Conference Contexts

The Conference Contexts are areas where Chemistry Education has made important contributions and has the potential to grow and innovate. To help you see how your interests might align with the thematic framework, the Program Committee has provided a short description of each Conference Context and several examples of symposia that could fit within that Context along with potential Intersectional Attributes.

Building and Maintaining Communities of Practice. A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who “share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger-Trayer & Wenger-Trayner, 2015). Effective and diverse CoPs provide crucial support for learning, professional development, and growth, for both chemistry learners and chemistry educators. Chemistry educators seek not only to be involved in emerging and established CoPs, but also strategies for developing and sustaining such CoPs among themselves and/or their students.

Example symposia and intersectional attribute connections

Bridging the gap between secondary and higher education chemistry (curriculum and program development, data- and theory-driven insights)
Lessons learned from the POGIL community (data- and theory-driven insights, reflecting back)
Team-based learning: Implementation, practice, and evaluation (assessment and evaluation, students as partners)
Leveraging industry, non-profits, and other external partnerships to strengthen chemistry curricula (curriculum and program development, public engagement and science literacy)
Effective TA training programs (curriculum and program development, data- and theory-driven insights, professional development, students as partners)

Centering Authentic Phenomena and Practices. As chemistry is more than the application of isolated or disconnected facts, chemistry instruction is moving beyond traditional models of memorizing information and mastering skills. Chemistry education is reimagining our methods, moving toward ways that engage students’ interests and support their identities as knowers, doers, and users of science. Some engage learners in using core ideas and science practices authentic to our discipline to explain phenomena or address meaningful problems (A Framework for K–12 Science Education, 2012), while others support learners to “access and interpret the science most relevant to their lives” (Feinstein et al., 2013). Both require that complex, real-world problems and reliable practices are centered in curricula, teaching, and assessment.

Example symposia and intersectional attribute connections

Using demonstrations to engage students and develop conceptual understanding in chemistry (data- and theory-driven insights, learning activities and environments)
Supporting students in judging the credibility of scientific claims (data- and theory-driven insights, learning activities and environments)
Engaging students in science practices through forensic science (learning activities and environments, students as partners, public engagement and science literacy)
Scaffolding and assessing professional skills and science practices in the undergraduate curriculum (assessment and evaluation, curriculum and program development)
Course-based undergraduate research experiences (curriculum and program development, students as partners)
Evaluating informal education/outreach programs (assessment and evaluation, public engagement and science literacy, students as partners)

Educating for a Sustainable Future. Chemistry is foundational to achieving many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including mitigating and adapting to climate change, increasing access to affordable and clean energy, developing processes that reduce water use and avoid pollution, and improving agricultural and food production practices to reduce hunger. Many are integrating sustainability into chemistry education using a variety of frameworks (e.g., green chemistry, planetary boundaries, systems thinking, etc.) (Wissinger et al., 2021). Chemistry education is moving toward centering our discipline as a sustainability science and empowering future citizens and scientists alike to address forthcoming challenges.

Example symposia and intersectional attribute connections

Greening chemistry laboratory experiments (curriculum and program development, learning activities and environments)
Integrating real-world examples of sustainable chemistry into courses (data- and theory-driven insights, learning activities and environments)
Assessing systems-based thinking in chemistry (assessment and evaluation)
Promoting global collaboration in sustainability education: Insights from international initiatives (reflecting back)
Developing effective consumers of sustainability science (data- and theory-driven insights, public engagement and science literacy)

Engaging in Scholarly Teaching. Scholarly teaching aims to maximize learning and increase student engagement by engaging in practice informed by evidence, research on teaching and learning, well-reasoned theory, and critical reflection (Potter & Kustra, 2011). Akin to the way that scientists use the research literature and data from their experiments to develop and identify research questions, develop experimental methods, evaluate findings, and propose solutions to problems, scholarly teachers use the research on teaching and learning and data from their classrooms to identify instructional challenges, develop potential solutions, evaluate the efficacy of those solutions, and meaningfully revise their instructional practice. While many chemistry educators are implementing scholarly teaching practices and contributing to fundamental research on learning and teaching, others seek collaborative dialogue (James et al., 2024) and productive partnerships (Popova, 2024) between practitioners and researchers.

Example symposia and intersectional attribute connections

Small teaching: Making modest but powerful changes to improve student learning (learning activities and environments, professional development)
From Theory to Practice: Showcasing how CER researchers apply theories and methods for inquiry (data- and theory-driven insights, reflecting back)
Educational research in the high school science classroom (assessment and evaluation, data- and theory-driven insights, learning activities and environments, professional development)
Assessment and measurement in research and practice (assessment and evaluation)
Developing mechanistic reasoning in organic chemistry (curriculum and program development, data- and theory-driven insights, learning activities and environments)

Fixing Systems, Not People. Too often, differences in achievement are attributed to shortcomings within certain groups rather than recognized as the result of broader systemic factors (Shukla et al., 2022). This perspective shifts responsibility away from structures that shape educational experiences and outcomes. A focus on fixing systems encourages us to examine not just what we do and how we do it, but also why we do it—the values embedded in our policies, curricula, and institutional practices. This shift requires rethinking success and opportunity in ways that foster fair and effective learning environments for all (Boyer 2030 Commission, p. 8). Educators and scholars are increasingly exploring approaches that identify and remove barriers, ensuring that chemistry education reflects and supports the full range of talents and perspectives in our classrooms, programs, and institutions.

Example symposia and intersectional attribute connections

Building momentum for systemic change (curriculum and program development, data- and theory-driven insights, professional development, students as partners)
Moving towards anti-deficit framing in our research and practice (data- and theory-driven insights, learning activities and environments, professional development)
Culturally relevant and inclusive chemistry curricula and pedagogies (curriculum and program development, data- and theory-driven insights, learning activities and environments, students as partners)
Equitable grading and assessment practices (assessment and evaluations, data- and theory-driven insights)
Supporting multilingual learners in chemistry (curriculum and program development, data- and theory-driven insights, professional development, students as partners)
Establishing a culture of well-being for students, faculty, and staff (assessment and evaluation, professional development, students as partners)
Alternative pathways in general chemistry: Valuing the diverse strengths of our students (assessment and evaluation, curriculum and program development, data- and theory-driven insights, professional development, students as partners)

Integrating Technology Effectively. Technology-supported learning involves incorporating technology into learning environments to enhance knowledge, skills, and attitudes. While some technologies are well established in our discipline (e.g., interactive simulations, student response systems, open educational resources), others (e.g., artificial intelligence, augmented/virtual reality, online learning) are emerging and being explored actively. Regardless of the technology, integrating it effectively into teaching requires understanding how the technology, pedagogy, and content intersect (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). Given the ever-increasing number of technology options, chemistry education is moving toward more meaningfully and intentionally incorporating technological tools to enhance learners’ experiences and the extent to which they meet worthwhile learning goals.

Example symposia and intersectional attribute connections

Mobile devices as scientific instruments in the laboratory (learning activities and environments)
Harnessing the power of machine learning and generative AI (assessment and evaluation, learning activities and environments, students as partners)
The evolution of online homework: from algorithmic problem-solving to engaging in reasoning (data- and theory-driven insights, reflecting back)
Data-driven approaches for using interactive online courseware equitably to improve learning (data- and theory-driven insights, learning activities and environments)
Effectively leveraging open educational resources (curriculum and program development, learning activities and environments)