Active Learning in Analytical Chemistry Workshops

Grants from the National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education (Awards 118600, 1624898 and 1624956) have supported a series of workshops aimed at promoting the use of active learning in the classroom and laboratory components of analytical chemistry courses. Participants in the most recent installments attend a 3½-day summer workshop and follow-up 1½-day workshop. They subsequently host a facilitator for an on-campus site visit.Participants finish the first workshop with at least one active learning exercise to use in the ensuing academic year. Exercises are either modifications of materials available on the Active Learning site of ASDL or new materials designed for a topic covered in the person’s course. The workshops are facilitated by faculty members who have experience using active learning exercises in their courses.

Another focus of the workshops is on the role of faculty in the effective use of active learning exercises. Participants and facilitators share and discuss their experiences, challenges, and successes in using and assessing active learning.