Chemistry Education Research and Practice Blog

Pedagogic Research Conference: 18/19 July 2013

22 May 2013

Pedagogic Research Within the STEM Discipline: Data Analysis, Publication and Effective Dissemination

18/19 June 2013, University of Birmingham

Registration: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KT6KDSJ

This two day event is intended to support those who have now identified an area which they wish to research or have collected initial data. It will consist of plenary sessions focusing on data anaylsis, preparing and writing for publication and undertaking dissemination. There will be time for delegates to network, share experiences and develop ideas for future collaborations.

The programme will be tailored to support the outcomes delegates are seeking, and delegates will be asked to share their learning or experiences with others as part of the formal programme.

A number of free places are available for this event (but travel costs must be met by delegates themselves) and all meals and accommodation will be provided. However, these free places are very limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. You are encouraged to register early, and while there is no charge for participating, for delegates that register and fail to attend without providing notification by no later than 13 June 2013, a £150 charge will be made to their institution.

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Variety in Chemistry Education 2013

26 Mar 2013

By Karen J Ogilvie.

A date for your diary….

The Variety in Chemistry Education and Physics Higher Education Conference will take place from 29-30 August 2013 at the University of Liverpool.

Generously supported by the HEA, RSC and IOP.

Registration is now open.

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Eurovariety 2013 – Book your place!

21 Mar 2013

By Karen J Ogilvie.

Booking has opened for the 2013 Eurovariety Conference which takes place on 3-5 July 2013 at the University of Limerick in Ireland.

This conference, run under the auspices of the EuCheMS Division of Chemical Education and the RSC Higher Education Group, is concerned with the teaching and learning of Chemistry at third (university and college) level. It is sponsored by the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland. Papers may deal with the practice of teaching Chemistry or with research into the teaching and learning of Chemistry at degree or postgraduate level. This includes the secondary-tertiary transition, the promotion of Chemistry to increase the uptake into third level Chemistry courses, and the training of chemistry teachers.

The overall theme Smarter teaching – better learning indicates an emphasis on the use of research findings to improve the teaching and learning of Chemistry. The Eurovariety conferences follow the tradition of the UK Variety in Chemistry Education (ViCE) conferences in encouraging chemists involved in teaching Chemistry at third level to share their experiences with and learn from colleagues from other institutions and other countries. Although this is a European conference participation from chemists from outside Europe is welcome.

Plenary speakers:

Rainer Glaser(USA)

Sabine Streller (Germany)

Michael Seery (Ireland)

Natalie Rowley (UK)

Conference themes:

The secondary – tertiary transition
Promotion and outreach activities
Inquiry-based teaching and learning
Problem-based teaching and learning
Training teaching assistants and demonstrators
Training chemistry teachers at university
Induction and CPD for chemistry lecturers
Problems of teaching organic chemistry
Mathematics and chemistry
Work experience programmes

Find out More and register:

Registration and abstract submission is now open. The conference fee includes meals and accommodation for 2 days.

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ESERA 2013 Conference 3-7 September 2013

21 Mar 2013

By Karen J Ogilvie.

The ESERA 2013 conference will take place in Cyprus from 3-7 September 2013. The theme is:

Science Education Research for Evidence-based Teaching and Coherence in Learning

You are invited to submit proposals for:

oral or interactive poster presentations
symposia
ICT demonstrations
workshops

Please visit the conference website for more information about how to register and submit proposals

Additional information about the ESERA 2013 call for proposals can be downloaded here.

The closing date for proposals is 31 January 2013.

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ICCE 2014 – Toronto, Canada

19 Mar 2013

By Karen J Ogilvie.

Developing Learning Communities in the Chemical Sciences

The 23rd IUPAC International Conference on Chemistry Education will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from 13-18 July 2014.

The theme of the conference is communications and its goal is to investigate how best to forge global links in the chemical teaching and learning communities and to consider best practices in exploiting technological advances in communications in order to establish innovative learning partnerships.

General Conference Themes

Communicating across the educational levels
Outreach to the lay community
International student learning communities
Technological support of chemistry learning and learning communities
Greening attitudes in chemistry education
Interdisciplinary collaboration

Important dates

July 2013 deadline for symposia/workshop submissions
Oct. 2013 second circular abstract submission opens
Jan. 2014 deadline for abstract submission registration opens
Mar. 2014 notice of abstract acceptance
May 2014 deadline for early registration fees
July 2014 ICCE2014

More information

Contact Andy Dicks, Co-chair of the organising committee
Website www.ICCE2014.org

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Call for papers – 2014 themed issue

18 Mar 2013

By Karen J Ogilvie.

2014 CERP special themed issue on Physical Chemistry Education

Publication scheduled for July 2014

Guest Editors – Georgios Tsaparlis ⁽¹⁾ and Odilla E. Finlayson ⁽²⁾

⁽¹⁾ Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, GR-451 10 Ioannina, Greece

⁽²⁾ School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland.

Call for Papers

Contributions are invited for a themed, peer reviewed issue of CERP on Physical Chemistry Education. Manuscripts should be submitted by Sunday 12 January 2014 to be eligible for publication in the themed issue.

Topics

Topics for contribution may include but are not limited to:

The abstract nature of physical chemistry
Conceptual understanding in the various sub disciplines of physical chemistry
Concept learning versus mathematical approach to physical chemistry
Assessment of physical chemistry – testing for conceptual understanding or mathematical manipulation
Mathematical coverage and mathematical rigor: how much and how far?
Problem solving related to physical chemistry
The physical chemistry laboratory
The physical chemistry curriculum
The role of the textbook in teaching of physical chemistry
The interface of physical chemistry with the other branches of chemistry or with other disciplines – biology, physics, technology, geology, medicine, etc.
Physical chemistry in context
Computational chemistry
Use of symbolic mathematics engines for data analysis, model building, and problem solving
Computer simulations and online learning in physical chemistry.
Physical chemistry concepts and topics as part of general chemistry courses at second and third level
Reviews and Perspectives (including historical perspectives)

Submission of manuscripts

Manuscripts should be submitted in the format required by the journal using the ScholarOne online manuscript submission platform available at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rp. Enquiries concerning the suitability of possible contributions should be sent directly by email to: Georgios Tsaparlis and/or Odilla Finlayson.

Full call

The full call is available as a PDF document.

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Getting started in Pedagogic reseach

11 Mar 2013

By Karen J Ogilvie.

Wednesday 27 March 10:30 – 4pm at the Chemistry Centre, Burlington House, Piccadilly London W1J OBA

The day will be interactive and participants will have the opportunity to develop their own ideas and seek expertise and guidance from others.

Programme:

10:30-11:00 Introduction and welcome

11:00-12:30 The research process: from idea, to designing methodology, to publication

13:30-15:00 Sharing practice: speakers relatively new to pedagogic research outline their projects and share experiences of moving into this new field from a science paradigm.

15:30 Next steps: planning, networking and where to find further support

16:00 Finish

To register:

Please send an email to education@rsc.org with your name, contact details and any special dietary requirements.

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CERP is free to access

13 Feb 2013

By Karen J Ogilvie.

Recently, we have found out through the Twittersphere, that there may be some confusion about what ‘free to access’ means in relation to access to CERP.

Unlike many others journals, CERP is free to access – at the RSC we believe that support for best practice in chemistry education should be available to all. This does not mean that CERP is free to produce or that its submissions are any lower in quality than those in in subscription journals. Quite the contrary, CERP is a peer-reviewed journal, published to the highest standards and this work is sponsored by the RSC Education Division Council.

We ask you to create an account and login to read and download full articles or comment on a blog post. This is completely free. When you create an account, you help us collect vital information about you, our audience, so that we understand your needs as readers and provide you with the best possible service.

If you have any queries, please feel free to contact me.

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2013 Gordon Research Conference

07 Feb 2013

By Karen J Ogilvie.

Chemistry Education Research & Practice – Strengthening the Pillars of Scholarly Work in Chemistry Education

When: June 9-14 2013

Where : Salve Regina University, Newport, RI, US

Application deadline: 12 May 2013

Chair: Maria Oliver-Hoyo

Conference website: http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2013&program=chemedu

For queries contact : Andrea Grasso

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Chemistry Education Activating Research Bursary

23 Jan 2013

By Karen J Ogilvie.

Pedagogical research in HE science education in the USA is much better funded than it is in the UK. As a result, there appears to be a greater range of high quality pedagogical research in HE in the USA, yet contact and collaboration between researchers there and the UK is limited. To help address this situation and to work towards raising the profile of research in this area in the UK, an initiative from the Education Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry offers you a chance to widen your contacts and explore the research in the USA.

Bursaries up to a maximum amount of £1500 per applicant are available. Bursaries are available each year to cover the cost of travel, accommodation and registration of attending a major conference in the USA.

This is an opportunity to network and develop contacts, to gain an appreciation of the range of research going on in the USA and to set up research collaborations. (With prior planning it might be possible to spend a few days with a researcher in a university in the USA). For 2013, you may wish consider applying to attend the Gordon Research Conference, Chemistry Education Research and Practice Strengthening the Pillars of Scholarly Work in Chemistry Education at Salve Regina University Sunday 9 June – Friday 14 June, 2013.

To be eligible, you must be

• a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry

• employed at a higher education institution

• in the early stages of a career in pedagogical research in the chemical sciences in HE

• attending a conference or event in the USA primarily concerned with research in chemical education in HE

• able to provide a report of about 1000 words of your key findings that are relevant to your research within 6 weeks of your return home

For 2013, applications must be received by 22^nd February 2013.

More information and an application form can be found on The RSC Education Division Website.

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