Colloquium – Nikole Tamayo, UWM Chemistry

For this graduate student research seminar, the literature presented examines the teaching and learning of undergraduate students enrolled in inorganic chemistry courses. A national survey indicated the most commonly taught topics in inorganic chemistry include transition metal complexes and coordination chemistry, covalent bonding and molecular orbital theory, and symmetry and group theory [J. Chem. Educ., 92(6), 973-979]. However, most chemistry education research has focused on student learning about symmetry and group theory. This presentation focuses on two themes: (1) how students explain symmetry and group theory, and (2) student attitudes and motivation about inorganic chemistry lecture and laboratory courses. As  an implication for instructors, by understanding how students explain commonly taught topics in inorganic chemistry and student attitudes and motivation about learning these topics, educators can implement interventions to support student needs. As an implication for researchers, additional research needs to be done regarding student learning on other common topics in inorganic chemistry and faculty teaching methods.