Department of Chemistry and Materials Science

Pedagogical research

The Department of Chemistry and Materials Science provides high-quality teaching and pedagogical research. We develop innovative and efficient approaches to enhance the learning and wellbeing of chemical engineering students.
Students in a lecture hall, viewing a periodic table of elements on the wall, with laptops open on their desks.

Current pedagogical research areas

  • Virtual laboratories enhancing chemical engineering education (AALTOLAB)
  • Novel teaching and assessment methods in chemistry and materials science.
  • Student wellbeing and learning in chemical engineering.

Click the arrow below to learn more about each area:

    A person wearing an EEG cap sits at a computer, viewing a display with a virtual corridor.

    Virtual laboratories

    We provide free and openly available virtual laboratory trainings for university, high school, and middle school chemistry and biology education. Our virtual laboratories are used over 1300 students every year.​

    • We research the impact of a 360° virtual laboratory environment on bio- and chemical engineering education.​
    • We use pedagogical, psychological, and neurological measurements to study the effects of virtual laboratory environments on students' learning, experiences and emotional patterns.​
    • Our research has shown virtual laboratories to enhance learning and reduce nervousness and anxiety about laboratory work.

    Virtual laboratories are available on the AALTOLAB website

    A table with red paper, sticky notes, markers, scissors and tape, featuring words like 'Sustainability' and 'Nanomaterial'.

    Novel teaching and assessment methods

    We are continously reflecting our teaching, and develop it by ideating new learning & assessment methods. One of our challenge is large student groups (70-200 students / course), and this also guides our research and development of teaching.

    • We develop active teaching methods for large student groups, and study how theyaffect students’ learning, experiences and motivation.
    • We research how integration of guided inquiry and learn & innovate approaches to laboratory teaching is possible and how they affect learning.
    • We study the impact of modern assessment methods like peer- and self-assessmenton outcomes like learning and experiences.
    Aalto_University_Squad_students_May-2023_by_Aleksi_Poutanen_4754.jpg

    Student wellbeing and learning

    Student wellbeing has become a prominent research topic as awereness about the striking prevalence of study-related burnout has increased

    • We explore how student wellbeing and study-related burnout are linked to students’ approaches to learning, their perceptions of teaching and assessment and learning itself at the course level.
    • We use advanced statistical methods like latent profile analysis and linear mixed models to analyselongitudinal survey data from chemical engineering students.
    • Students utilising an unreflective approach to learning tend to experience higher levels of study-related burnout.

    Projects

    • NEURO-VR: Exploring Cognitive Dynamics: Effect of 360˚ Virtual Laboratory Environments on Learning, Cognitive load, Emotional impact and Visual attention., Aalto Networking Platform Task Force, 2024 – ongoing
    • Investigating the utilization of the testing effect in authentic textbook materials, 2024 – ongoing
    • Factors impacting student learning in chemical thermodynamics 2019 – ongoing
    • Apurahatutkijoiden laboratoriotyöturvallisuuden parantaminen virtuaalilaboratorioiden avulla, Apuraha, Maatalousyrittäjien eläkelaitos Mela, 2024 – ongoing
    • Virtuaalilaboratoriot luonnontieteiden kielitietoiseen opetukseen yläkouluissa, Henkilökohtainen apuraha, Jenny ja Antti Wihurin rahasto, 2025 – ongoing (link here)
    • Virtuaalilaboratoriot kemian opetukseen lukioissa, 2020 – ongoing
    • Virtuaalilaboratoriot digitaalisen oppimisen ja saavutettavuuden parantamiseksi 2024 – ongoing
    • Laboratory education virtualization, Online Hydrid Lab, 2019 (link here)
    • AALTOLAB, Online Hydrid Lab, 2020 (link here)
    • A!Ole seed funding for the development of the chemical thermodynamics course at Aalto, 2019-2020
    • A!Ole project funding for the development of a quantum chemistry bachelor’s course at Aalto, 2020-2021
    • Funding from University of Helsinki, Tampere University and Aalto university (20 k€) for the collaborative development of peer assistant education videos, 2021
    • Virtual Materials Chemistry Laboratories for Sustainable Energy Solutions, Eramus+, 2022-2024 (link here)

    Collaborators

    • Cognitive Neuroscience Research Team, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University
    • Teacher Services, Aalto University (link here)
    • UNITE! University Alliance
    • Technical University of Munich
    • Philipps-Universität Marburg, Department of Chemistry
    • Università degli Studi di Torino, Department of Chemistry
    • Merilahden peruskoulu, Helsinki
    • Rantakylän yhtenäiskoulu, Mikkeli
    • Otaniemen lukio, Espoo
    • University of Helsinki, Centre for University Teaching and Learning (HYPE)

    Theses

    Awards

    • Aalto University's Open Science Award 2024: AALTOLAB Team (Samuel Girmay, Jarno Linnera, Minna-Hanna Nieminen, Kirsi Yliniemi, Antti Karttunen)
    • Aalto CHEM Educational action of the year 2020: AALTOLAB Team (Panu Viitaharju, Samuel Girmay, Minna-Hanna Nieminen, Kirsi Yliniemi, Antti Karttunen)
       


     

    Publications

    Enhancing 360° virtual laboratory safety training with linear learning pathway design: Insights from student experiences

    Samuel Girmay, Kirsi Yliniemi, Minna Nieminen, Jarno Linnera, Antti J. Karttunen

    https://research.aalto.fi/fi/publications/student-experiences-from-virtual-reality-based-chemistry-laborato

    Panu Viitaharju, Minna Nieminen, Jarno Linnera, Kirsi Yliniemi, Antti J. Karttunen

    Free and open source software for computational chemistry education

    Susi Lehtola*, Antti J. Karttunen

    Learning experiences from digital laboratory safety training

    Panu Viitaharju, Kirsi Yliniemi, Minna Nieminen, Antti J. Karttunen

    Chemical engineering students’ perceptions of peer and self-assessment

    Lauri J. Partanen*, Viivi Virtanen, Henna Asikainen, Liisa Myyry

    Physical chemistry students’ learning profiles and their relation to study-related burnout and perceptions of peer and self-assessment

    Lauri J. Partanen, Liisa Myyry, Henna Asikainen

    A Guided Inquiry Learning Design for a Large-Scale Chemical Thermodynamics Laboratory Module

    Lauri J. Partanen

    How student-centred teaching in quantum chemistry affects students' experiences of learning and motivation - A self-determination theory perspective

    Lauri Partanen
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