Papers by Gwendolyn Lawrie
Adsorption Science & Technology, Dec 1, 1994
Chemistry Education. Research and Practice, 2018
An established tool for collating secondary teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (Loughran'... more An established tool for collating secondary teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (Loughran's CoRe) has been adapted for use by tertiary educators. Chemistry lecturers with a range of levels of experience were invited to participate in workshops through which the tool was piloted, refined and applied. We now present this refined tool for the tertiary teaching community to consider adopting. The teaching approaches of over 80 workshop participants were collected using the tool in a broad survey of tertiary chemistry teaching strategies. Participation in the workshops led to a significant gain in personal PCK for some individuals. Analysis of responses received in the workshops revealed that the consensus model of secondary teacher professional knowledge and skill is also applicable to the tertiary level, and that the CoRe is a useful way to gain insight into the knowledge bases and topic-specific professional knowledge of tertiary chemistry teachers. The data were aggregated and coded inductively to distil the types of strategies commonly found to be useful for teaching particular tertiary chemistry topics. This resulted in collation of over 300 teaching strategies for 19 different chemistry topics, representing significant topic-specific professional knowledge of tertiary practitioners. To share and sustain this collection of teaching strategies, a website was built that is searchable by either chemistry topic or by type of teaching strategy, making it immediately useful to practitioners. Usage analytics data for the website confirm that many users have accessed the resource, showing that this is a practical way to transfer information between chemistry educators.
European Polymer Journal, Sep 1, 2016
The structural characterisation of high water content materials such as hydrogels is challenging ... more The structural characterisation of high water content materials such as hydrogels is challenging due to the inherent properties of water that are dependent on conditions of temperature and pressure. Cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) has potential to offer the most authentic insights into the native structure of polysaccharide hydrogels, due to the ability to freeze the sample under conditions where transparent vitreous ice is formed. The advantages, challenges and constraints of cryo-SEM in characterising the porous matrix of alginate hydrogels are considered in this tutorial paper through examples from our own studies. Recommendations are proposed for the minimum methodological information that is required from researchers as part of the publication of their studies of hydrogel samples to enable critical appraisal of their cryo-SEM images.
Adsorption Science & Technology, Mar 1, 1994
Active carbons have been characterised by nitrogen adsorption isotherms and mercury intrusion. Pe... more Active carbons have been characterised by nitrogen adsorption isotherms and mercury intrusion. Penetration tests with benzene vapour have been made on carbon filters in dry and humid conditions. The filter efficiency under humid conditions was found to be greater for carbons having a greater number of meso-and small macro-pores (2-100 nm). The effect is probably related to the storage and transport of displaced water in the carbon filter bed.
Research in Science & Technological Education, Apr 20, 2023
Collaborative learning activities promote mutual knowledge construction and shared understanding ... more Collaborative learning activities promote mutual knowledge construction and shared understanding amongst students and as a result there has been widespread and increasing implementation of collaborative learning pedagogies (Prince and Felder, 2006, Smith, 2009). The introduction of collaborative tasks into large (>1000 students) undergraduate courses as a means of creating active, collaborative learning environments that foster student engagement, and enhance communication skills is appealing. However, the implementation of group work in classes of this size presents challenges around task design, management and assessment. Interdisciplinary scenario-inquiry tasks (IS-ITs) have been developed at our Institution to both enhance engagement and address the diversity of abilities and interests in a large 1st year science course. The instructional design has drawn on literature and current pedagogical practices relating to the integration of collaborative and active learning strategies to foster communities of learners. Manual facilitation and assessment of these tasks was perceived as too complex and time consuming hence a new web-based task management system, iCAS (interactive collaborative assessment system) was developed to achieve these processes. ICAS has been optimised over a 3 year period during which time 5 separate cohorts of students (N = between 270 and 1360 students enrolled in chemistry) completed collaborative research tasks. The transition to a computermediated assessment of learning is an approach shown to support the engagement of students in large classes in active learning environments (Kelly et al 2010).
Acs Symposium Series, 2018
Australia is presented as a unique but fertile context in terms of chemistry education research a... more Australia is presented as a unique but fertile context in terms of chemistry education research and practice. While focusing on the tertiary sector, the influence and partnerships with secondary education researchers is also recognized. A metareview of publications in key chemistry and science education research journals between 2008-2017 has been analysed to identify the breadth of chemistry education research by Australians as well as concentrations of excellence. It was found that the field is underpinned by strong leaders, mentors and role models, academics representing multiple STEM disciplines engage in publishing their chemistry education-based research. Also, the nature of research is maturing from ontological focused questions to epistemological studies.
Online learning, Mar 1, 2022
Decades of rapid development in information and communication technologies (ICTs) have resulted i... more Decades of rapid development in information and communication technologies (ICTs) have resulted in tremendous global evolution in computer and online instruction. Many developing countries, however, are still struggling to successfully integrate ICTs into their teaching and learning practices, subsequently leading to slower rates of adapting digital learning pedagogies. To understand how blended instruction might operate in higher education in a developing country, this study explored students' perspectives on the implementation of blended learning in a first-year chemistry program delivered in the Philippines. Through the resource-based learning framework, multiple types of online learning resources were employed for blended delivery of topics on periodic trends, chemical bonding, Lewis structures, molecular shape, and polarity through the learning management system, Moodle. To understand students' experiences, a mixed methods approach was employed through a survey, focus groups, and learning analytics. Despite the scarcity of technological resources (such as access to a reliable internet connection), 57.5% of 447 student respondents favoured blended learning because of the flexibility, wider access to various types of interactive learning resources, variety of learning activities, and perceived increase in learning productivity. While most respondents (75.7%) had ICT skills sufficient for education, significantly fewer had access to computers (19.7%). 40.0% of students self-reported that they preferred a traditional mode of instruction primarily due to the perceived difficulty of chemistry as subject matter and the perceived need for face-to-face discussions, including concept explanation and Q & A opportunities.
Students possess some ideas about physical-chemical transformations that are at odds with the est... more Students possess some ideas about physical-chemical transformations that are at odds with the established chemical theory. If we want the conceptual framework to be learnt in a robust, sound way, then these misconceptions have to be challenged and, eventually, demolished scientifically [1-4].Biochemistry is a science that needs strong chemical foundations. Hence, students who are struggling with fundamental concepts from chemistry will be ill-equipped to analyse processes that are more sophisticated [5]. The first goal is to detect what these wrong ideas are. Once misconceptions are identified, a teaching-learning strategy can be conceived to address the problem [6-8].We have used a validated questionnaire composed of 25 questions, divided into five key conceptual categories related to physical-chemical phenomena [9-14]. The survey was conducted with first-year Biochemistry undergraduates reading a course on General Chemistry during the first term of the 2014/15 academic year, at the University of Extremadura, Spain.We present herein the methodology, results, analysis and conclusions drawn from this study
Chemistry: Core Concepts continues the substantial commitment of Wiley to chemistry education in ... more Chemistry: Core Concepts continues the substantial commitment of Wiley to chemistry education in Australia and New Zealand.The text has been developed by a group of leading chemistry educators for students entering university with little or no background in chemistry
CBE- Life Sciences Education, Dec 1, 2016
The recent push for more authentic teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering, and... more The recent push for more authentic teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics indicates a shared agreement that undergraduates require greater exposure to professional practices. There is considerable variation, however, in how "authentic" science education is defined. In this paper we present our definition of authenticity as it applies to an "authentic" large-scale undergraduate research experience (ALURE); we also look to the literature and the student voice for alternate perceptions around this concept. A metareview of science education literature confirmed the inconsistency in definitions and application of the notion of authentic science education. An exploration of how authenticity was explained in 604 reflections from AL-URE and traditional laboratory students revealed contrasting and surprising notions and experiences of authenticity. We consider the student experience in terms of alignment with 1) the intent of our designed curriculum and 2) the literature definitions of authentic science education. These findings contribute to the conversation surrounding authenticity in science education. They suggest two things: 1) educational experiences can have significant authenticity for the participants, even when there is no purposeful design for authentic practice, and 2) the continuing discussion of and design for authenticity in UREs may be redundant.
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Papers by Gwendolyn Lawrie
The practical laboratory is central to science education, and all undergraduate students will spend considerable time (up to half of their contact hours) in the teaching laboratory. For students who experience well-designed teaching programs, the teaching laboratory can be an exciting place of challenge, discovery, and collaboration. Too often, however, this is not the case. The learning objectives of an ALURE and the method for selecting the research topic allow variation in the amount of independence the students have and the level of creativity they are expected to contribute. Accordingly, a large-scale project in the undergraduate laboratory may allow students more scope to learn and practice varied laboratory skills, to synthesise a question themselves, and perhaps to design their own experimental methods. We submit that research experience for students, before they attempt to enter a professional research laboratory at the late second-, third-, or Honours-year level creates better, more productive students who are more confident working with the complexity and uncertainty associated with research. We will also highlight the additional support needs of students that arise from the additional level of independence and creativity inherent in an ALURE program.