Design and Implementation of a Studio-Based General Chemistry Course

Abstract

Most students taking general chemistry courses do not intend to pursue careers in chemistry; in fact, they are more likely to end up in positions where they fund, write, or vote for chemical research and policies. Our profession continues to ask how we can teach students scientific reasoning skills and chemical understanding in general chemistry that they are able to take beyond the classroom into their everyday lives. The emerging answer at this university is the studio teaching method, which incorporates the “best teaching and learning practices†recommended by chemical education research within an integrated lecture–lab technology-intensive environment. The design, implementation, and pedagogical rationale of studio general chemistry are described.