Ep. 1: It's Time for Change! How to Promote Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect in your Chemistry Lab

April 5, 2023

In the kickoff episode of the Learning Series, Kaitlynn Arnholt, MA, MSc, Business Development Manager for Chemistry Education at ADInstruments, and Dr. Elaine Nam, PhD, Director of Chemistry at Vernier Science Education, address representation gaps in chemistry highlighted by the ACS Diversity Data Report 2021 and demonstrate how ADInstruments' Lt platform, integrated with Vernier's Go Direct Sensors, can help educators build more inclusive college chemistry labs. They walk through a Rate Law Determination experiment using the Go Direct SpectroVis Plus Spectrophotometer to study the kinetics of the reaction between crystal violet and sodium hydroxide, showing how tools embedded in Lt promote community and scientific identity, reduce bias, and meet individual student needs. Sponsored by ADInstruments.

Key Highlights

• Kaitlynn Arnholt and Dr. Elaine Nam ground the discussion in the ACS Diversity Data Report 2021, which found that representation in chemistry does not match the field's broad impact on human endeavor.
• The presenters demonstrate a Rate Law Determination experiment using Vernier's Go Direct SpectroVis Plus Spectrophotometer to study the kinetics of the reaction of crystal violet with sodium hydroxide, embedded within ADInstruments' Lt platform.
• Lt platform tools are shown to promote community and scientific identity, reduce bias, and allow instructors to customize and adapt curriculum content to meet the individual needs of their students.

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Ep. 2: The Journey From Pandemic Teaching Into The New Normal

April 12, 2023

Dr. Gethin Evans, Deputy Head of the Department of Life Sciences at Manchester Metropolitan University, reflects on teaching physiology through the pandemic and into what he calls the new normal, tracing how his department's long-standing investment in teaching technology expanded when the Faculty of Science and Engineering scaled up digital platforms during the pandemic to support content and delivery. He discusses how the use of these platforms has continued to evolve since the return to in-person teaching, and looks ahead to the Faculty's planned move into a new facility in Summer 2023 built around an active learning strategy. Sponsored by ADInstruments.

Key Highlights

• Dr. Gethin Evans traces the evolution of teaching technology in Manchester Metropolitan University's Department of Life Sciences from before the pandemic, through online learning, to the return to in-person teaching.
• The Faculty of Science and Engineering increased investment in teaching technology platforms during the pandemic to support content and delivery, and has continued adapting their use since returning to business as usual.
• The Faculty is set to move into a new facility in Summer 2023 built around an active learning strategy, reflecting the department's long-term commitment to technology-informed teaching.

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Ep. 3: Expert Perspectives on Technology-Enhanced Learning

March 22, 2023

Dr. Jana Kusch, Senior Scientist at University Hospital Jena's Institute of Physiology II, and Marc Demolder, MSc, an engineer in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Antwerp, share their experience delivering technology-enhanced education across European universities. Drawing on Kusch's biophysics research and physiology teaching in Germany and Demolder's work running an imaging core facility and managing practical laboratories in Belgium, they discuss which technologies worked, which did not, and what they learned along the way, while also exploring the student perspective on how technology can enhance learning. The session concludes with a live Q&A addressing audience questions. Sponsored by ADInstruments.

Key Highlights

• Dr. Jana Kusch draws on her biophysics research and physiology teaching at University Hospital Jena to share firsthand experience with technology-enhanced education in Germany.
• Marc Demolder discusses lessons learned running an imaging core facility and managing practical laboratories for biological science classes at the University of Antwerp in Belgium.
• The presenters explore the student perspective on technology-enhanced learning before concluding with a live Q&A session addressing audience questions.

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Ep. 4: Engaging Students Online in a Clinical Pathophysiology Course

March 30, 2023

Dr. Patricia Halpin, Associate Professor of Biology and Biotechnology at the University of New Hampshire at Manchester and Chair of the Teaching Section of the American Physiological Society, closes out the Learning Series with a look at how she has used technology to teach since 2000, publishing educational research on flipped teaching, dramatization, and asynchronous course delivery. She discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic pushed her third- and fourth-year clinical pathophysiology course fully online, and how a focus on clinical cases, connecting coursework to students' career goals, and incorporating low-stakes quizzing produced strong outcomes, with 72.7% of students rating the Lt online learning platform effective for mastering course material.

Key Highlights

• Dr. Patricia Halpin has used technology to teach since 2000 and has published educational research on flipped teaching, dramatization, and asynchronous course delivery.
• The COVID-19 pandemic prompted Halpin to move her third- and fourth-year clinical pathophysiology course to an asynchronous online format, centered on clinical cases tied to students' career goals.
• Incorporating low-stakes quizzing alongside these strategies led to positive outcomes, with 72.7% of students rating the Lt online learning platform effective in helping them learn their course material.