Dr. Van Wyk’s full dissertation, detailing her work with the MICRO Project (currently under embargo, open July 2026)
You can find the abstract and link to the full article below!
Andrea L. Van Wyk
Laboratory learning has long been regarded as an important part of chemistry education as it is the place where students get hands-on experience with chemistry and as a place where they can develop many skills desired by employers. However, current laboratory activities do not reflect the work that scientists do. Current laboratory instruction is heavily reliant on “cookbook” style laboratory experiments that are prescriptive in nature and do not get students involved in the inquiry process regularly engaged in by scientists. More authentic types of laboratory experience such as inquiry-based laboratory learning and course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have been shown to have rich benefits for students who engage in them, including in terms of students developing proficiency with many skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving. Despite the numerous studies showing their benefits, widespread adoption of these more authentic laboratory practices has not happened, and “cookbook” style laboratory activities still dominate. My dissertation work investigates the impact of professional development on changing analytical chemistry faculty’s beliefs and instructional practices in the laboratory. Additionally, a piece of my work focused on designing a CURE and assessing how it impacted student learning and student perceptions in the laboratory.
https://doi.org/10.25820/etd.007437 [Under Embargo]