Teaching

My first class at LUC was CHEM 160, a large multi-section introductory class for chemistry majors and non-majors. Since this class is taught in multiple sections, I used the grading system (FO/CO) recently introduced in the department as well as the learning objectives developed by the course coordinator. To manage this large class, I learned how to use tools such as Sakai and Gradescope. I also devoted several hours per week of extra time to provide personal feedback to my students. In particular, I created extra evening office hours (1h – 2h per week) for students who were working during the day. I believe that students actively seeking answers are significantly more receptive than students passively waiting for feedback. Accordingly, I made sure to personalize my answers to specific students. For example, for foreign students who are not comfortable with English, I would speak slowly and make sure they understand each word I use. I personally know the struggle of being a foreigner and needing to learn a new language. My main takeaway from teaching a large class at the freshman level is to keep a simple and consistent organization. As mentioned by my department chair, it is crucial to provide clear expectations to students to make them feel supported.

CHEM 260 is dedicated to major and non-major chemistry students by introducing them to quantitative concepts in chemistry. The “quantitative” aspect is typically the most challenging part of the class as it requires proficiency with concepts from physics and mathematics. I have taught this class three times, twice in the summer, and once in the fall. This class was designed by my colleague Pr. Zimmerman, who I thank for sharing most of the materials. Nonetheless, I took advantage of teaching this class multiple times to introduce my own educational input. First, I readjusted the material to reflect my personal pedagogical choices. For example, I took a somewhat different approach to introducing gas theory and microscopic aspects of chemical kinetics. I also created my own questions for homework, quizzes, and exams. This choice was motivated by two primary reasons. First, the access to WileyPlus requires students to pay. However, students have already paid tuition fees covering the testing part of their education. Second, I created a series of questions that are intimately interconnected. This connection generates cohesion between the different parts of an exam or homework, like a story. For example, I created some homework around the combustion of gasoline (octane) in a combustion engine (available in my package on Interfolio). This one reaction is used to test knowledge on gas theory as well as thermodynamics. It also relates to something useful in our daily life. I purposely spread the information out over the entire document (a few pages of homework and the exam) to force the students to connect the dots until a big picture emerges. This approach trains students to solve complex problems in multiple steps. After all, real-world problems are not usually found as a series of independent questions with all the necessary information just above the question.

CHEM 315 is comprised of both lectures and experiments in a laboratory. This class is writing intensive and delivered to mainly junior and senior students. The format and objectives of this class are varied, making it probably the most challenging to design. The lectures are traditionally used to provide technical knowledge about an instrument that will be used in the lab to answer a scientific question. A written scientific report completes the lab and constitutes the only form of assessment in the course. During my first time teaching CHEM 314, and as the newly appointed electrochemist of the Chemistry department, I re-introduced this lab-focused technique to the catalog of LUC with a classical lab based onbased on the Journal of Chemical Education. I believe this change was essential as electrochemistry is used in all modern analytical labs and is part of the curriculum of all large R1 institutions. I also introduced an environmental touch to the lab by having my students perform measurements on samples of water collected directly from Lake Michigan. Then, they compared their results to previous literature over the past 20 years. This experiment was intended to reconnect their work to a larger body of knowledge while promoting discussion.

My second time teaching this class, I decided to design a completely new electrochemical experiment inspired by my research published the year before: detection of organic pollutant in water. This experiment was intended to empower my students with the tools they need to monitor their environment. It was also a way to modernize experimental lab, presenting technologies (screen-printed electrodes, for example) that they will likely see in their professional life. In Spring 2026, I taught CHEM 314 for the third time and turned my attention to the writing aspects of a lab course. I wanted to teach the students how to generate a professional-level written document. I accomplished this goal by dedicating class time to designing high quality graphical contents (figures, schemes, tables, etc.) that constitute the backbone of most scientific documents. I showed students how the text naturally flows from the graphs. The small size of the class allowed each student to receive personal feedback that was provided in real-time in the lab. In addition, students could also resubmit lab reports after a first round of corrections, which was inspired by a seminar called on “Grading for Growth” given to the faculty of the Chemistry department in 2024.

CHEM 395/485 is a “Special Topics” class made up of senior and graduate level students. I entirely created the material for this class including the slides, homework, and exams. It was extremely exciting for me to start from scratch, especially to teach something I love: electrochemistry. The course is advanced and typically related to one’s research. Therefore, I decided to make it as useful as possible to the students, while also extending the catalog of topics offered by LUC. So, I proposed a class describing energy storage devices, and, more precisely, conversion between electrical energy and chemical energy. Not only is this topic critical for modern societies, but it also provides fundamental tools to tackle physical, biological, and chemical challenges. I aim to provide our students with critical thinking through a deep understanding of fundamental principles. While current topics and devices will inevitably change every 5 – 10 years, deep understanding is essential all throughout one’s lifetime. I truly want my students to have stable foundations for their future careers and be able to develop the confidence of an expert. I designed this class around this philosophy by introducing a few key concepts of thermodynamics and kinetics. The topics I added ranged from energy storage in batteries to transmission of electric impulse in neurons. I also took the opportunity to invite Dr. Thomas Clarke, a colleague, who is currently working at Northwestern University. He gave a guest lecture based on simple visual experiments that force students to promote the use of theory to explain observations. This lecture was meaningful because half of the class consisted of graduate students for whom the priority is to become creative thinkers, which goes beyond simple learning. While there were both seniors and graduate students in the class, I ensured it was engaging for all by testing them differently, adding in depth and quantitative questions for the graduate students. In a similar manner to CHEM 260, I decided to create tests with interconnected questions forming a complete story.