Dr. Rob Whitnell, Professor of Chemistry, was a member of the editorial team for a special issue of the Journal of Chemical Education published in December 2022 with the theme “New Visions for Teaching Chemistry Laboratory.”
The issue spotlights contemporary inquiry-based methods of teaching in the laboratory setting, including Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (for) Physical Chemistry Laboratory (POGIL–PCL). POGIL-PCL is a National Science Foundation-funded project on which Rob was a co-principal investigator along with Dr. Sally Hunnicutt of Virginia Commonwealth University, Dr. Alex Grushow of Rider University and Dr. Mark Muñiz of Rutgers University.
In addition to facilitating nearly 50 in-person and online workshops since 2012 to train faculty in POGIL-PCL, the project has also developed more than 20 laboratory experiments that can be used by faculty in physical chemistry laboratories around the world.
The special issue included more than 40 articles, experiments and activities discussing engaging students through inquiry based chemistry laboratory experiences.