Chemistry Education | Department of Chemistry

Chemistry Education

The Chemistry Education division at the University of North Texas is a specialized degree program that attracts and encourages the integration of chemistry content knowledge, educational research, and theories of how students learn. Chemistry Education Research (CER) often involves methods and principles found not only within the discipline of chemistry itself, but also in educational psychology, science education, and cognitive sciences.

CER explores a broad range of areas, including (but not limited to):

  • How students understand chemistry content
  • Measuring students' chemistry understanding, attitudes, identity, perceptions, and other constructs
  • Exploring effective chemistry teaching practices
  • Incorporating evidence about student learning into the design of instructional materials
  • Measuring the impact of transforming chemistry curricula

The Department of Chemistry at the University of North Texas offers several degrees specific to chemistry education. For undergraduates, the Department of Chemistry, in coordination with Teach North Texas, offers a B.A. in Chemistry with a minor created for teaching chemistry in high school. For graduate students, UNT offers a M.S. in Chemistry Education and a Ph.D. in Chemistry with the emphasis in Chemistry Education, combining traditional core chemistry courses with graduate-level education curricula.

Chemistry education research faculty include:

Professor Research Description

Dr Molly Atkinson

Dr. Atkinson's research involves exploring how undergraduate chemistry students view, interpret, and use chemistry representations. This provides insight into how to best support student learning and faculty instruction in chemistry.