and continue to have a major impact on the drug discovery process. Natural product discovery assignments provide an opportunity to present various experimental techniques to undergraduate students in introductory medicinal chemistry. This assignment was developed to…

To increase student interest and engagement in introductory chemistry courses for non-science majors, we incorporated a children's book project based on the chemistry discussed in class. Students were given agency in topic, target age range, and book format to encourage creativity, to integrate student interest and major, and to challenge…

Chemistry education research demonstrates the value of open-ended writing tasks, such as writing-to-learn (WTL) assignments, for supporting students' learning with topics including reasoning about reaction mechanisms. The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI)technology, such as chatbots ChatGPT and Bard, raises concerns regarding…

A process for generating and writing an individual research proposal with or without access to advanced experimental techniques is described herein. This process was first included in a glycoconjugate biochemistry course to increase student interaction with more areas of the field, but the process was designed to be applicable elsewhere as well.…

The development of the skills to read and understand scientific literature is crucial to the future success of students. A literature review project was introduced into an organic chemistry laboratory course, in which undergraduate students were asked to acquire the skills of scientific literature searching, reading, and summarizing. The course…

Writing is a key disciplinary practice in STEM used to construct scientific knowledge and communicate research findings. With its role in the scientific process, writing is often incorporated into STEM classrooms to train students in scientific writing. The importance of incorporating writing in STEM classrooms is heightened by the role it can…

An oral presentation assignment in a Physical Chemistry course was reimagined as a TED talk. The presentation is part of a larger course project which includes consideration of what traits mark good writing and good speaking that students can emulate. Evidence and observations show that this new format yields improved presentations, enhanced…