A flipped classroom describes a class where students complete readings and watch lectures outside of class, while in-class time is spent on activities to practice content learned. The implementation of a flipped classroom approach has been shown to increase student learning and student enjoyment of courses. This paper describes using the flipped classroom technique to improve learning outcomes and student interest in an organic chemistry course. We assessed student learning and enjoyment through a student satisfaction questionnaire and comparative analysis of grades. The survey consisted of 14 Likert questions and four open-ended questions. Results of the student satisfaction questionnaire confirm that the majority of students believed that the flipped classroom teaching approach helped them learn better/more, that it improved their learning outcomes, and that they liked it better than a traditional class. The results of grade analysis did not show a significant difference between the flipped and traditional formats.

The most effective teaching and learning environments are those in which students are involved as active partners with faculty, and the greatest impact occurs when faculty go beyond asking students for feedback and instead involve them in design, production, and implementation. In this paper, we explore the process of student-faculty co-creation by presenting a specific case involving students as partners in the redesign of an introductory chemistry laboratory course to incorporate more group learning, support students’ skill development, and increase students’ sense of belonging in chemistry. This case study investigates how faculty can set up and structure a successful co-design partnership and attend to potential challenges as well as how educational developers and teaching centers can work in partnership with faculty and students to design or redesign courses.

As college costs have continued to rise, textbooks now average more than $1,200 per student per academic year as of 2020. Traditional textbooks are not only expensive, but also have fixed and frequently outdated content. In this study, we compared pre-service teacher-student outcomes and perceptions of a traditional textbook versus no-cost, online materials such as open educational resources (OER) in an undergraduate Foundations of Education course. Outcomes were measured by comparison of final course grades. Perceptions were determined through quantitative and qualitative survey questions added to existing end-of-course evaluations. Results revealed students found OER and no-cost online materials more useful to their success in the course and more engaging than a traditional textbook. Qualitative analysis further revealed that while students appreciated there was no cost for the online materials, they preferred them to a traditional textbook because of the customized content. Results suggest students find instructor-curated, no-cost online readings more useful and preferable to a traditional textbook without compromising student academic performance.