OrganicERs: Fostering a Community of Practice for Organic Chemistry Instructors through Workshops and Online Faculty Learning Communities

This paper presents recent developments within the Organic Education Resources (OrganicERs) community of practice, focused on transforming how organic chemistry is taught through evidence-based instructional practices. From 2021 to 2024, OrganicERs expanded its impact by organizing national workshops and facilitating online faculty learning communities that support instructors in implementing active learning strategies. Building on more than a decade of prior work, this new phase emphasized virtual engagement and sustained peer support, enabling educators to create and share resources, reflect on teaching practices, and collaborate on course transformations. We also implemented a new leadership model to develop a more sustainable leadership team. The paper highlights the design of professional development activities, participant outcomes, community growth, and implications for future professional development efforts in chemistry education.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Chemical Education
Published
2026-03-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c01229
Primary Topic
Various Chemistry Research Topics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

OrganicERs: Fostering a Community of Practice for Organic Chemistry Instructors through Workshops and Online Faculty Learning Communities

Jennifer L. Muzyka, Justin B. Houseknecht, Catherine O. Welder, Alexey Leontyev
Journal of Chemical Education
Various Chemistry Research Topics
article

OrganicERs: Fostering a Community of Practice for Organic Chemistry Instructors through Workshops and Online Faculty Learning Communities

Jennifer L. Muzyka, Justin B. Houseknecht, Catherine O. Welder, Alexey Leontyev
article en

Abstract

This paper presents recent developments within the Organic Education Resources (OrganicERs) community of practice, focused on transforming how organic chemistry is taught through evidence-based instructional practices. From 2021 to 2024, OrganicERs expanded its impact by organizing national workshops and facilitating online faculty learning communities that support instructors in implementing active learning strategies. Building on more than a decade of prior work, this new phase emphasized virtual engagement and sustained peer support, enabling educators to create and share resources, reflect on teaching practices, and collaborate on course transformations. We also implemented a new leadership model to develop a more sustainable leadership team. The paper highlights the design of professional development activities, participant outcomes, community growth, and implications for future professional development efforts in chemistry education.

Journal of Chemical Education
Dartmouth College (US), Centre College (US), Dakota State University (US), Wittenberg University (US), Division of Chemistry (US), Dartmouth Hospital (GB), North Dakota State University (US)
Quality Education
Openalex Percentile: Top 24%
Various Chemistry Research Topics
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