An Experiential Learning Chemistry Course for Nonmajors Taught through the Lens of Science Fiction

Abstract

A nonmajors general chemistry course entitled “Putting the Science in SciFi” was taught to 19 seniors at the College of the Holy Cross in 2018. The course coupled the delivery of content with experiential learning strategies in the form of writing assignments and hands-on activities. A pretest and posttest indicate that students gained and retained basic scientific information throughout the semester. Student feedback reveals a positive learning experience. As a result, the pedagogical tools used in this course carry significant implications to the course design of science curriculum.

Basic Cheminformatics Course for First-Year Chemistry Students

“…Finally, in unit 5, we describe the scientific paper or coursework structure, academic and discipline-specific scientific writing style, and scientific ethics for material presented with links to references. ,, Coursework includes writing a review, giving an oral presentation, and participating in discussions. During the first unit, students should choose the topic of the scientific writing review from our list.…”

Potential for Chemistry in Multidisciplinary, Interdisciplinary, and Transdisciplinary Teaching Activities in Higher Education

“…Integrative learning involves combining subject matter traditionally taught as separate curricula. This approach enables students to connect with and to apply theoretical/practical knowledge and skills developed in various settings (e.g., lecture theaters, tutorials, laboratories, and potentially industrial settings). ,,,,− This approach benefits from problem-, question-, and theme-based integrative learning experiences in a thoughtfully structured MITT curriculum with a number of core courses that include interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary concepts, methods, and theories. ,,,,, The development and delivery of coherent, effective, and strongly MITT curricula offer a variety of challenges to higher education establishments. ,,,,,,,− The most obvious barriers to the development and delivery of MITT curricula are organizational, particularly the traditional structures of university departments and faculties and their teaching and training programs, which tend to be focused on the necessity to guarantee standards of training and to secure externally recognized accreditation for the program of study. , A direct consequence of this structure is that staff may not be encouraged to venture away from the safe ground of their disciplinary borders, which is mirrored by the historical scope of journals, and peer-review models for research grants and outputs (books, conference proceedings, papers, reports, etc.). Other challenges include leadership (ideation, communication, championing change), management (change management, financial and human resource allocation for course development, staff support and training (e.g., practice sharing events)), administration (timetabling, credit-/finance-sharing between departments, etc.…”

Construction and Teaching Practice of Chemistry General Education Course “Chemical Mysteries in Movie and Animation” under the Concept of “Student-Centered”

“…16 In 2020, Avila-Bront detailed the teaching of chemistry in science fiction movies for nonchemistry majors. 17 In 2021, Dietri used the video games Fortnite, Spiderman, and Angry Birds and TV shows Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and so on to engage with students and encourage them to learn in a more recreational environment. 18 In a word, the development of integration of movies into classroom teaching has experienced the following stages: from the use of a single complete movie to clips of various movies in terms of materials, from middle school and college professional education to general education in terms of teaching objects, and from a brief description of the movie content to a careful screening of movie clips, the combination of movies and teaching is introduced in detail in terms of the form of research.…”

“…In 2019, Bibic adopted a late-model technologyVirtual Reality (VR); it was shown to be an innovative and fun approach to learning and public engagement in biochemistry . In 2020, Avila-Bront detailed the teaching of chemistry in science fiction movies for nonchemistry majors . In 2021, Dietri used the video games Fortnite, Spiderman, and Angry Birds and TV shows Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and so on to engage with students and encourage them to learn in a more recreational environment .…”