DOI
DOI https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b01009

Summary
Authors use the term “teaching from rich contexts” to describe implementations of case studies or context-based learning based on systems thinking that provide deep and rich opportunities for learning crosscutting concepts through contexts. This approach nurtures the use of higher-order cognitive skills to connect concepts and apply the knowledge gained to new contexts. They describe the approach used to design a set of resources that model how rich contexts can be used to facilitate learning of general chemistry topics. The Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change (VC3) initiative provides an exemplar for introducing students in general chemistry courses to a set of core chemistry concepts, while infusing rich contexts drawn from sustainability science literacy. Climate change is considered as one of the defining sustainability challenges of our century, with deep and broad connections to chemistry curriculum and crosscutting concepts. Thus, it was selected as a rich context to introduce four topics (isotopes, acids–bases, gases, and thermochemistry) into undergraduate general chemistry courses. The development and evaluation of VC3 resources for general chemistry was implemented in seven steps: (a) mapping the correlation between climate literacy principles and core first-year university chemistry content, (b) documenting underlying science conceptions, (c) developing an inventory of chemistry concepts related to climate change and validating instruments that make use of the inventory to assess understanding, (d) articulating learning outcomes for each topic, (e) developing and testing peer-reviewed interactive digital learning objects related to climate literacy principles with particular relevance to undergraduate chemistry, (f) piloting the materials with first-year students and measuring the change in student understanding of both chemistry and climate science concepts, and (g) disseminating the interactive resources for use by chemistry educators and students.

Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
The paper deals with interdisciplinarity, systems thinking, complex systems and complexity.
Authors selected the climate science as an exemplar concept with a complex and interdisciplinary nature that draws on insights from chemistry, physics, biology, and environmental, atmospheric, and earth sciences. They claim that achieving climate literacy in the framework of complexity brings an opportunity for chemistry education to move beyond “inert” ideas to embrace pedagogies based on student conceptual understanding, to effectively use interactive visualizations, and to explore teaching from rich contexts as a means to facilitate student engagement and understanding of chemistry and interdisciplinary science concepts.
Authors argue that systems thinking provide deep and rich opportunities for learning crosscutting concepts through rich contexts, such as climate change. They also document that understanding complex systems is fundamental to developing an authentic understanding of science and understanding of science is needed to guide responsible action.
Climate change represents a classic complex system and its complexity makes it difficult to understand because it is composed of multiple interrelated levels that interact in dynamic ways. Addressing complexity is itself an important and sometimes undervalued learning objective for required postsecondary science courses.

Point of Strength
The strength of the publication is the novel feature of the design resources based on tripartite sets of learning outcomes for each chemistry and climate concept, with each knowledge outcome accompanied by an outcome describing the evidential basis for that knowledge, and a third outcome highlighting the relevance of that knowledge for students.