Dr. Villalta-Cerdas

This initiative aims to transform introductory chemistry courses (General Chemistry I and II) by focusing on “performance expectations” rather than traditional fact memorization. Drawing on the three-dimensional learning model from the National Research Council’s A Framework for K-12 Science Education, the project highlights:

1. Core Disciplinary Ideas (e.g., atomic structure, chemical bonding, energy, and reaction rates)
2. Science Practices (e.g., constructing explanations, analyzing data, arguing from evidence)
3. Cross-Cutting Concepts (e.g., cause and effect, structure and function)

Using “evidence-centered design,” faculty create and test new learning activities, virtual simulations, and assessments that actively engage students in realistic problem-solving. Students learn to apply their knowledge, not just recite it, through projects such as modeling chemical reactions microscopically, investigating real-life applications (like the Haber-Bosch process or nuclear medicine), and interpreting lab or virtual lab data.

Why It Matters

• These courses enroll hundreds of students from many STEM majors at SHSU. By emphasizing performance expectations, the curriculum supports deeper, more meaningful learning and aims to reduce achievement gaps among majors.
• The project’s blend of hands-on and virtual activities helps students connect abstract chemistry concepts to real-world challenges, improving motivation and outcomes.
• Faculty are disseminating successful strategies at conferences and scholarly outlets, sharing resources so other institutions can adopt or adapt these new teaching and assessment methods.

Ultimately, this shift in General Chemistry I and II lays a stronger foundation for advanced coursework, career readiness, and a better appreciation of how chemistry underpins many facets of science and society.

This integrated initiative transforms introductory chemistry labs by leveraging art conservation science to illustrate sustainable chemical principles, particularly in safeguarding Southwest U.S. artwork. Through hands-on experiments, students explore core chemistry concepts—such as solvent optimization, dye analysis, and light-induced degradation—in ways that resonate with environmental responsibility and cultural preservation.

Key Program Elements:

1. Sustainable Lab Sequences
   Students carry out projects like extracting pigments from textiles, measuring light-induced fading on mock artworks, and testing greener cleaning solutions to remove varnish. These real-world tasks illuminate how responsible chemical processes can protect fragile artifacts while reducing waste and chemical hazards.
2. Performance Expectation–Based Learning
   Courses use a nationally recognized framework to emphasize active problem-solving, argumentation, and model-building. Lab investigations prompt students to apply big-picture chemistry skills—constructing explanations, analyzing data, and collaborating on open-ended inquiries.
3. Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
   The curriculum fosters partnerships between chemists, conservators, museums, and historians. Undergraduates develop scientific expertise and gain insights into heritage preservation, broadening their career perspectives and deepening their sense of public responsibility.
4. Broader Impact and Skill Development
   Aligning chemistry education with cultural heritage shows how science can protect historically significant objects, promote sustainable industry practices, and improve society’s well-being. Through these labs, students build invaluable teamwork, communication, and analytical competencies essential for success in STEM and beyond.

By merging sustainable chemistry education with hands-on conservation science, the project offers a holistic learning experience that underscores chemistry’s power to innovate and preserve. Participants discover how eco-friendly strategies can extend the life of cultural treasures and become inspired to lead with sustainability in future scientific endeavors.

Across several studies, researchers investigated how students in General Chemistry courses make sense of chemical reactions when presented with multiple, often conflicting, atomic-level animations. Whether the topic was acid-base neutralization, precipitation, or redox reactions, a recurring theme emerged: comparing different microscopic representations challenges students to think more critically and refine their conceptual understanding—even when they do not always select the “best” animation.

1. Knowledge resources and student decision-making:
   Students relied on various “knowledge resources”—fragments of ideas from lectures, labs, or personal experience—to evaluate and choose among conflicting animations. These resources guided whether they agreed with certain features or questioned them altogether.
2. Deeper engagement through contrast:
   Seeing different animations of the “same” reaction, some scientifically accurate and others deliberately flawed, prompted students to reflect more carefully on how well each animation fits with macroscopic experimental evidence (e.g., videos of real chemical reactions). This approach encouraged meaningful debate and a deeper grasp of atomic-level processes.
3. Visual literacy and critical thinking:
   Using tools like eye-tracking or structured prompts, researchers found that directing students’ attention to crucial parts of an animation and then having them actively critique what they saw improved their ability to connect visual evidence with chemical concepts. Over time, students became more “critical consumers” of visual information rather than passive observers.
4. Independent versus guided learning:
   Whether students worked through animations online without direct instructor feedback or in a guided classroom context, the studies revealed that exposure to carefully designed, contrasting animations still fostered conceptual growth and robust discussions about chemical mechanisms.

Overall, this line of research underscores the power of presenting multiple perspectives on chemical processes. By actively comparing conflicting atomic-level animations, students confront gaps in their knowledge, leverage existing ideas, and ultimately develop more nuanced understandings of how chemistry unfolds at the particulate level.

This project aims to help STEM students at Sam Houston State University succeed in their studies and graduate with strong skills. By looking at student progression in STEM courses, we will:

1. Map the curriculum: We will examine courses across biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics to understand how students move through their degree programs.
2. Identify “choke points:” We will pinpoint courses or topics where students struggle the most—due to high failure or withdrawal rates—and explore why these hurdles occur.
3. Build a data analytics model: We will create a system to spot similar problem areas in other degree programs, helping colleges and universities intervene earlier and support students more effectively.

Through these steps, we hope to strengthen STEM education, improve student retention, and ensure our graduates are well-prepared for the growing demands of the Texas (and broader) workforce.

4. Pazicni, S.; Morgan Theall, R. A.; Richter-Egger, D.; Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Walker, D. R. (2022). General Chemistry Learning Outcomes. The Center for Curriculum Redesign. Weblink.

3. Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Sandi-Urena, S.; Gatlin, T. A.; Lykourinou, V. (2013). Authentic Chemistry Experiment Labs (ACE-Labs) For General Chemistry I & II: Cooperative Project-based Laboratory Experiences. Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.

2. Li, F., Villalta-Cerdas, A., Echegoyen, L.E., and Echegoyen, L. (2013). An Update on Electrochemical Characterization and Potential Applications of Carbon Materials. Weblink.

1. Pinzón, J.R., Villalta-Cerdas, A., and Echegoyen, L. (2012). Fullerenes, Carbon Nanotubes, and Graphene for Molecular Electronics. Weblink.

29. Kelly, R.M.; Kim, J.H.; Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Hansen, S.; Akagun, S. (2025). What Knowledge Resources Do General Chemistry Students Use to Agree or Disagree with Atomic Level Acid–Base Animations? Weblink.

28. Villarreal, W.; Hicks, M.; De La Cerda, J.; Smith, G. D.; Villalta-Cerdas, A. (2024). Mixing Chemistry and Art: Exploring Azeotrope Mixtures Used to Clean Paintings in Art Conservation. Weblink.

27. Villalta-Cerdas, A. (2024). Bridging the Worlds of Art and Science: How General Chemistry Empowers Cultural Heritage Preservation. Weblink.

26. Van-Sertima, A.; Simmons, S.; Zablah-Vasquez, R.; Villalta-Cerdas, A. (2024). Determination of Chemical Composition in Tri-Metal Alloys: A Three Variable Linear Equation System Approach. Weblink. 

25. Jang, B., Villalta-Cerdas, A., Shelton, G.R., Dubrovskiy, A., Powell, C.B., Mamiya, B., Broadway, S., Weber, R., Williamson. V. & Mason, D. (2023). Effects of Texas' Isomorphic Curriculum on Readiness for Post-secondary Gateway Courses in Chemistry. Weblink.

24. Villalta-Cerdas, A. Smith, G. D., Carrison DeSmit, M., Goodpaster, J. V. (2023). Room temperature evaporation behavior of homogeneous azeotropes used in art conservation cleaning treatments. Weblink.

23. Shelton, G. R., Villalta-Cerdas, A., Jang, B., Dubrovskiy, A., Mamiya, B., Weber, R., Broadway, S., Williamson, V., Powell, C. B., & Mason, D. (2023). Importance of academic legacy on student success in first- and second-semester general chemistry. Weblink.

22. Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Yildiz, F. (2022). Creating Significant Learning Experiences in an Engineering Technology Bridge Course: a backward design approach. Weblink.

21. Yildiz, F.; Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Thompson, D. E.; Martin, T. E.; Swarthout, M. B. (2022). The STEM Center to Promote Undergraduate Education and Research at Sam Houston State University. Weblink.

20. Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Dubrovskiy, A.; Mamiya, B.; Walker, D. R.; Powell, C. B.; Broadway, S.; Weber, R.; Shelton, G. R.; Mason, D. (2022). Personal characteristics influencing college readiness of Hispanic students in a STEM gateway course: first-semester general chemistry. Weblink.

19. Dubrovskiy, A.; Broadway, S.; Jang, B.; Mamiya, B.; Powell, C. B.; Shelton, G. R.; Walker, D. R.; Weber, R.; Williamson, V.; Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Mason, D. (2022). Is the gender gap closing? Weblink.

18. Mamiya, B.; Powell, C. B.; Shelton, G. R.; Dubrovskiy, A.; Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Broadway, S.; Weber, R.; Mason, D. (2022). Influence of Environmental Factors on Success of At-Risk Hispanic Students in First-Semester General Chemistry. Weblink.

17. Shelton, R. G.; Mamiya, B.; Weber, R.; Walker, D. R.; Powell, C. B.; Jang, B.; Dubrovskiy, A. V.; Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Mason, D. (2021). Early Warning Signals from Automaticity Diagnostic Instruments for First- and Second-Semester General Chemistry. Weblink.

16. Kelly, R. M.; Akaygun, S.; Hansen, S. J. R.; Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Adam, J. (2021). Examining Learning of Atomic Level Ideas About Precipitation Reactions with a Resources Framework. Weblink.

15. Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Thompson, D. E.; Hegwood, S. L. (2021). Integration of Research-based Strategies and Instructional Design: Creating Significant Learning Experiences in a Chemistry Bridge Course. Weblink.

14. Pazicni, S.; Wink, D. J.; Donovan, A.; Conrad, J. A.; Darr, J.; Richter-Egger, D. L.; Morgan Theall, R. A.; Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Walker, D. R. (2021). The ACS General Chemistry Performance Expectations Project: From Task Force to Three-Dimensional Learning Community. Weblink.

13. Weber, R.; Powell, C. B.; Williamson, V.; Mamiya, B.; Walker, D. R.; Dubrovskiy, A.; Shelton, G. R.; Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Jang, B.; Broadway, S.; Mason, D. (2020). Relationship between academic preparation in general chemistry and potential careers. Weblink.

12. Villalta-Cerdas, A.; McCleary, C. (2019). Analysis of copper alloys as an introduction to data analysis and interpretation for General Chemistry courses. Weblink.

11. Hansen, S. J. R.; Hu, B.; Reidlova, D.; Kelly, R. M.; Akaygun, S.; Villalta-Cerdas, A. (2019). Critical consumption of chemistry visuals: eye tracking structured variation and visual feedback of redox and precipitation reactions. Weblink.

10. Kelly, R. M.; Akaygun, S.; Hansen, S. J. R.; Villalta-Cerdas, A. (2017). The effect that comparing molecular animations of varying accuracy has on students’ submicroscopic explanations. Weblink.

9. Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Sandi-Urena, S. (2016). Assessment of self-explaining effect in a large enrollment general chemistry course. Weblink.

8. Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Sandi-Urena, S. (2014). Self-explaining effect in general chemistry instruction: Eliciting overt categorical behaviours by design. Weblink.

7. Villalta-Cerdas, A.; McKeny, P.; Gatlin, T. A.; Sandi-Urena, S. (2014). Evaluation of Instruction: General Chemistry Students’ Patterns of Use and Contribution to RateMyProfessors.com. Weblink.

6. Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Sandi-Urena, S. (2013). Self-explaining and its Use in College Chemistry Instruction. Weblink.

5. Bergin, A., Sharp, K., Gatlin, T., Villalta-Cerdas, A., Gower, A., Sandi-Urena, S. (2013). Use of RateMyProfessors.com as a supplemental tool for the assessment of General Chemistry Instruction. Weblink.

4. Yang, M.; Flavin, K.; Kopf, I.; Radics, G.; Hearnden, C. H. A.; McManus, G. J.; Moran, B.; Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Echegoyen, L. A.; Giordani, S.; Lavelle, E. C. (2013). Functionalization of Carbon Nanoparticles Modulates Inflammatory Cell Recruitment and NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation. Weblink.

3. Plonska-Brzezinska, M.; Dubis, A.; Lapinski, A.; Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Echegoyen, L. (2011). Electrochemical Properties of Oxidized Carbon Nano-Onions: DRIFTS-FTIR and Raman Spectroscopic Analyses. Weblink.

2. Plonska-Brzezinska, M.; Lapinski, A.; Wilczewska, A. Z.; Dubis, A.; Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Winkler, K.; Echegoyen, L. (2011). The synthesis and characterization of carbon nano-onions produced by solution ozonolysis. Weblink.

1. Breczko, J.; Winkler, K.; Plonska-Brzezinska, M.; Villalta-Cerdas, A.; Echegoyen, L. (2010). Electrochemical properties of composites containing small carbon nano-onions and solid polyelectrolytes. Weblink.