Chemistry in Context: Integrating Chemical Information Literacy, Scientific Writing, and Contemporary Issues in the First-Year Undergraduate Curriculum

Brydges, Stacey

doi:10.1021/bk-2016-1232.ch005

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…As the skills and concepts needed for information literacy become more complex, instructional practices across the curriculum are expanding. Courses and modules focused on information literacy have been reported at every level of a university science curriculum, from first-year introductory courses to senior-level courses. − Students who receive information literacy instruction report that they find the topic engaging and relatable and consider the material to be useful for both their academic and professional careers . Instruction in information literacy through practice can improve students’ confidence and competence at finding high-quality sources .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracking Information Literacy in Science Students: A Longitudinal Case Study of Skill Retention from General Chemistry to Biochemistry

et al. 2021

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Does early exposure to information literacy promote long-term student success? This paper describes a longitudinal case study testing the hypothesis that students who engage with scientific literature and develop information literacy early in their undergraduate studies will achieve higher grades on literature-based assignments in future coursework. We reasoned that students with previous experience in the scientific literature will develop more efficient and effective strategies to search and evaluate the literature and will ultimately favor higher-quality journals. To test these hypotheses, student performance data were collected during scientific literature-based assignments in two upper-division undergraduate lecture courses, Biochemistry 1 and Biochemistry 2. Data were analyzed from two student populations: students with prior information literacy instruction and critical practice from an Honors General Chemistry course sequence, and those students who had not undergone this training. The results indicate that, in Biochemistry 1, students with this prior information literacy training tend to use more professional, expert-like tools for exploring scientific literature and earn statistically higher scores on literature-based projects. However, by Biochemistry 2, the gaps close in both the exploration of the scientific literature and grade performance. This indicates that once students develop a foundation in information literacy, their sophistication in finding information and their performance on subsequent literature-based tasks improve. There was a small and statistically insignificant tendency for groups containing more students with prior information literacy training to cite more articles from the primary literature. However, the quality of the citations, as measured by journal impact factors, did not differ between the populations. The results of this interdisciplinary case study suggest that teaching information literacy to science students has both immediate and longlasting benefits.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracking Information Literacy in Science Students: A Longitudinal Case Study of Skill Retention from General Chemistry to Biochemistry

et al. 2021

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“…The goal of this assignment was to familiarize students with the process of finding scientific articles relevant to their chosen topic, drawing suitable conclusions, and communicating science in written and oral formats. Since many scientific principles are applicable in society (or we can say everyday life), contextualizing chemistry concepts through written and oral presentations allow students to deepen and strengthen their comprehension of the content. , The prompts we provided to guide students with their writing assignment are highlighted in the Supporting Information (Box S4). The final exam was worth 35% of the overall course grade, with the writing assignment being 20% and the presentation worth 15%.…”

Section: Course Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Imparting Scientific Literacy through an Online Materials Chemistry General Education Course

et al. 2021

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This study details the design and implementation of an online materials chemistry general education (GE) course during the COVID-19 pandemic. While many pedagogical techniques involving active learning have been established in STEM major courses, their use within STEM general education courses for non-majors are not as well-established. The recently developed GE course at UCLA (termed Chemistry 3: Material World) utilized high-impact practices to introduce students to the scientific process and impart skills of critical thinking and scientific communication through its flexible activities and assignments. Emphasis was placed on collaborative learning, problem-solving, and interpreting scientific information from published reports. Additionally, content focused on social justice and community engagement was introduced throughout several topics (e.g., underrepresentation in science, war on drugs, nuclear proliferation, pollution, and global climate change) to showcase that chemistry is intricately related to bigger societal challenges. This article details our efforts in achieving the course learning outcomes and shares tangible results regarding the assessment of our teaching strategies from student feedback and reflections. We envision that this work will assist faculty in designing inclusive chemistry GE courses that focus on process versus content and adopting our teaching strategies in both in-person and online classrooms.

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“…The literature surrounding chemical communication pedagogy is diverse. However, efforts to improve written and oral communication skills have followed four general and broad approaches, which are sometimes presented in a hybrid form: (1) the incorporation of technical writing with chemical literacy, 66 − 77 in first-year courses, 39 , 66 , 67 , 78 − 83 stand-alone classes, 27 , 43 , 69 , 79 , 84 − 96 and/or discipline specific courses; 70 , 97 − 115 (2) laboratory experiments; 21 , 26 , 32 , 59 , 69 , 107 , 116 − 127 (3) critical thinking exercises; 3 , 13 , 26 , 117 , 128 − 143 and (4) research experiences. 134 , 144 − 155 Despite the community’s best efforts, a host of factors, which were identified early on, continue to present significant barriers for engaging and enhancing the communication skills of undergraduate students.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the end, students splice the knowledge generated from each phase into a single cohesive and meaningful scientific story, which is communicated both orally and in writing. In this report, we specify how we have leveraged the scientific method along with the community’s reports on technical writing for chemical literacy, 27 , 39 , 43 , 66 − 115 , 119 laboratory experiments, 21 , 26 , 32 , 59 , 107 , 116 − 127 , 173 − 175 critical thinking exercises, 3 , 13 , 26 , 117 , 128 − 143 and research experiences 146 − 155 to create a unique protocol to enhance the communication skills of undergraduates via individual one-on-one mentoring. This has been applied to our regional summer research program of roughly 35 students per year.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Scientific Method as a Scaffold to Enhance Communication Skills in Chemistry

et al. 2022

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Scientific success in the field of chemistry depends upon the mastery of a wide range of soft skills, most notably scientific writing and speaking. However, training for scientific communication is typically limited at the undergraduate level, where students struggle to express themselves in a clear and logical manner. The underlying issue is deeper than basic technical skills; rather, it is a problem of students’ unawareness of a fundamental and strategic framework for writing and speaking with a purpose. The methodology has been implemented for individual mentorship and in our regional summer research program to deliver a blueprint of thought and reasoning that endows students with the confidence and skills to become more effective communicators. Our didactic process intertwines undergraduate research with the scientific method and is partitioned into six steps, referred to as “phases”, to allow for focused and deep thinking on the essential components of the scientific method. The phases are designed to challenge the student in their zone of proximal development so they learn to extract and ultimately comprehend the elements of the scientific method through focused written and oral assignments. Students then compile their newly acquired knowledge to create a compelling and logical story, using their persuasive written and oral presentations to complete a research proposal, final report, and formal 20 min presentation. We find that such an approach delivers the necessary guidance to promote the logical framework that improves writing and speaking skills. Over the past decade, we have witnessed both qualitative and quantitative gains in the students’ confidence in their abilities and skills (developed by this process), preparing them for future careers as young scientists.

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Chemistry in Context: Integrating Chemical Information Literacy, Scientific Writing, and Contemporary Issues in the First-Year Undergraduate Curriculum

Cited by 7 publications

References 25 publications

Tracking Information Literacy in Science Students: A Longitudinal Case Study of Skill Retention from General Chemistry to Biochemistry

Tracking Information Literacy in Science Students: A Longitudinal Case Study of Skill Retention from General Chemistry to Biochemistry

Imparting Scientific Literacy through an Online Materials Chemistry General Education Course

The Scientific Method as a Scaffold to Enhance Communication Skills in Chemistry

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