Engaging Students Using Current Topics in Chemical Research St. Lawrence University Samantha Glazier July 31 st 2006

Can primary literature help me.. …learn from and with my students by incorporating difficult and uncertain material to balance the established material I present in lecture? …learn from and with my students by incorporating difficult and uncertain material to balance the established material I present in lecture? …convey practical implications of derivations, equations and topics that I present in class? …convey practical implications of derivations, equations and topics that I present in class? …make course material seem plain by comparison? …make course material seem plain by comparison? Like using sprints for mid-distance athletic competition. Like using sprints for mid-distance athletic competition.

Atoms connected by single bonds rotate freely J.M. Tour et al. Nano Letters, 5, 2330, 2005.

Current Research in Undergraduate Curricula Have you incorporated current research into an undergraduate course? Have you incorporated current research into an undergraduate course? Tell your neighbor about one success and one failure that you experienced. (4 min.) Tell your neighbor about one success and one failure that you experienced. (4 min.)

Biophysical Chemistry 8 juniors & seniors One of my goals in this course is to co-discover progress in the field of biophysical chemistry by reading current literature. We will dedicate several Fridays throughout the semester to deconstruct journal articles. One or two people will be responsible for organizing the meeting, a few more people will be responsible for assignments from the lead students and a couple will only be required to read the article and be prepared to discuss.

Evaluation of Literature Assignment Please rate the value of the literature meetings 1 – very valuable3 – neutral5- no value As a way to learn about applications in biophysical chemistry 3.6 To increase your understanding of lecture material 2.5 Next year would you recommend more, less or about the same amount of time dedicated to Literature meetings (1 more, 2 about the same, 3 less) 2.6

What they said “It was fun to look at current research, but I didn’t think that it really helped me to better understand course material.” “It was fun to look at current research, but I didn’t think that it really helped me to better understand course material.” “I think they were very helpful in giving a lot of practice at dissecting articles.” “I think they were very helpful in giving a lot of practice at dissecting articles.” “It was valuable for making students feel like their education is directed to an extent by themselves.” “It was valuable for making students feel like their education is directed to an extent by themselves.”

What went wrong? With a neighbor surmise why reading primary literature didn’t increase understanding of course material. (4 min) With a neighbor surmise why reading primary literature didn’t increase understanding of course material. (4 min) C:\CourseFolders\Chem 342\Literature\LiteratureMeetingGuidlines.doc C:\CourseFolders\Chem 342\Literature\LiteratureMeetingGuidlines.doc C:\CourseFolders\Chem 342\Literature\LiteratureMeetingGuidlines.doc C:\CourseFolders\Chem 342\Literature\LiteratureMeetingGuidlines.doc C:\CourseFolders\Chem 342\Literature\LiteratureLeadCritique.doc C:\CourseFolders\Chem 342\Literature\LiteratureLeadCritique.doc C:\CourseFolders\Chem 342\Literature\LiteratureLeadCritique.doc C:\CourseFolders\Chem 342\Literature\LiteratureLeadCritique.doc

Biochemistry 10 juniors & seniors One goal of this semester of biochemistry is to work on oral communication skills, presentation, listening, discussing. An additional goal is to develop familiarity with the biochemical literature and develop skills that allow you to read, discuss, and interpret these articles. At the end of each topic we will read two or three current articles related to that topic. That way we can look at interesting new research. Two people will lead a "journal club" style discussion of an article on one topic. They will present the background, main ideas of the paper, what the authors wish to show, an explanation of experimental techniques and how they were used, how the authors interpreted experimental results. We will then discuss the paper, the interpretations given, other possible interpretations, other experiments that could help elucidate the questions and issues raised in the paper or in the discussion. In order to have a discussion, everyone in the class needs to read the paper. To ensure everyone is prepared, you will hand in a brief summary (about one page), a list of terms, and a few questions you have about the paper.

Evaluation of Literature Assignment Enjoyed reading papers 2.3 Reading papers was difficult 2.4 I became more experienced 1.8 I learned a lot preparing for my presentation 1.7 I learned a lot from other’s presentations 1.9 Assignment was valuable and a good use of class time – agree strongly3 – neutral5- disagree strongly

What they said “Although it was a pain to do, the summaries and question really helped…’ “Although it was a pain to do, the summaries and question really helped…’ “I liked learning about the methodology of doing different kinds of research especially when it was similar to what we have done in lab!” “I liked learning about the methodology of doing different kinds of research especially when it was similar to what we have done in lab!” “I like some but others were overwhelming, so my experience was very dependent on the paper.” “I like some but others were overwhelming, so my experience was very dependent on the paper.”

Challenges Careful selection of articles Careful selection of articles Quality, length, student interest and relevance Quality, length, student interest and relevance Specify narrow learning objective Specify narrow learning objective Ask students to read articles specifically to see how material from lecture is in play Ask students to read articles specifically to see how material from lecture is in play How to foster ‘tearning’? How to foster ‘tearning’? Other ways to integrate biology Other ways to integrate biology In-class projects, including reading assignments In-class projects, including reading assignments

Acknowledgements Nadia Marano Professor of Biochemistry Professor of Biochemistry St. Lawrence University St. Lawrence University Students of Biophysical Chemistry

Abstract The practical implications of derivations, equations and topics that we present in class are not always readily apparent to students even when thoughtful examples are shown. It is a short logical step to illustrate relevance by the use of current literature. Examples such as how free energy is used to explain problems in nanochemistry or how Michaelis- Menton kinetics are used to solve enzyme reaction mechanisms have the potential to pique students interests and deepen their understanding of lecture material. Some of the challenges of engaging students in chemical literature are the conceptual density of articles and the technical rhetorical style. If these barriers can be overcome, co- discovering current topics in chemistry with students provides an opportunity for genuine exchanges of ideas from other courses, research projects and personal interests. Central to my teaching philosophy is finding ways to learn from and with my students and motivates my interest in incorporating difficult and uncertain materials to balance the established material that I present in lecture. I will share the successes and challenges encountered while reading biophysical chemistry journal articles as a class. Session attendees will be encouraged to reflect on the function of current progress in science in their own courses.