April Instructor of the Month, Yoram Apelblat

What do you teach?

I mostly teach first year introductory general chemistry (CHEM 101, 102, 103 and 105). In the past I have also taught physical chemistry (CHEM 371 and 373).

Why should people learn about this?

Chemistry is often referred to as the 'central science'-although I bet every other science discipline makes the same claim. The reason is that almost everything in life has a chemistry aspect to it. Chemical compounds and reactions are all around us. Think what you do every day. You wake up and have a shower (water, soap, shampoo are all chemicals), brush your teeth (again chemicals). You eat breakfast, converting food and chemicals into energy (or in my case into fat). I can continue but you get the drift.

And why should a non-chemist learn about it? Well if you understand the basic concepts of chemistry it would help you in your own discipline. It will help you make better decisions based on knowledge and understanding rather than on guesswork.

What are some of its "real-world" applications?

From reactions in the human body to reactions in industry; from manufacturing goods, fertilizers in agriculture, to creating and designing new drugs in medicine, one can find a chemistry angle to almost everything.

What's the coolest thing about this subject area?

Chemistry is not a black-and-white science. It is mostly grey. There isn't always just one solution. There are often different approaches and there are new things to discover every day.

What kinds of unique or innovative learning experiences do you offer your students? What's the value in offering students these opportunities?

I often teach large classes and it is difficult to get every student in the class engaged at the level that I would like to see. There are many reasons for that. Students come from different backgrounds and are sometimes used to a certain learning method they bring from high school.

For me to be effective I need to vary my teaching delivery and therefore I use my version of blended learning. Yes, there's 'old fashioned' writing with a document camera, but I also try to incorporate in-class demonstrations (on average at least once a week). Together with my fellow general chemistry colleagues, I have created a few online lectures that are blended into the general chemistry course. Overall, most students find that because of the variety in methods, their engagement level has increased and that they improved their knowledge.

What was your favourite learning experience as an undergrad, and how do you incorporate that experience into teaching your students?

I am not sure it was my favorite experience, but I took a biology course. There were about 20 chemistry students (mostly in our second year) and 200 first year biology students. In the lab it was more equal about 20 chemistry and 30 biology students. Anyway, before the start of each lab, our instructor would ask questions. During the third lab period, it was chemists' turn to answer and as my last name starts with an A, I was the first.

It was an easy question and it took me less than 10 seconds to answer. To my surprise, he said this is wrong. I looked at my fellow chemists and they all looked puzzled. I then wrote things explicitly on the board and showed that my answer was correct-it was a calculation that chemistry students had done many times during our first year.

The professor and his four teaching assistants conferred for a few minutes and then pronounced my answer and method to be correct. Not only that, but during the next class lecture, the professor announced to the entire class that there is a quicker and better method to the one in the lab manual.

What I learned, and try to incorporate in my classes, is the need to think critically about what is written in a book or stated by the instructor. I want to see how students arrive at an answer and understand their thought process, even if the answer is wrong.

Students should not be afraid to admit mistakes. And this is true in any aspect of life, not just chemistry.

What is one thing that people would be surprised to know about you?

I am a big fan of the British-based PBS Masterpiece Mystery series.