Chemistry instructors recognize and strive to address students’ inability to apply mathematics concepts and make connections across science classes. For example, rate of change is a crosscutting theme causing widespread difficulty among students. In reaction kinetics in chemistry, population growth in biology and kinematics in physics, students consistently struggle to explain the meaning of terms in differential equations, make sense of rates of change in graphical representations, and distinguish between average and instantaneous rates of change and constant and variable functions. Instructors isolated in disciplinary silos cannot effectively address these challenges. As an NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education project, our team is working across disciplines to produce a series of videos to improve students’ understanding of rates of change concepts and make conceptual connections across foundational mathematics and science courses. Team members bring expertise in education research in chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics. Our professional learning goal is to better understand each other’s disciplinary traditions and the way we think about and teach foundational courses. We have also developed a checklist to guide development and critique of science and mathematics educational videos by translating into practice the relevant education literature on content and sequencing, cognitive supports and affective considerations.

Doing what we want our students to do: Video project to build connections across disciplines

2019 Fall National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.