Innovating Chemistry Education for the Future

Dear Colleagues,

The chemical education endeavor in higher education faces significant challenges including (1) changing societal expectations about college worth [1], (2) changing student populations [2], (3) administrative concerns about the cost-effectiveness of resource-intensive majors [3–5], and (4) technological upheaval in the workforce [6]. At the same time, these challenges can be the catalyst to improve how we train the next generation of chemists. This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate research-based instructional strategies (RBISs) that attempt to address the challenges to chemistry education outlined above.

For example, challenges 1 and 4 contribute to the growing societal expectation of college as a job training program where students learn skills, both disciplinary/technical skills and “soft”/transferable/21st century skills (e.g., critical thinking, communication, and teamwork) [7]. Although we may disagree with the idea of college as solely a job training program, we do need to provide evidence that our RBISs develop those skills, especially if we want to continue to argue for chemistry’s role in general education programs (addressing challenge 3). The scientific method and inquiry-based methods make chemistry a particularly good context for the development of transferable skills.

Additionally, as the student population at institutions of higher education diversifies along multiple axes [2,8,9], we need to ensure our RBISs serve these communities (challenge 2). By addressing existing performance gaps [10], guiding student development of chemistry identity [11–13], and ensuring accessibility for students with disabilities [14], we can ensure a more robust and representative field.

In their 2019 report titled Levers for Change: An Assessment of Progress on Changing STEM Instruction [15], the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) highlighted dissemination as a major factor slowing adoption of RBISs in chemistry education. To mitigate dissemination as a factor, potential authors are invited to submit manuscripts focusing on, but not limited to, the following:

• Laboratory experiments or lecture activities focused on the development of transferable skills through a chemistry lens. (Challenges 1 and 4.)
• Research on the efficacy of previously identified high-impact practices such as Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) and Inquiry-Based Learning in Chemistry. (Challenges 3 and 4.)
• Expanding access to chemistry to people with diverse backgrounds and experiences. (Challenge 2.)
• Research on student experiences transitioning from high school science courses to college chemistry courses. (Challenges 1 and 2.)
• Low-resource experiments for the teaching lab. (Challenge 3.)

References

(1) Wolla, S. A.; Vandenbroucke, G.; Tucker, C. Is College Still Worth the High Price? Weighing Costs and Benefits of Investing in Human Capital. Page One Economics, 2023.

(2) Denice, P.; Andersen, K. Trends in Postsecondary Enrollment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Research Note. Demography 2025, 62, 1441-1456.

(3) Boerner, L. K. Are Undergraduate Chemistry Programs in Crisis? . Chemical & Engineering News 2024, 102.

(4) Chemistry in UK Higher Education Data Pack. The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2025. (accessed 26 June 2026).

(5) Cancilla, D. A.; Albon, S. P. Should We Continue to Provide Life Support to the Traditional Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory or is it Time to Let it Go. Int. J. Innov. Online Educ. 2017, 1. DOI: 10.1615/IntJInnovOnlineEdu.2017015277.

(6) Schmidt, E. Eric Schmidt: This is how AI will transform the way science gets done. MIT Technology Review, 2023. https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/07/05/1075865/eric-schmidt-ai-will-transform-science/ (accessed 26 June 2026).

(7) Hora, M. T. Teaching Transferable Skills Using a Sociocultural Perspective: A Guide for Faculty and Institutions for Creating College Courses That Highlight Disciplinary Knowledge, Professional Norms, and Habits of Mind; Center for Research on College Workforce Transitions, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2025.

(8) Students with Disabilities. National Center for Education Statistics, 2023. https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=60 (accessed 6 June 2026).

(9) Today's Students. Lumina Foundation, 2019. (accessed 26 June 2026).

(10) White, K. N.; Vincent-Layton, K.; Villarreal, B. Equitable and Inclusive Practices Designed to Reduce Equity Gaps in Undergraduate Chemistry Courses. J. Chem. Educ. 2020, 98.

(11) Castano, G.; Dou, R.; Linh, N.; Mohammed, N.; Lopez, A.; Underwood, S. M. Identity Development in Chemistry: The Social Functionality and Moral Significance of Being (Considered) a "Real" Chemist. JACS Au 2025, 5, 4408-4426.

(12) Gee III, H. W.; Gorton, E. S.; Cho, S.; Fynewever, H. Not All Chemists are White Men: Incorporating Diversity in the General Chemistry Curriculum. J. Chem. Educ. 2022, 99, 1176-1182.

(13) Knezz, S. N. Drawing a New Scientist: Why I Come Out to My Chemistry Class. J. Chem. Educ. 2019, 96, 827-829.

(14) Egambaram, O.; Kilton, K.; Leigh, J.; Richardson, R.; Sarju, J.; Slater, A.; Turner, B. The Future of Laboratory Chemistry Learning and Teaching Must be Accessible. J. Chem. Educ. 2022, 99, 3814-3821.

(15) Laursen, S. Levers for Change: An Assessment of Progress on Changing STEM Education; 2019.

Dr. Hunter McFall-Boegeman
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• chemical education
• transferable skills
• evidenced-based design
• discipline based education research (DBER)
• assessment
• chemistry identity
• collaborative/cooperative learning
• universal design
• accessibility
• college transition
• research-based instructional strategies (RBISs)