To keep up with the modern-day challenges and expanding pool of scientific inquiry, it is crucial to enhance STEM education particularly in its capacity to incorporate current research and societal problems to improve how courses prepare students to apply their knowledge to contemporary issues. To meet this goal, University of Illinois Chicago department of chemistry launched a project in 2021 consisting of evidence-based research of teaching and learning practices, course and curriculum revisions and faculty development. This project i.e., Institutional Transformation through Curriculum and Faculty Development to Serve the Modern Chemistry Student (IUSE ICT) aims at revising the undergraduate course offerings. We are interested in deep examination of teaching and learning in each of the affected courses using Collaborative Action Research (CAR) methods- the process and findings from which we are aiming to present in ACS Spring 2023.
The central objective of our endeavor, utilizing the comprehensive action research (CAR) methodology, is to assess the efficacy of the revised educational curricula while concurrently providing the professional development opportunity to the participating instructors to enhance their teaching practices through reflective pedagogy, thoughtful lesson planning, fostering institutionalized analytical discourse, and promoting mutual discourse among the instructors to bolster their sense of collegiality. The action research team is supporting the course instructors- who act as co-researchers in this project- in formulating their research questions, allowing them to contribute to critical evidence-based research on change in higher education. Moreover, our study endeavors to scrutinize the collaborative process between the course instructors and the research team, assessing the effectiveness of the partnership in promoting educational reform.

Institutional transformation through curriculum and faculty development to serve the modern chemistry student: Action research as a professional development strategy

Where thousands of chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. Spring 2023 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch at the end of March.

ACS Spring 2023

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