Designing and Assessing Chemistry Curricula to
Increase Inclusive Access to STEM.
I engage in research through the theoretical frameworks of Discipline Based Education Research (DBER), backward design , inclusive excellence , and systems thinking.
Current Projects
Collaborative and Mission-Driven Design of Assessment Systems
In this work I have collaborated with departments to identify program learning outcomes, scaffold them throughout the curriculum, and design longitudinal assessment plans that allow tracking of individual students and cohorts in the progression through programs.
Developing Chemistry Laboratories That Better Reflect the Practice of Science
This area of my research has included changes to my own department’s laboratory curriculum (see my recent publications regarding a vertically scaffolded general chemistry biodiesel laboratory and scholarship-based laboratories modeled on a graduate school research rotation), but also focuses on disseminating the underlying curriculum reform process to the larger chemistry community. My most recent publication, “Backward Design of Chemistry Laboratories: A Primer”, was selected by the editor of the Journal of Chemical Education, for the American Chemistry Society (ACS) Editor’s Choice.
A General Chemistry Co-Curriculum in Professional Skills
This co-curriculum includes traditional career skills (resume writing and job searching) but also includes reflective activities where they identify their strengths and goals, develop effective learning strategies based in cognitive psychology, and build academic and networking relationships that will help them to become better students and lay the foundation for their future careers. The curriculum also engages students in deep conversations centered around inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and accountability.
All aspects of my research are conducted through collaborations with my undergraduate researchers who are involved in every stage of the research process including presentations at national conferences and co-authoring publications.
Kelly Y. Neiles 