Ward Research Team

The Ward Research Team works to investigate and solve challenges within chemical education. As chemistry education researchers we blend our chemical expertise with our knowledge of pedagogy, cognition, policy, and research methods to enhance the teaching and learning of chemistry. Currently, our work has three foci: technology integration in chemistry education, connecting energy and stability across the organic chemistry curriculum, and elevating equity in the academy.

Technology Integration in Chemistry Education

Digital technologies are increasingly being incorporated into the teaching and learning of chemistry. Platforms such as YouTube and podcasts, and tools such as extended reality and artificial intelligence are used by both instructors, students, and the general public to learn about chemistry. We use various frameworks, such as PICRAT and the T3 framework to investigate how we can improve the availability, accessibility, adoption, and use of technology for assessment of chemistry knowledge and skills.

Energy and Stability in Organic Chemistry

Energy and stability are essential concepts that transcend science curricula. However, these concepts exist on a variety of scales and across a range of phenomena. We seek to characterize student conceptualizations of energy and stability from the global to the atomic scale and characterize the landscape of instruction around energy and stability to support students in making connections across the organic chemistry curriculum.

Elevating Equity and Access in Chemistry

Aspects of the experiences, preparation, and training for chemists lack transparency. This project is geared toward elevating the narratives and experiences non-traditional chemists to highlight chemistry knowledge and processes used outside of the academy. This work will be conducted through case studies and narrative inquiries.

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