Chemistry education has made tremendous progress in the last half century, and more great things are surely on the way. However, most advances are also accompanied by associated retreats that must be managed. For example, tools for enabling students to visualize microscopic phenomena are incredibly good, and are constantly improving. The down side is that students receive great explanations for phenomena they are not likely to ever experience. Another example: Applying research findings from the cognitive sciences offers the promise of designing an optimal instructional protocol for every student. However, the relentless pressure to deliver instruction to more students for less money may make this level of individualization impossible. And yet another: The increasing availability of curricula for online instruction provides access to instruction that would otherwise be unavailable for many students. On the other hand, students in online courses do not benefit from the one-on-one guidance and counseling of real chemistry teachers, which may be essential for really learning a subject. Capitalizing on the positives while minimizing the effect of the negatives is indeed a daunting, but exciting, challenge for the next generation of chemistry educators.

<b>Award Address</b> (George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education sponsored by Cengage Learning and the ACS Division of Chemical Education). Challenges for the next generation

249th National Meeting (2015)

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Award Address (George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education sponsored by Cengage Learning and the ACS Division of Chemical Education). Challenges for the next generation