Large-scale, classroom-based experiments using adaptive instructional software pose somewhat unique challenges for experimental design and deployment. One reason for this is that adaptive software allows students to advance through the curriculum at different rates and encounter content at different times, meaning that content targeted for…

Self-efficacy is a situational and subject-dependent construct instead of a personal characteristic, general perception, or personal competence. This study aimed to develop and validate a scale that would determine chemistry teachers' perceived self-efficacy for teaching in the laboratories. To this end, a self-efficacy perception scale for…

Raman scattering is a powerful tool for revealing the vibrations of molecules, but as a nonlinear optical phenomenon, its signals can change via mechanisms like resonance enhancement that have no direct analogue in infrared spectroscopy. In this work, complementary measurements conducted on 4-nitrophenol and its conjugate base allow students to…

As electrochemistry continues to gain broader acceptance and use within the organic chemistry community, it is important that advanced undergraduate students are exposed to fundamental and practical knowledge of electrochemical applications for chemical synthesis. Herein, we describe the development of an undergraduate laboratory experience that…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many educators have been required to offer their courses online. A particular challenge is the implementation of practical laboratory experiments in the field of materials science. The central questions are the following: How can students carry out laboratory experiments at home? How are applications on mobile devices…

Abrupt disruptions to academia, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020, have brought unprecedented challenges in teaching, yet it has brought many lessons, driving the development of strategies in response to the crisis. The general chemistry laboratory course is often considered difficult to teach, due to students' heterogeneous chemistry…

As the need for online or virtual science courses grows, it is important to incorporate laboratory work into these courses. However, it is difficult to find cost-effective ways to integrate the laboratory work, especially as campuses across the world have had to quickly transition to the online learning environment in the midst of the COVID-19…

We present an experiment designed to hone the decision-making skills of (undergraduate) chemistry students by using aqueous crossed aldol reactions. Here, we present two simple crossed aldol reactions based on inexpensive and readily available materials: The condensation of vanillin and cinnamaldehyde with acetone. The procedure uses the variation…

The topic of electric and magnetic fields is fundamental to the physics curriculum in both high school and college. The applied aspect of this topic has triggered the rapid development of modern technology in this era. This paper reported a remote data acquisition system developed for experiments with magnetic fields by coils to support…

Understanding experimental design (e.g. control of variable strategy or CVS) is foundational for scientific reasoning. Previous research has demonstrated that demonstrations with cognitive conflict (e.g. asking students to evaluate and explain different experimental designs) are effective in promoting children's scientific reasoning, however, the…

Biodiesel is an important alternative fuel synthesized by the trans-esterification of vegetable oils, animal fats, and recycled greases. In this experiment, students prepared biodiesel through the base-catalyzed trans-esterification of several vegetable oils, which were subsequently analyzed in comparison with conventional petroleum-based fuels to…

We described a simple method for detection of Fe on a thread-based analytical device. Fe reacts with 1,10-phenanthroline to form a colored band on a cotton thread; the length was measured to quantify the contents of Fe using a ruler. This method has the advantages of easy operation, low cost, easy fabrication, and reduced sample/reagent…

Undergraduate research is a valuable tool to demonstrate both the dedication and time required to be a successful biologist. One area of research that has intrigued students over the last several years is cytotoxicity. However, at smaller undergraduate institutions, the time, training, and funding available for these research studies may be…

The implementation of an integrated approach to upper-level undergraduate chemistry laboratory instruction that incorporates student choice both in the selection and sequencing of the experimental work is presented. The approach involves combining laboratory work in several traditional subdisciplinary areas of chemistry in a single course.…

In order to introduce the concept of covalent organic frameworks (COFs), an important class of predictable crystalline porous polymers, an integrated laboratory experiment for advanced organic chemistry students is reported. The importance of these kind of polymers and their multiple applications are presented as a part of key concepts in polymer…