Conference: 2023 Chemistry Education Research and Practice Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar

This project seeks to serve the national interest by advancing and propagating knowledge of chemistry teaching and learning as well as the application of this knowledge in undergraduate chemistry learning environments. The Summer 2023 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on Chemistry Education Research and Practice (CERP) will feature cutting-edge chemistry education research.

They will bring researchers and chemistry teaching scholars together to discuss recent methods and findings as well as applications of the research in instructional practice. The 2023 CERP GRC builds on a successful tradition of GRCs while it innovates in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. COVID-19 and recent social movements have prompted an increased amount of scholarship on equity, social justice, and inclusion in chemistry teaching and learning.

The conference organizers will leverage this new scholarship, recruit speakers and conferees from groups and institutions that have been traditionally underrepresented in the chemical sciences, and highlight a programmatic focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. 2023 also marks the first year of a CERP GRS convening, which will provide unique professional development opportunities for new and early scholars who conduct chemistry education research. These scholars are not only the next generation of chemistry education researchers, but they are also among the next generation of college and university faculty.

By participating in the GRS and GRC, they will build the necessary professional and communal networks to support research-based reforms in chemistry teaching and learning. For the field of chemistry education, the combined 2023 GRC and GRS on CERP will advance access, quality, and reform in undergraduate chemistry teaching and learning.

The Summer 2023 Gordon Research Conference and Seminar on Chemistry Education Research and Practice (CERP) will: (1) stimulate more and better chemistry education research and scholarly teaching in chemistry with increased coordination among research programs and the intentional implementation of evidence-based teaching innovations; (2) build a more diversified group of scholars carrying out chemistry education research and scholarly teaching in chemistry; and (3) broaden early scholars’ expertise in framing research questions, employing diverse research methods, and applying theoretical orientations by deliberately organizing sessions on the alignment among these core research skills. These three goals will be attained through a carefully designed program and diverse and highly qualified speaker and discussion leader selection complemented by the intimate conference environment afforded by a GRC and a GRS.

Specifically, the GRS provides a special opportunity for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to form professional networks, receive feedback on their work, and engage with leaders in the field from outside of their own research groups. The GRC program includes transformative concepts, particularly in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as well as scholarly responses to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on chemistry education research and practice.

The structure and content of the Gordon Research Seminar and Conference on Chemistry Education Research and Practice are carefully conceived and organized to achieve its three goals. More broadly, the diverse group of speakers and discussion leaders, the inaugural CERP GRS, and the GRC Power Hour will contribute to all conferees’ development and build awareness to support those who have been historically excluded in science.

Additionally, the concurrent programming and networking segments will further conversations about unconscious bias, mentoring and sponsorship, and strategies for addressing harassment and inappropriate behavior. Such discussions and interactions will help seed the culture change needed to support the professional growth of all chemists. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students.

Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.