A General Chemistry Assignment Analyzing Environmental Contamination for the DePue, IL, National Superfund Site

Abstract

The classroom exercise outlined here is a self-directed assignment that connects students to the environmental contamination problem surrounding the DePue Superfund site. By connecting chemistry knowledge gained in the classroom with a real-world problem, students are encouraged to personally connect with the problem while simultaneously developing skills in data management and interpretation. Designed for first-year undergraduate, general chemistry students, each of the four primary exercises builds upon the skills developed in those before it. This approach makes it easy to tailor this assignment to the needs of individual classrooms. This assignment was given as the first laboratory course assignment to a pilot group of 178 general chemistry undergraduate students at Northwestern University. Students enrolled in this course had already completed the first of two accelerated general chemistry courses. Over 75% of students scored in the 85% to 100% grade range, illustrating that the majority of students who completed this assignment demonstrated a high level of comprehension.

Integrating the Liberal Arts and Chemistry: A Series of General Chemistry Assignments To Develop Science Literacy

“…16 There are also a few examples of using activities focused on real-world issues to develop science literacy in general chemistry courses: Oliver-Hoyo and Pinto shared an activity on vehicle fuel consumption and CO 2 emissions, 17 Geyer related the use of fictitious case studies on unresolved scientific issues, 18 and Gomez et al led students in an exercise in which they analyzed real-world data connected to an environmental problem. 19 In an effort to develop first-year students' science literacy, we have incorporated a series of assignments into our General Chemistry I course that culminates with asking students to consider information on a current, controversial topic from a variety of resources and construct a rational and supported argument. By focusing on this particular course, we are able to reach a broad audience: chemistry, biochemistry, biology, engineering, exercise science, and forensic science majors, as well as nonscience majors who take the course as part of the liberal arts curriculum.…”

“…Interdisciplinary approaches focused on a particular subject have also been used; Hemraj-Benny and Beckford developed an inquiry-based approach that used art-related topics, and Hill et al used archeology as a framework for teaching chemistry, involving students in the chemical analysis of artifacts . There are also a few examples of using activities focused on real-world issues to develop science literacy in general chemistry courses: Oliver-Hoyo and Pinto shared an activity on vehicle fuel consumption and CO 2 emissions, Geyer related the use of fictitious case studies on unresolved scientific issues, and Gomez et al led students in an exercise in which they analyzed real-world data connected to an environmental problem …”

How Safe Is Your Playground? Analyzing Soil in Scottish Schools through a University Outreach Project

“…On the basis of this landscape, a project was devised to address the aims outlined above by the Scottish Government. The project would also include practice of the skills desired by teachers and would enhance formal science learning through linking real-world applications to curriculum content. , The project would be at a national level and would therefore allow support for areas of the country where pupils are at a socio-economic disadvantage, and resources would be created to enable all teachers and schools to engage. Specifically, the aim of this project was to engage with school pupils, who are within the Broad General Education (BGE) phase of their studies, and to help them begin to explore the importance of Scotland’s soil in terms of its usage, importance to the economy, and management .…”

A Multidisciplinary Science Summer Camp for Students with Emphasis on Environmental and Analytical Chemistry

“…Environmental aspects have been integrated into chemistry curricula to introduce chemical concepts, increase learning motivation and trigger awareness of environmental problems. − As with other application-oriented education in analytical chemistry, this puts aside the method-by-method approach toward education framed in specific and relevant contexts …”