The sudden COVID-19 outbreak has obstructed the conventional method of teaching causing a mandated shift to virtual platforms. A developing country like India which predominantly depended on conventional methods of teaching and learning in the pre-COVID era is gradually gaining success in effectively transitioning into virtual classrooms with the…

A remote laboratory that measures the enthalpy of vaporization ([delta]"H"[subscript vap]°) and the entropy of vaporization ([delta]"S"[subscript vap]°) of "n"-octane was designed, constructed, and offered to second-year physical chemistry undergraduates at the University of New England (UNE) and Curtin University.…

Although active learning strategies are being incorporated into many higher-education STEM courses, not all students benefit from these activities to the same extent. As these types of activities are designed to engage students in their learning, differences in student engagement may explain some of the differences in learning outcomes. However,…

Teaching laboratories are a highly complex environment that require students to master the following: technical skills, application of theory, safe working conditions, and teamwork. Often, students have had very little prior experience to prepare them for this alien and pressured environment. Prelaboratory tasks are typically considered key to…

Scientific instruments have long been a vital part of science, paving pathways to remarkable scientific advancements. Such advancements have changed the world both socially and culturally, especially in the past few decades. Students can be introduced to this idea through the concepts of nature of science (NOS): scientific observations are often…

Dropout and low academic performance at university level constitute a big current challenge. In this work, materials comprising different interactive tools were developed following instructional design, rooted in the cognitive load theory. They were applied in a first-year lecture chemistry course to tackle low academic performance and high…

We describe here a 4 hour experimental session based on reaction monitoring of the degradation of an organic pollutant via a Fenton-like reaction. An aqueous solution of p-nitrophenol is treated with hydrogen peroxide and magnetite, and the progress of the reaction is monitored by UV-vis spectrophotometry and/or gas chromatography using an…

Virtual reality (VR) lab experiences for organic chemistry were developed at NC State University as an accessibility tool for students who are unable to attend in-person laboratories due to disabilities, attendance challenges such as pregnancy or military deployment, or safety concerns. The resulting first-person VR experiences are immersive and…

We designed the current gamification strategy for an undergraduate introductory organic chemistry course to enhance the student engagement. We implemented it in two classes from the Pharmacy and Chemistry courses using several gaming elements: attendance, punctuality, game-based applications, board games, knowledge tournament, video classes, and…

The objective of this study is to determine current medical students' perspective on the importance of Organic Chemistry in premedical curriculum, or if they see more benefit in a taking a different course. Previous literature has focused on premedical students, but the current study focuses on current medical students. A qualtrics survey was sent…

We report a program for a summer science academy in chemistry, a section of the Chicago Academic Achievement Program (CAAP) at the University of Chicago, as a gateway to STEM for incoming first-generation students and other underrepresented student groups. Our program emphasized diversity in classrooms, students' psychological safety and a sense…

Traditionally, laboratory practice aims to establish schemas learned by students in theoretical courses through concrete experiences. However, access to laboratories might not always be available to students. Therefore, it is advantageous to diversify the tools that students could use to train practical skills. This technology report describes the…

The COVID-19 pandemic of Spring 2020 saw chemistry instructors across the globe working to deliver traditional hands-on laboratory learning within a remote learning environment. This study focused on the student perspective on remote laboratory delivery models across 13 Fall 2020 chemistry courses with students from all four years of undergraduate…

The value of postgraduates teaching in undergraduate chemistry laboratories has been a subject of interest at universities in the UK, Europe, USA, Australia, and New Zealand. The role of the teaching assistant (TA) is already well-established in many laboratories in the USA, and such roles have been increasing in popularity in the UK. Postgraduate…

A novel undergraduate analytical chemistry experiment involving the identification and quantification of linalool in essential oils was developed. The experiment uses the internal standard method with headspace solid phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography--mass spectrometry (GC-MS). This method is applicable to any linalool-containing…