Creative writing assignments can better reach students with differing learning styles. The incorporation of creative writing exercises into introductory chemistry courses and their effects on student performance will be described.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Creative writing is an effective way to cement understanding of chemistry concepts; 2. Engaging in creative writing leads to better exam performance; and 3. Creative writing exercises increase critical-thinking skills.

SPEAKERS:
Donald Carpenetti (Craven Community College: New Bern, NC)

Discover several strategies for developing well-written multiple-choice questions that can assess higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Multiple-choice exams can assess higher-order cognitive skills and increase student learning gains; 2. Developing these types of multiple-choice questions is easier than you might think; and 3. Our higher-order multiple-choice questions are practically "Google proof,” making them ideal for online exams.

SPEAKERS:
Tarren Shaw (The University of Oklahoma: Norman, OK), Donald French (Oklahoma State University: Stillwater, OK)

Hear how a university prepares preservice STEM teachers for project-based learning (PBL) while they simultaneously experience a PBL curriculum for teacher preparation. Leave with resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. be able to identify the importance of rigor, relevance, and relationships in the design of a STEM teacher preparation program that threads PBL throughout teacher candidates’ preparation; 2. be able to identify opportunities and challenges of threading PBL throughout such a program; and 3. reflect on how provided resources can be utilized and integrated into their own STEM teacher preparation programs.

SPEAKERS:
Deborah Sachs (University of Indianapolis: Indianapolis, IN), Katherine Stickney (University of Indianapolis: Indianapolis, IN), Kimberly Baker (University of Indianapolis: Indianapolis, IN), Jean Lee (University of Indianapolis: Indianapolis, IN), Laura Gardner (Riverside High School: Indianapolis, IN)

A virtual reality chemistry activity was evaluated as a supplement to laboratory instruction for first-year college chemistry classes.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Virtual reality offers an engaging and kinesthetic way to supplement lab-based instruction; 2. The virtual environment can evaluate student lab performance on a level that can't be duplicated in a laboratory setting; and 3. VR offers an effective source of remediation for students lagging in laboratory skills.

SPEAKERS:
Donald Carpenetti (Craven Community College: New Bern, NC), Vy Tran (Craven Community College: New Bern, NC)

Jackson State University’s Students Understanding Chemistry Concepts to Enhance STEM Skills (SUCCESS) program is a three-year retention effort funded by the National Science Foundation to improve Biology majors' graduation rates.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. The concepts of a student retention program for Biology majors implemented at Jackson State University; 2. Students' perceptions of this retention program called SUCCESS; and 3. Discussion from the evaluation of the retention program called SUCCESS.

SPEAKERS:
Barbara Howard (Jackson State University: Jackson, MS)