This manuscript introduces a novel General Chemistry experiment designed to incorporate modern instrumental methods and bioinspired materials in the context of marine environments and sustainability. The experiment explores the influence of collagen on the formation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) polymorphs over two 2 h lab sessions, focusing on vaterite, aragonite, and calcite. By engaging in this experiment, students reinforce their knowledge, learn key concepts in General Chemistry, and develop essential skills required for the course. Additionally, students use advanced analytical techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR), to investigate crystal formation and determine polymorph compositions. The experiment also simulates the effects of ocean acidification on CaCO3 crystals. Student feedback emphasizes the value of practical application and real-world relevance, making this experiment a valuable addition not only to General Chemistry courses, but also to advanced courses including analytical methods, physical chemistry, nanotechnology, environment science, or material science.
Continue reading ‘Collagen-mediated calcium carbonate polymorph modulation─a nature-inspired general chemistry experiment utilizing modern characterization tools, including SEM, EDS, and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy’Posts Tagged 'education'
Collagen-mediated calcium carbonate polymorph modulation─a nature-inspired general chemistry experiment utilizing modern characterization tools, including SEM, EDS, and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy
Published 19 January 2024 Science ClosedTags: chemistry, education, laboratory, methods
Systems thinking approach to understand Indonesia’s ocean acidification
Published 20 December 2023 Science ClosedTags: education, Indian, South Pacific
Establishing a proper connection between content and context is essential to infusing Systems Thinking (ST) into sustainable chemistry learning. Several efforts have been made to realize ST in chemistry in the context of coping with climate change through chemistry education. One potential model is connecting the interpretation of chemical reactions at the molecular level to local phenomena such as Indonesia’s ocean acidification (IOA). As citizens of an archipelagic country, Indonesian students should understand the fundamental nature of particles that cause ocean acidification. In this work, we offer the perspective on scaffolding the ST competencies using the iterative cycle of Design-Based Research, particularly in the preparation and design stages. The developed ST sequences appear from identifying system components via history; relationship between component and natural world; identifying dynamic interaction and cyclic behavior; application and ownership in sustainability action. All stages above focused on carbonate and hydrogen carbonate ions as central particles in the ocean acidification context. To sum up, the current Indonesian curriculum need to apply the ST approach to equip students as climate-literate citizens of science with adequate knowledge and skills.
Continue reading ‘Systems thinking approach to understand Indonesia’s ocean acidification’Challenging Greek primary students’ knowledge of ocean acidification using the carbon cycle context
Published 29 November 2023 Science ClosedTags: education
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of an intervention on primary school students’ construction of knowledge on ocean acidification and the development of their systems thinking. Eighty-five 11 to 12-year-old students from five different classes of two public primary schools in Greece participated in the 8-h intervention. The intervention included inquiry-based and knowledge-integration activities, and students worked in groups during all activities. Rich pictures, made by the groups at the beginning and the end of the intervention, were used to evaluate their progress in their knowledge concerning the carbon cycle, as well as in their systems thinking. Our findings showed that the intervention contributed to primary students’ conceptual knowledge of the carbon cycle and the inclusion of ocean acidification in the carbon cycle. It also helped them improve their systems thinking, indicating that students’ systems thinking at this age could be developed through formal instruction with interventions which emphasize content knowledge and use an earth systems approach. Moreover, our findings indicate that the systems thinking perspective can serve as an effective approach to help children better understand and critically engage with complex environmental issues, such as ocean acidification.
Continue reading ‘Challenging Greek primary students’ knowledge of ocean acidification using the carbon cycle context’Effects of information exposure on risk perception and worry about ocean acidification: evidence from Norway and the UK
Published 18 October 2023 Science ClosedTags: education
This paper reports on an investigation in which risk perception and worry were assessed before and after information about possible consequences of ocean acidification was presented in the form of short-written messages. Study 1 (N = 289, Norway sample) found no support for a causal effect of a message incorporating simple factual information, yet a vivid information message was associated with increased risk perception and worry. Both messages increased the ability to mentally imagine the cause and effects of ocean acidification, but the magnitude of these effects did not account for the comparatively stronger effects of vivid information. Study 2 (N = 298, UK sample) partially replicated these effects in a different national context. While the vivid message increased risk perception and worry about ocean acidification, effects from the simple factual message were less consistent. Being presented plain facts showed an effect on worry and perceived severity, but the perceived likelihood of threat from ocean acidification remained similar to a control condition. Exposure to plain or vivid information about current and future impacts of ocean acidification each increased mental imagery, but these effects were again comparable between the two message conditions. These findings are discussed in the context of communication strategies that target public awareness about climate-related risks.
Continue reading ‘Effects of information exposure on risk perception and worry about ocean acidification: evidence from Norway and the UK’Scuba divers, coral reefs, and knowledge of ocean acidification
Published 8 August 2023 Science ClosedTags: education, policy, socio-economy
Ocean acidification (OA) poses a threat to coral reefs by increasing the fragility of susceptible corals to physical damage. As such, the impacts of dive tourism are likely to be exacerbated under acidified conditions. While evidence exists on the impacts of OA, research is scant on scuba divers’ knowledge of OA. The present study explored scuba divers (N = 75) awareness of threats to coral reefs, and factors which are important to the dive experience via an online survey. Responses revealed participants were least aware of OA than other threats to coral reefs. Almost half the participants had a basic understanding of OA, but a high level of concern about its impacts, highlighting an education opportunity for these already ‘concerned’ divers. Factors important to their dive experience included sites being located in a marine protected area / managed for conservation, and high diversity of coral with good quality and minimal disturbance. The findings indicated there are economic opportunities associated with good environmental management at coral reef dive sites, including through preferential site selection and willingness to pay a conservation levy. Recommendations for OA education and awareness initiatives and other regulatory and non-regulatory management strategies are discussed.
Continue reading ‘Scuba divers, coral reefs, and knowledge of ocean acidification’Epistemic discourses and conceptual coherence in students’ explanatory models: the case of ocean acidification and its impacts on oysters
Published 22 May 2023 Science ClosedTags: education
Engaging students in epistemic and conceptual aspects of modeling practices is crucial for phenomena-based learning in science classrooms. However, many students and teachers still struggle to actualize the reformed vision of the modeling practice in their classrooms. Through a discourse analysis of 150 students’ explanatory models (as social semiotic spaces) from 14 classes, we propose a qualitative framework that investigates conceptual coherence and epistemic discourses to achieve a gapless explanation of scientific phenomena. Our framework draws attention to four critical components of students’ explanatory models: (a) key ideas based on evidence, (b) the discourse modalities of how evidence is presented, (c) scientific representations from the cultures of scientific disciplines, (d) systems thinking approaches directly and indirectly related to oceans and marine ecosystems. Our results indicate that students struggled to construct cohesive explanatory models that communicated all key ideas and the relationships among them, with the majority of student-developed models in our study categorized as ‘insufficiently’ cohesive (lacking key ideas and the relationships among them), and only a small percentage of the models considered ‘extensively’ cohesive (all key ideas attended to, as well as the relationships among them).
Continue reading ‘Epistemic discourses and conceptual coherence in students’ explanatory models: the case of ocean acidification and its impacts on oysters’The efficacy of virtual reality in climate change education increases with amount of body movement and message specificity
Published 19 April 2023 Science ClosedTags: education, methods
Climate change impacts are felt globally, and the impacts are increasing in severity and intensity. Developing new interventions to encourage behaviors that address climate change is crucial. This pre-registered field study investigated how the design of a virtual reality (VR) experience about ocean acidification could impact participants’ learning, behavior, and perceptions about climate change through the manipulation of the experience message framing, the sex of voice-over and the pace of the experience, and the amount of participants’ body movement. The study was run in 17 locations such as museums, aquariums, and arcades in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Denmark. The amount of body movement was a causal mechanism, eliciting higher feelings of self-efficacy while hindering learning. Moreover, linking the VR narrative about ocean acidification linguistically to climate change impaired learning compared to a message framing that did not make the connection. As participants learned more about the experience, they perceived the risks associated with ocean acidification as higher, and they were more likely to engage in pro-climate behavior. The results shed light on the mechanisms behind how VR can teach about ocean acidification and influence climate change behavior.
Continue reading ‘The efficacy of virtual reality in climate change education increases with amount of body movement and message specificity’How university students assess the planetary boundaries: a global empirical study
Published 13 April 2023 Science ClosedTags: education, socio-economy
Highlights
- We studied students’ perceptions of the planetary boundaries in 35 countries.
- Using a spectral clustering algorithm, countries were grouped into 5 clusters.
- Different indicators were used to explain the cluster result.
- Prosperity, natural resources and forest area provide explanations for the results.
- Decision makers should take steps to improve perceptions of planetary boundaries.
Abstract
In order to effectively address global environmental problems, it is important that future decision-makers in society are aware of the safe operation space for humans, which is limited by the planetary boundaries. Until now, however, there has been a lack of international studies examining how the planet’s boundaries are perceived. In this study, we investigated how students of environmental and sustainability studies in 35 countries (n = 4140) assess the planetary boundaries. Based on the rating, using spectral clustering, the 35 countries were assigned to five different clusters. Four indicators (Human Development Index, Legatum Prosperity Index, Natural Resources Income and Forest Area) were used to provide explanations for the clustering result. The indices allow a distinction between the clusters and provide initial explanations for the clustering. The results provide important insights for today’s decision-makers, as possible measures for action in the individual countries can be derived from the findings.
Continue reading ‘How university students assess the planetary boundaries: a global empirical study’Are we ready for ocean acidification? A framework for assessing and advancing policy readiness
Published 29 March 2023 Science ClosedTags: education, mitigation, policy
Effective climate policy that addresses carbon dioxide emissions is essential to minimizing and addressing the impacts of ocean acidification (OA). Here we present a framework to assess the readiness of OA policy, using coral reefs as a focal system. Six dimensions encompass comprehensive preparation by ecosystems and societies for the impacts of OA and other anthropogenic hazards: (1) climate protection measures, (2) OA literacy, (3) area-based management, (4) research and development, (5) adaptive capacity of dependent sectors, and (6) policy coherence. We define standardized indicators, identify leading countries, and evaluate the case study of Australia, the country with the largest coral reef system. The framework provides a rubric for a government unit to self- assess strengths and weaknesses in policy preparedness and to prioritize future endeavors.
Continue reading ‘Are we ready for ocean acidification? A framework for assessing and advancing policy readiness’Ocean acidification lessons: making a rainbow of pH (video)
Published 7 December 2022 Educational Materials , Resources ClosedTags: education, resource, video
Ocean Acidification Lessons: Making a Rainbow of pH
Continue reading ‘Ocean acidification lessons: making a rainbow of pH (video)’Do pH-Variable habitats provide refuge for stone crabs from coastal acidification?
Published 2 December 2022 Science ClosedTags: biological response, crustaceans, education, field
PURPOSE OF ACTIVITY
This guided, inquiry-based, hands-on lesson uses data from a local monitoring station in Tampa Bay, Florida, to guide students toward understanding how coastal acidification may impact the reproductive success of the Florida stone crab, an important regional fishery. The objectives of the lesson are for students to: (1) determine how pH varies between different habitats, (2) determine how pH can affect the reproductive success of an important commercial fishery, the Florida stone crab, and (3) evaluate whether exposure to variable seawater pH results in greater reproductive success in stone crabs relative to individuals that are not exposed to pH variability.
AUDIENCE
This lesson is designed for undergraduates in introductory-level biology, marine biology, environmental chemistry, and oceanography courses. The activities introduce students to ocean acidification relationships associated with diel fluctuations in pH in benthic habitats like seagrass and sand. The lesson also correlates reductions in seawater pH to the reproductive success of a commercially important species, the Florida stone crab.
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Continue reading ‘Do pH-Variable habitats provide refuge for stone crabs from coastal acidification?’Ocean acidification lessons: shell shifts (video)
Published 29 November 2022 Educational Materials , Resources ClosedTags: education, resource, video, video/audio
Ocean Acidification Lessons: Shell Shifts
Continue reading ‘Ocean acidification lessons: shell shifts (video)’Ocean acidification lessons: understanding oceans and coastal acidification (video)
Published 28 November 2022 Educational Materials , Resources ClosedTags: education, resource, video, video/audio
Measuring protons with photons: a hand-held, spectrophotometric pH analyzer for ocean acidification research, community science and education
Published 24 October 2022 Science ClosedTags: chemistry, education, methods
Ocean Acidification (OA) is negatively affecting the physiological processes of marine organisms, altering biogeochemical cycles, and changing chemical equilibria throughout the world’s oceans. It is difficult to measure pH broadly, in large part because accurate pH measurement technology is expensive, bulky, and requires technical training. Here, we present the development and evaluation of a hand-held, affordable, field-durable, and easy-to-use pH instrument, named the pHyter, which is controlled through a smartphone app. We determine the accuracy of pH measurements using the pHyter by comparison with benchtop spectrophotometric seawater pH measurements, measurement of a certified pH standard, and comparison with a proven in situ instrument, the iSAMI-pH. These results show a pHyter pH measurement accuracy of ±0.046 pH or better, which is on par with interlaboratory seawater pH measurement comparison experiments. We also demonstrate the pHyter’s ability to conduct both temporal and spatial studies of coastal ecosystems by presenting data from a coral reef and a bay, in which the pHyter was used from a kayak. These studies showcase the instrument’s portability, applicability, and potential to be used for community science, STEM education, and outreach, with the goal of empowering people around the world to measure pH in their own backyards.
Continue reading ‘Measuring protons with photons: a hand-held, spectrophotometric pH analyzer for ocean acidification research, community science and education’An interactive planetary boundaries systems thinking learning tool to integrate sustainability into the chemistry curriculum
Published 21 September 2022 Science ClosedTags: education, resource, tool/toolkit
Sustainability has a molecular basis that suggests a central role for chemistry in addressing today’s challenges to Earth and societal systems, and this role requires educators to see chemical reactions and processes as integral parts of dynamic and interconnected systems. Despite this prospect, few accessible resources are available for students and educators to facilitate systems thinking in chemistry for sustainability. We have developed an interactive digital learning tool (https://planetaryboundaries.kcvs.ca) based on the Planetary Boundaries framework, which uses interactive visualizations to help users better understand Earth system sustainability challenges and helps chemists and educators connect substances, reactions, and chemistry concepts to sustainability science. The tool highlights the fundamental role that chemistry plays in regulating the individual biophysical Earth system processes and in determining their control variables. It incorporates key features of a systems thinking framework by illustrating the dynamic interconnections among the processes and their control variables and demonstrates change of the Earth system over time. Finally, the interactive tool provides educators with accessible entry points to support the integration of chemistry curriculum content with sustainability considerations.
Continue reading ‘An interactive planetary boundaries systems thinking learning tool to integrate sustainability into the chemistry curriculum’An interactive planetary boundaries systems thinking learning tool to integrate sustainability into chemistry curriculum
Published 21 July 2022 Science ClosedTags: education
Sustainability has a molecular basis that suggests a central role for chemistry in addressing today’s challenges to Earth and societal systems, and this role requires educators to see chemical reactions and processes as integral parts of dynamic and interconnected systems. Despite this prospect, few accessible resources are available for students and educators to facilitate systems thinking in chemistry for sustainability. We have developed an interactive digital learning tool (https://planetaryboundaries.kcvs.ca) based on the Planetary Boundaries sustainability framework, that uses interactive visualizations to help users better understand Earth system sustainability challenges and helps chemists and educators connect substances, reactions, and chemistry concepts to sustainability science. The tool highlights the fundamental role that chemistry plays in regulating the individual biophysical Earth system processes and in determining their control variables. It incorporates key features of a systems thinking framework by illustrating the dynamic interconnections among the processes and their control variables and demonstrates change of the Earth system over time. Finally, the interactive tool provides educators with accessible entry points to support the integration of chemistry curriculum content with sustainability considerations.
Continue reading ‘An interactive planetary boundaries systems thinking learning tool to integrate sustainability into chemistry curriculum’Impact of ocean acidification on shelled organisms: supporting integration of chemistry and biology knowledge through multidisciplinary activities
Published 11 May 2022 Science ClosedTags: chemistry, education
Students often experience difficulty in connecting knowledge from different college courses to solve complex problems such as ocean acidification, a pressing concern within the ongoing climate crisis. Here, we introduce a multidisciplinary activity in which students use their chemistry knowledge of change and stability in chemical systems through Le Chatelier’s principle and equilibrium of coupled reactions to explain the biological phenomenon of how changes in CO2 concentrations can impact shelled organisms and ecosystems more broadly in the ocean. In this activity, we build on prior literature and emphasize Three-Dimensional Learning (3DL) to support students in developing a deeper understanding of this complex problem. This Ocean Acidification activity asks students to explain (1) the relationship between CO2 concentration and ocean pH and (2) how and why changes in ocean pH could weaken shelled organisms. Among 136 students in a second-semester general chemistry course at a large institution, 93% were able to correctly predict the relationship between CO2 and pH (chemistry-biology connection). Additionally, 43% of the students were able to then further apply this knowledge correctly to explain an unfamiliar situation in which the decreased pH could lead to less available carbonate ion for the shells (biological phenomenon). This result highlights that while some students were able to correctly explain the biological phenomenon and make meaningful connections, others would require additional in-class scaffolding and student-instructor interaction to be able to integrate their knowledge to explain this unfamiliar complex biological phenomenon. Implications for teaching and future implementations are also discussed.
Continue reading ‘Impact of ocean acidification on shelled organisms: supporting integration of chemistry and biology knowledge through multidisciplinary activities’Trust in science and scientists among secondary school students in two out-of-school learning activities
Published 28 March 2022 Science ClosedTags: education, socio-economy
Research on science outreach activities is often located in the interface between science communication and science education. The transferability of aims and objectives of one research field to the other offers great potential. The widely recognized aim of ‘trust in science’ in science communication is still less discussed in science education. However, when teaching emotive scientific topics such as climate change, vaccines or genetic engineering, students’ trust in science is of great importance. This paper presents a study of two interventions (NPartI = 443; NPartII = 333), to (1) assess the level of trust in science among secondary school students, and (2) to investigate the impact of outreach activities on the development of trust in science. Results showed that the mean level of trust in science among secondary school students is similar to the level among university students. We found a trust-enhancing effect of the interventions exclusively for students with a low prior level of trust (low-trustors). Furthermore, results indicated that high levels of trust in science can support learning in science outreach activities. These findings are particularly important when considering that increasing students’ level of trust in science appears to be especially important for low-trustors in order to prevent negative social tendencies.
Continue reading ‘Trust in science and scientists among secondary school students in two out-of-school learning activities’Two comparative studies of computer simulations and experiments as learning tools in school and out-of-school education
Published 22 March 2022 Science ClosedTags: education, methods
Interactive computer simulations and hands-on experiments are important teaching methods in modern science education. Especially for the communication of complex current topics with social relevance (socioscientific issues), suitable methods in science education are of great importance. However, previous studies could not sufficiently clarify the educational advantages and disadvantages of both methods and often lack adequate comparability. This paper presents two studies of direct comparisons of hands-on experiments and interactive computer simulations as learning tools in science education for secondary school students in two different learning locations (Study I: school; Study II: student laboratory). Using a simple experimental research design with type of learning location as between-subjects factor (NStudy I = 443, NStudy II = 367), these studies compare working on computer simulations versus experiments in terms of knowledge achievement, development of situational interest and cognitive load. Independent of the learning location, the results showed higher learning success for students working on computer simulations than while working on experiments, despite higher cognitive load. However, working on experiments promoted situational interest more than computer simulations (especially the epistemic and value-related component). We stated that simulations might be particularly suitable for teaching complex topics. The findings reviewed in this paper moreover imply that working with one method may complement and supplement the weaknesses of the other. We conclude that that the most effective way to communicate complex current research topics might be a combination of both methods. These conclusions derive a contribution to successful modern science education in school and out-of-school learning contexts.
Continue reading ‘Two comparative studies of computer simulations and experiments as learning tools in school and out-of-school education’What’s the big deal about ocean acidification?
Published 15 March 2022 Courses and training , Educational Materials , Resources , Web sites and blogs ClosedTags: document/pdf, education, resource
Fifth-grade students from an inland community discover a local connection to our ocean
We have only one ocean and it is inextricably linked to human health, yet research shows most elementary students do not understand the one-ocean concept (Mogias 2019). Additionally, the ocean—and its problems—may seem unrelated to students’ lives even though it provides half of the oxygen we breathe (via plankton); manufactures our weather; supplies food and drinking water; and makes a global economy possible. “Enhancing interactions with the ocean through experiential learning could be the most effective way of improving ocean literacy as well as marine citizen- and stewardship” (Guest et al. 2015). So, we—a literacy consultant and a children’s author—came together to show educators how STEM and language arts could be combined in ocean experiential learning.
In a series of 12 project-based learning lessons, a group of seven fifth-grade students who live 200 miles from the coast explored their personal connections to our ocean. After completing a unit on the role of water in Earth’s surface processes, the students investigated ocean acidification and how this pervasive ocean problem impacts their local community.
We had three basic goals for our students:
- Learn the process of ocean acidification and its impact on the environment.
- Understand the link between their inland community and the ocean.
- Form meaningful emotional relationships with the ocean and take action on ocean sustainability.
The following lessons may be scaled up for an entire class. For example, the teacher could work with a rotation of small groups while other students work collaboratively on related tasks. Alternatively, the teacher could provide whole-group focus lessons (or, in some cases, directions) and then confer with small groups as they engage in the conversations and other activities described here
Continue reading ‘What’s the big deal about ocean acidification?’
