The RACI Chemical Education Division is excited to announce the July online community forum, created specifically for members to connect, share ideas, and collaborate on issues central to chemistry teaching and learning.
The discussion will focus on three main topics:
1. Purposes of the Laboratory in the Chemistry Curriculum
Why do we include practical work in chemistry courses? What should students gain from it — conceptual understanding, procedural skill, scientific reasoning, or something else?
2. Skills Development in the Laboratory
From technique and safety to data analysis and experimental design, what laboratory skills matter most for our students, and how do we teach and scaffold them effectively across year levels?
3. Assessment and Practice in Chemical Education
How do we best assess and support student learning across chemistry, from laboratory work to theory, problem-solving, and written tasks? This theme also welcomes discussion of the growing challenges posed by student use of AI tools, including questions of academic integrity, how AI is reshaping the design of assessment tasks, and how educators are adapting their practice in response.
We invite you to bring your experience, questions, and even your unresolved dilemmas to these discussions. Whether you teach in secondary schools, universities, VET settings, or work in industry, your voice will help shape a richer, shared understanding of chemistry education across Australia.