Chemistry Education

The two EaStCHEM partners have a long and storied history in delivering chemical education. Chemistry was first taught at Edinburgh in 1713, and St Andrews appointed its first professor to teach Chemistry in 1811. Clearly, much has changed in the world of education since then, however, as two world-leading Schools of Chemistry, we aim to offer the very best synchronous and asynchronous learning and teaching experiences to our students.

In order to meet these goals, research in this theme concentrates on the development, evaluation, and improvement of all types of teaching activities related to chemistry, including resources for laboratory classes, active learning strategies, authentic assessment of knowledge and skills, and providing effective feedback for improvement. These developments are driven through innovative pedagogy and continuous evaluation, reflection, and dissemination of educational practice.

Our work also embraces a wider appreciation of chemistry and education, including how diverse groups of learners learn chemistry, understanding and improving the lived experiences of students throughout their degree with us, and exploring how a chemistry degree from our institutes prepares students for life beyond university.

EaStCHEM offers a unique platform to perform research in the education sphere. Students and staff members interested or involved in chemistry education research have opportunities to share methods of best practice between the two EaStCHEM schools. Further, the connection between the Schools allows us to probe data and examine the efficacy of different pedagogical approaches in two similar, yet distinct, cohorts of students. We can use this data to inform and develop our pedagogy to effect change in education within the University learning environment and beyond.

Within EaStCHEM, our strengths in Chemistry Education research are:

  • The transition from secondary school or college to university
  • Problem/enquiry-based learning
  • Collaborative and team-based learning
  • Peer instruction
  • Technology enhanced learning
  • Equality, diversity, and inclusion in education

 

The group welcomes enquiries regarding potential new collaborative projects and opportunities to showcase the educational research work we perform more widely.

Research Theme Contact

Dr Benjamin E. Arenas

EaStCHEM

Details of Chemistry Education research at our EaStCHEM partner St Andrews can be found on their website at the link below.

Characterising the nature and effect of sensory overload in an undergraduate teaching laboratory, S. Stone and B. E. Arenas, Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 27, 304-316 (2026)

Identifying skill inequalities in undergraduate chemistry laboratory teaching, A. G. Jimenez  and D. P. August, Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 26, 926-935 (2025)

A snapshot of UK pre-lab practices and instructor perceptions of their purpose and effective design, C. Navarro, B. E. Arenas, M. Haddow, A. J. Kirkham, and P. I. T. Thomson, Journal of Chemical Education, 102, 3893-3900 (2025)

Post-16 students’ experience of practical science during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on students’ self-efficacy in practical work, H. Cramman, B. E. Arenas, R. Awais, C. Balaban, C. Cropper, F. M. Dennis, K. Finch, H. F. Gray, G. Kitchen, K. Norman, L. J. O’Driscoll, P. Petts, S. Petrie, J. M. Robson, A. Rosenburgh, L. Shields, G. P. Swift, and H. L.  Vaughan, Enhancing Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 2, 36-69 (2024)


Poster: “Student perspectives on oral assessments in practical chemistry courses”, A. Douglas-Todd, B. E. Arenas, D. Pinto, and R. M. Smith, Variety in Chemistry Education / Physics Higher Education Conference 2025, Liverpool, England, UK (2025). 


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