ACCT Publications
ACCT Admin | Wed, 04/22/2020 - 08:57
Here you can access information about publications from the Sevian research group about the ACCT project.
first-year undergraduate
Blogs about doing formative assessment in our classrooms
ACCT Admin | Tue, 04/21/2020 - 15:03
Check out some ACCT team members' blogs to learn more about doing formative assessments.
Blogs about chemical thinking
ACCT Admin | Tue, 04/21/2020 - 14:18
Check out some ACCT team members' blogs to learn more about Chemical Thinking.
Benefits-Costs-Risks thinking
ACCT Admin | Tue, 04/21/2020 - 14:08
Here you can read a description of the Benefits-Costs-Risks thread of the Chemical Thinking framework.
Chemical identity thinking
ACCT Admin | Tue, 04/21/2020 - 12:03
Here you can read a description of the Chemical Identity thread of the Chemical Thinking framework.
The Chemical Thinking Learning Progression project
ACCT Admin | Tue, 04/21/2020 - 10:36
Here you can learn about the Chemical Thinking Learning Progression (CTLP) project that spawned the Assessing for Change in Chemical Thinking (ACCT) project.
Chemical Thinking
ACCT Admin | Tue, 04/21/2020 - 10:28
Read about our rationale for the development of the Chemical Thinking framework here.
Eight ways students think about chemical identity
ACCT Admin | Tue, 04/14/2020 - 20:13
Categories of ways that students think about the concept of chemical identity.
11. What are the effects of using and producing different matter types?
ACCT Admin | Tue, 04/14/2020 - 20:06
“What are the effects of using and producing different matter types?” is a question of consequence evaluation, because chemistry depends on context and affects the human experience. The life cycles of materials, including production, consumption, and disposal, have benefits, costs, and risks in many dimensions. These include social, economic, political, ethical, environmental, and ecological consequences. While the ultimate aim of chemistry is to improve the human condition, the design of chemical processes involves making decisions based on limiting consumption of energy, using renewable resources, and reducing or eliminating production of toxic byproducts. This chemical thinking question is often central to sustainable action work, such as evaluating which refrigerants are better than Freon, or designing a greener battery.
10. How can the effects be controlled?
ACCT Admin | Tue, 04/14/2020 - 20:02
“How can the effects be controlled”? Is a question that involves making choices about which internal and external parameters to modify to maximize benefits and minimize costs and risks. While outcomes can be predicted based on models, in real processes there are often many variables which cannot be easily controlled, and many conditions that constrain the processes. Feedback loops of testing and refining are often used, resulting in design processes that converge on a desired outcome (maximizing, minimizing, or stabilizing output), usually making tradeoffs among different properties (such as price, quality, safety, and environmental impact). This chemical thinking question is often central to design activities, such as producing biomass or reducing the toxicity of combustion exhaust fumes.