Developing student learning goals and assessments for VIPEr learning objects

Submitted by Joanne Stewart / Hope College on Sat, 06/20/2009 - 07:47
Description

All VIPEr learning objects are supposed to include clear student learning goals and a suggested way to assess the learning. This "five slides about" provides a brief introduction to the "Understanding by Design" or "backward design" approach to curriculum development and will help you develop your VIPEr learning object.

Character Tables for Chemically Important Point Groups

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Mon, 02/09/2026 - 19:04
Description

You might be familiar with the wonderful symmetry site that was (to my knowledge) originally published on the Jacobs University site and with the name change to the Constructor University site. In addition to having wonderful character tables, the site allowed you to enter reducible representations that the site would then reduce. It would also allow you to the full range of molecular motions or select vibrations (both IR and Raman active). The site has disappeared from time to time and it is unclear if it will ever return.

McIndoe Organometallic Group Videos

Submitted by Kyle Grice / DePaul University on Fri, 01/23/2026 - 10:19
Description

The McIndoe Group has a collection of Organometallic Chemistry-related videos that are useful for teaching students about techniques, such as glovebox maintenance and testing for peroxides.

As of January 2026, there were 91 videos on their channel.  

SLiThEr #65: Publishing at a PUI

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Mon, 07/28/2025 - 07:52
Description

Kyle Grice (DePaul) and Jacob Lutter (University of Southern Indiana) will present on how they have been successful in designing and publishing research at their respective PUI.

SLiThEr #64: Developing ACS Guidelines for Undergraduate Chemistry Programs

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Mon, 07/28/2025 - 07:41
Description

A discussion about the 2023 ACS Guidelines for Undergraduate Chemistry Programs with Michelle Brooks (Assistant Director of the Office of Higher Education at ACS), Cora MacBeth (Emory University) and Barb Reisner (James Madison University). Additional discussion is available to registered faculty users.

SLiThEr #63: Catching up with Reilly and Sydney

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Mon, 07/28/2025 - 07:25
Description

This goes back to SLiThEr #14 when we interviewed two senior undergraduates in the midst of the COVID pandemic. At the time of this SLiThEr, both are in graduate school and getting close to their PhD.

Reilly Gwinn (Virginia Tech) and Sydney Towell (UNC - Chapel Hill) update us on their career paths.

Post-Exam Reflection

Submitted by Chris Whitehead / Union College on Fri, 12/06/2024 - 13:45
Description

This activity is a post-exam reflection that is adapted from the Exam Wrappers created by Marsha Lovett at Carnegie Mellon University. The activity has the students build metacognition skills by analyzing their exam preparation and performance. Then, students work to identify how each of their study strategies had a positive or negative impact to their performance. Finally, they outline a plan for how they will prepare for future exams. If the student would like, these reflections and plans are then discussed with the instructor in 1-on-1 meetings. 

SLiThEr #62: Applying to PhD Chemistry Programs

Submitted by Sarah Shaner / Southeast Missouri State University on Mon, 11/04/2024 - 18:30
Description

John Anderson (UChicago), Jenny Yang (UC Irvine), and Ian Tonks (UMN) discuss their perspectives on applying to graduate school