Yezierski Research Group
Embedded Files
YRG Latest News
8/18/2025: What an honor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dr. Y. is the proud recipient of the 2026 ACS Award for Achievement in Research for the Teaching and Learning of Chemistry, supported by an endowed fund established by the ACS Exams Institute. C&EN announcement; Miami University press release
8/7/2025: The YRG celebrates Dr. Destinee Cooper (2014 REU) and sends our warmest congratulations on earning your Ph.D. We're so proud of your achievements!
7/21/2025: What a wonderful day for VisChem here at ChemEd 2025 in Golden, CO! Presentations from Katie Yankovec, Kimberly Curtis, Addie Smith (VisChem teachers) and me were received by attendees with excitement for implementing VisChem in their courses. There was a great deal of enthusiasm for 2025-26 VisChem Express Institutes (apply today!) and the VisChem Lesson Coach (rolling out in August to registered users at VisChem.org).
7/7-7/10/2025: The YRG rocked the Chemistry Education Research and Practice GRC with current work from the YRG and two alumnae presenting: Dr. Y (Scaffolding VisChem Learning Design: A Scalable, PedChemSense-Guided AI Approach for Teacher Support), Alumnus Dr. Jordan Harshman (Comparative Study of Faculty and Students' Perspectives, Values, and Beliefs in Chemistry Doctoral Education), and Alumnus Dr. Justin Pratt (Representations of Molecular Orbital Theory: Inorganic Chemistry Instructional Resources and Representational Competence).
Research in the Yezierski Group aims to improve conceptual understanding of chemistry with a focus on the dynamics of teaching chemistry and teacher change. The goal of our work is characterizing and reforming instruction across a variety of grade levels (middle school, high school, and college) and learning environments (formal and informal). Projects have employed a variety of designs and methods that explore innovations in particulate-centered curricula, scientific reasoning, chemistry self-concept, learning in chemistry outreach, formative assessment, characterizing animation use and instructional materials, and teacher change. Current projects focus on instructional change and its outcomes using the VisChem Approach (storyboarding chemical phenomena supported with dynamic molecular-level animations) and the evaluation of YouTube chemistry videos using Mayer's Multimedia Principles.
If you're interested in learning more about our group's work, please browse our People and Publications pages. Please contact Dr. Yezierski to discuss what you could do and learn as an undergraduate member of the Yezierski Research Group. I am not currently accepting graduate students to the group.
Page updated
Report abuse