Chemistry Education Research (CER) is a field in which researchers and practitioners enhance the learning and teaching of undergraduate-level chemistry in various ways. CER can comprise of survey, instrument, and observation protocol development and administration to measure and assess students’ understanding, confidence, metacognition, etc. There has been extensive work exploring how to maximize active learning via research-based instructional strategies, curricular design principles, and incorporation of technology like video games, augmented reality, and virtual reality. CER research can also include ways of making chemistry more green and learners more sensitive to environmental justice; strategies to make chemistry instruction more culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining; and systems-level thinking for a more comprehensive awareness of how chemistry fits in the bigger picture.
Becoming a CER scholar is a trans-disciplinary endeavor! Depending on the research questions, one may use quantitative, qualitative, and/or mixed methods. One may also need to become fluent in statistics, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, curriculum and instruction, history, and political science to address complex topics, devise creative solutions, and conduct research ethically.
Everyone’s journey into CER is different. There are those who started with a passion for teaching. Some enjoy doing education research in chemistry settings. Others value the impact they have on students, higher education systems, and the landscape of how chemistry should be learned/taught. Getting a graduate degree doing chemistry education research enables a variety of career options. One could transition into academia (R1, R2, and/or PUIs), industry (e.g., WestEd, ETS, and/or textbook companies), evaluation services, community work, or any job that requires designing/facilitating some form of employee training and/or professional development. The skills one develops doing CER can be both expansive and tailored to match whatever future career aspirations you may have.
If you would like to know more about CER, I highly recommend the following links:
Chemistry Education Resources
Chemistry Education Research Graduate Programs in the United States
Chemical Education Xchange
