Using Systems Maps to Visualize Chemistry Processes: Practitioner and Student Insights

Schultz, Madeleine; Chan, Drew; Eaton, Andrew C.; Ferguson, Joseph; Houghton, Rebecca; Ramdzan, Adlin; Taylor, O. C.; Vu, Hanh H.; Delaney, Seamus

doi:10.3390/educsci12090596

Cited by 9 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…In addition to grades, one of the important aspects of the course is to improve critical thinking skills. Many studies and topics can be found that are relevant to the development of student critical thinking, including its definition and practices, − systems thinking and systems maps, thinking at the molecular level, group influence on thinking, teaching critical thinking skills, promoting systems thinking, and critical thinking goals . The modular approach described here provides an excellent way to support the development of systems thinking, which is a holistic way to investigate factors and interactions that could contribute to a possible outcome.…”

Section: Implementation Outcomes and Assessmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and Implementation of a Two-Level Inquiry- and Project-Based Modular Approach to Teaching a Second-Semester Physical Chemistry Laboratory Course

Goodson

Wang

2023

J. Chem. Educ.

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Over the past 20 years, significant effort has been devoted to advancing the modular approach to teaching chemistry laboratory courses. The development and implementation of two modules are presented here for teaching a second-semester physical chemistry laboratory course using the modular approach: an inquiry-based module concerning proteins and a project-based module concerning organic small molecules. Each module focuses on a molecular system in question and allows participating students to choose and apply various methods to study the system in different ways, according to the advantages and disadvantages of each method. The common thrust of all of the modules is to develop students’ critical thinking skills, provide them a conduit to apply their knowledge to real applications, encourage them to model the approaches and behavior of practicing scientists, and excite them to initiate and pursue research opportunities. Details of implementation of this modular approach in teaching the second-semester physical chemistry laboratory for the past 11 years are provided. The assessment results indicate encouraging evidence that this two-level modular approach has achieved its goals and assisted students in choosing more research-based careers.

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Section: Implementation Outcomes and Assessmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and Implementation of a Two-Level Inquiry- and Project-Based Modular Approach to Teaching a Second-Semester Physical Chemistry Laboratory Course

Goodson

Wang

2023

J. Chem. Educ.

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“…23−27 Despite all these efforts, only a few studies have focused on assessment related to ST in chemistry education and there are no studies that have investigated how chemistry students naturally engage with ST learning activities (e.g., no prior knowledge on ST). 9,10,12,22,28,29 While educators' perspectives have indicated limited time to implement and teach ST as barriers of STICE, 20,30,31 the next steps involve understanding where educators need to place emphasis when teaching ST to students. To know what to emphasize, there is a need to identify what ST skills students are able to readily demonstrate and what skills need more explicit scaffolding in instruction, so that instructional time can be used effectively and efficiently.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Members of the chemistry and chemistry education communities have recently been promoting a systems approach to highlight the centrality of chemistry in these challenges and guide human action toward sustainability. ,− However, a systems thinking (ST) approach is not commonly taught in chemistry courses, leaving graduates unprepared to use the skills needed to tackle these complex global issues. Moreover, educators are inadequately equipped to teach ST in their courses, including the necessary knowledge, instructional resources, and assessment methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We investigated these research questions to achieve our overarching goal: to identify the baseline skills employed by undergraduate students constructing visual representations of a topic related to climate change, which we refer to throughout as system maps . 12 To conduct this study, we designed and implemented a ST intervention to capture how students engage with three ST tasks related to climate change. We chose climate change as a topic to guide the ST tasks because environmental and sustainability issues related to chemistry are authentic entry points to elicit prior knowledge and experiences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identifying Chemistry Students’ Baseline Systems Thinking Skills When Constructing System Maps for a Topic on Climate Change

2023

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New resources have recently been emerging for educators to implement systems thinking (ST) in chemistry education, including a proposed set of ST skills. While these efforts aim to make ST implementation easier, little is known about how to assess these skills in a chemistry context. In this study, we investigated ST skills employed by students who constructed system maps of a topic related to climate change. Eighteen undergraduate chemistry students from first- to third-year participated in this study. We designed and implemented a ST intervention to capture how students engaged with three ST tasks, performed individually and collaboratively. In our analysis, we focused on 11 ST skills that aligned with five characteristics proposed in a recent study. We found that participants demonstrated most of these ST skills when engaging with the ST tasks, with nuances. Participants’ system maps: (1) lacked concepts and connections at the submicroscopic level, (2) included multiple types of connections but few circular loops and causal connections, (3) lacked causal reasoning, although participants did predict how their system maps changed over time, (4) demonstrated the breadth of connections but did not describe human connections to the underlying chemistry of climate change topics. These findings identify aspects of ST where chemistry educators need to place emphasis when teaching ST skills to chemistry students and when guiding learning activities and other assessments. Using our findings, we created an adaptable ST rubric for the chemistry community as a tool for assessing ST skills.

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“Systems Thinking (ST) Encourages a Safe Space to Offer Different Perspectives and Insights”: Student Perspectives and Experiences with ST Activities

Szozda,

Lalani,

Behroozi

et al. 2024

J. Chem. Educ.

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Researchers and educators have been exploring systems thinking (ST) in chemistry education to better equip citizens for 21st century challenges; however, little is known about students’ perspectives and experiences. In this study, we investigated students’ perspectives of ST and their experiences with ST activities. We designed and implemented a ST intervention, performed individually and collaboratively, as well as follow up interviews. Twenty-four university undergraduate and graduate students participated in this study and reported a variety of experiences and perspectives. For students’ experiences, we found that (1) while collaborating, participants recognized and appreciated different perspectives, (2) participants included chemistry concepts and connections in their system maps despite having difficulties, (3) system maps emphasized problems/solutions and causes/effects and differed in terms of organization and intended purpose, and (4) limitations to system map construction included time, knowledge, and technology skills. Students also expressed positive perspectives of a ST approach based on their experience engaging with the ST intervention and believed a ST approach (1) is beneficial to learning, (2) captures interest and engagement, (3) allows perspectives to be shared and gained, and (4) provides personal, social, and professional relevance. Based on these findings, we suggest aspects to consider when planning and implementing ST activities and identify future research required to better understand the impacts of ST in chemistry education.

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Using Systems Maps to Visualize Chemistry Processes: Practitioner and Student Insights

Cited by 9 publications

References 37 publications

Development and Implementation of a Two-Level Inquiry- and Project-Based Modular Approach to Teaching a Second-Semester Physical Chemistry Laboratory Course

Development and Implementation of a Two-Level Inquiry- and Project-Based Modular Approach to Teaching a Second-Semester Physical Chemistry Laboratory Course

Identifying Chemistry Students’ Baseline Systems Thinking Skills When Constructing System Maps for a Topic on Climate Change

“Systems Thinking (ST) Encourages a Safe Space to Offer Different Perspectives and Insights”: Student Perspectives and Experiences with ST Activities

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