Translating an In-Class Deliberation Module to a Two-Year College Introductory Chemistry Course

TL;DR

This paper explores how a chemistry class at a two-year college used a discussion module on environmental issues to connect science with real-world problems.

Contribution

The study adapts a deliberation module for two-year college settings, showing its effectiveness in engaging students with societal issues.

Findings

Students reported a high-quality experience and considered different perspectives during the deliberation.

The activity motivated students to take action on water quality issues.

The instructor observed improved class community and connections to chemistry concepts like ion solubility.

Abstract

In general chemistry, instructors
have valuable opportunities to
connect foundational chemistry concepts to larger societal issues
early in a student’s academic career. Deliberation, a facilitated
conversation that considers different perspectives on complicated
and multidisciplinary issues, is one method to achieve this and has
previously demonstrated positive effects at four-year institutions.
However, the content demands within general chemistry can make this
goal difficult to attain and two-year colleges can have a distinctly
different environment from four-year colleges. Here, we discuss the
transferability of a deliberation module about environmental contaminants
to a Foundations of Chemistry course at a two-year college, including
training recommendations, implementation suggestions, and positive
outcomes. Student participants in the 2 h activity reported a high-quality
experience during the deliberation, including considering others’
perspectives, and they showed motivation to take action to improve
water quality. Moreover, the instructor for the course noticed that
the activity helped to build community within the class and develop
connections between current societal issues and the material they
were learning in the course, in this case ion solubility.

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