Active learning has been campaigned as the epitome of pedagogical design since researchers drawing from social constructivism have shown higher learning gains compared to traditional lecture formats, increased metacognition and reflection for students, as well as improved performance and retention of women and BIPOC students in STEM. Despite the positive, replicable outcomes of active learning, more research in chemical education is needed to address:

1. What individual components of active learning environments facilitate equitable learning?

2. How do the individual components of active learning environments work together to facilitate equitable learning?

3. How can active learning environments be optimized to support equitable learning? 

To answer these three research questions, I have devised a multi-step project to characterize active learning environments in chemistry and consequently optimize them to facilitate equitable learning. To ensure the transformation of general chemistry into equitable active learning environments, the projects will use a culturally responsive-sustaining education framework, which articulates those curricula and pedagogies maintain a variety of linguistic and cultural diversity through the critical reflection of how concepts are taught and what is taught in learning environments, fostering social justice.

The current higher education system has been effective in providing specialized knowledge through the use of university’s schools/colleges and departments. Schools/colleges ensure that students have consistent degree requirements for graduation while departments ensure students have a consistent curriculum within a field, creating fortified silos of knowledge. Recent work has recognized how the siloed nature of the university system and STEM broadly can create equity access issues for students, staff, and faculty; however, providing opportunities for internal collaboration has been shown to promote recognition, community, and belonging. At The Ohio State University, I seek to foster and strengthen areas of collaboration among the chemistry department and other STEM courses, academic resources, research centers, and graduate studies by answering the following:

1. To what extent are existing policies and policy agents effectively connected to support learning in higher education?

2. How can existing policies and policy agents be strengthened to support learning in higher education?

To answer these two research questions, I intend to perform institutional work as a researcher and community member through institutional critique, which is a praxis methodology that views research as an opportunity to serve communities. The foundation of praxis is generating understanding of how an institution functions through forming relationships and collaborations.