Disability in STEM seminar series: Dr. Christina Goudreau Collison

ZOOM LINK:

https://caltech.zoom.us/j/81583788004

Rethinking how we teach organic chemistry: Innovations afforded by universal design

Using your hands to model a concept or even move your hands to mirror a transition state is a powerful way for students to think about the electron pushing formalisms we write on paper and recognize mechanistic trends. Using our hands as models transforms the two-dimensional static framework of writing symbolic drawings on our page into 3-D opportunities for students to conceptualize a molecule or even a transition state. The Sign Language Incorporation in Chemistry Education (SLICE) project was initiated by a group of faculty and Deaf/Hard of Hearing (D/HH) students at the Rochester Institute of Technology to address the language vacuum of STEM signs in organic chemistry. The result of our work has had a positive impact on the classroom culture and performance gains of D/HH students taking the organic chemistry courses.  Now, efforts have begun to investigate the impact of universal design across all students in the organic chemistry curriculum. 

Dr. Goudreau Collison, professor of chemistry in the college of Science at RIT, will discuss the results of her work on the SLICE project and how rethinking her teaching methods to incorporate more inclusive practices has affected many more students than the design intended.

Professor Goudreau Collison received her BA from Colby College (ME) working with Dr. Brad Mundy, and her PhD in Organic chemistry from University of Rochester (NY) under the mentorship of Dr. Robert K. Boeckman, Jr. She and her team were the 2022 recipients of the Royal Society of Chemistry's Inclusion and Diversity Prize for their development of organic chemistry signs. The award celebrates those who strive to improve access to the chemical sciences and progression for all.