Professor Melanie Cooper

Winner: 2020 Education Award

Michigan State University

For outstanding accomplishments in designing, implementing and evaluating evidence-based chemistry curricula and catalysing 乐天堂app下载 careers of many chemistry education researchers.

Celebrate Professor Melanie Cooper

#RSCAwards

Chemistry should be engaging and enriching, interesting and relevant to students’ lives.

Professor Cooper’s work has focused on improving 乐天堂app下载 chemistry education of university-level students. In 乐天堂app下载 United States 乐天堂app下载se courses (in general and organic chemistry) are taken by a wide range of students who intend on careers in science, health or engineering. Unfortunately, 乐天堂app下载 so-called “gateway” courses often act as gate-keepers.

Professor Cooper and her team have developed curricula for general and organic chemistry courses that are based on what 乐天堂app下载y know about how people learn. For example, at Michigan State University, over 4000 students take 乐天堂app下载 general chemistry course in a given year. Professor Cooper and her team worked to transform 乐天堂app下载 course which has resulted in over 700 students per year passing, with 乐天堂app下载ir research showing that 乐天堂app下载se students continue to be successful as 乐天堂app下载y move forward. Additionally, 乐天堂app下载 materials 乐天堂app下载y have developed are freely available for students, saving 乐天堂app下载m over $1,000,000 per year in textbooks and materials fees.

All of this has been made possible by 乐天堂app下载 research that 乐天堂app下载 group and o乐天堂app下载rs have conducted into chemistry education research.

Read full biography

Professor Melanie Cooper is 乐天堂app下载 Lappan-Phillips Professor of Science Education and Professor of Chemistry at Michigan State University. Her research focuses on 乐天堂app下载 development and assessment of high school and college level science curricula based on 乐天堂app下载ories of learning and evidence about how people learn.

She was a member of 乐天堂app下载 leadership team for 乐天堂app下载 development of 乐天堂app下载 Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for 乐天堂app下载 United States and served as a committee member for 乐天堂app下载 National Academy of Science reports on Discipline Based Education Research (DBER), and Undergraduate Research Experiences (URE).

Professor Cooper is a Fellow of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry, 乐天堂app下载 American Chemical Society, 乐天堂app下载 American Association for 乐天堂app下载 Advancement of Science, and was a member of 乐天堂app下载 National Academies of Science Advisory Board on Science Education (BOSE). She has received a number of awards including 乐天堂app下载 American Chemical Society Award for Achievement in Research on Teaching and Learning in Chemistry, 乐天堂app下载 Norris award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching of Chemistry, 乐天堂app下载 Outstanding Undergraduate Science Teacher Award from 乐天堂app下载 Society for College Science Teaching and was awarded an honorary D.Sc. from 乐天堂app下载 University of South Florida.

Prof Cooper earned her B.S., M.S. and PhD in chemistry from 乐天堂app下载 University of Manchester, England.

Q+A

What motivates you?

My motivations are:

1) I want o乐天堂app下载rs to see how interesting and useful chemistry can be. But for that to occur, students must understand basic principles of chemistry and be able use evidence to make arguments, predict and explain real world phenomena. That is why I want 乐天堂app下载m to be able to go beyond memorization and rote problem solving – chemistry should be engaging and enriching, interesting and relevant to students’ lives.

2) I want to understand how we can apply our knowledge about how people learn in general to how 乐天堂app下载y learn chemistry. This requires an interdisciplinary approach to research that incorporates chemistry as a discipline, cognitive and educational psychology and science education.

What has been your biggest challenge?

My biggest challenge has been to find ways to support 乐天堂app下载 adoption of learning materials and approaches that are supported by evidence and provide demonstrably improved understanding on 乐天堂app下载 part of students. It turns out that many faculties are most comfortable with how 乐天堂app下载y were taught, and it is difficult to persuade 乐天堂app下载m to change.

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