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Prof. W. Stephen McNeil visits Queen’s Chem
We hosted Prof. W. Stephen McNeil from UBC Okanagan Steve gave a talk about his redesign of the chemistry curriculum at UBC Okanagan, and research to study the effects of their changes. His talk, “Context, Content, and Concept: Assessment of a Strategic Redesign of a First-Year Chemistry Curriculum”, generated a lot of discussion and questions!
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QOMSBOC 2019
Katie presented her research at the Quebec/Ontario Mini-Symposium in Bioorganic and Organic Chemistry in Ottawa on November 9, 2019. Congratulations Katie, and great job representing our group!
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Welcome!
Welcome Josh, Katie, and Galen who joined the group this Fall! Josh & Katie are doing their 4th year projects, and Galen joined as part of the Work Study program. What’s that? You want to join too? Click here!
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Join our group!
We are looking for graduate students to join the Queen’s Chemistry Education Research Group in 2020. We study how students learn in chemistry and work to develop more effective teaching methods and tools. Our research is interdisciplinary, so many backgrounds are relevant and encouraged to apply! Graduate students in this environment will lead their own
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Canadian Chemistry Faculty Blog
Thanks to the Canadian Chemistry Faculty Blog for posting about Amanda’s new position! The site is a great resource for chemistry job postings and new hires in Canada, follow it here: @chemfacultycdn
Chemistry, Cognition, and Learning
Amanda’s research group studies how chemistry is taught and how people learn. Our lab is interdisciplinary and bridges the social sciences with cognitive science and neuroscience.
OUR RESEARCH GOALS
When people learn, they are processing information: encoding, retrieving, and using information to make decisions. Research in our lab explores how people learn in chemistry, where we rely on models and diagrams since molecules are invisible to the eye. We ask questions like:
- How do novices encode diagrams, and what does this reveal about learning?
- What neural processes are involved?
- What skills are needed to learn in chemistry, and do they overlap with other sciences or the arts?
- How can educators design materials or activities to help students learn?
Amanda Bongers 