M.P. Rodemer (Marc)

I work to improve chemistry education: how we teach mechanisms, how students navigate complex representations, and how instructional design can better support learning. My recent work asks how students learn from errors, both their own and others’, and how they handle misinformation in science-related topics. I co-coordinate an international research network on organic chemistry education and teaching (ROChET) with the goal is to strengthen university-level teaching through coordinated research and research–practice partnerships.

Research focus
- Learning from errors. I study how students detect, diagnose, and correct errors, and how discussions about errors shapes critical thinking and learning. I also examine how students’ feelings about errors influence their engagement, and how guided critique of misinformation can strengthen scientific literacy.
- Learning with complex representations. I investigate how representations shape task difficulty and how multimedia learning with AI-tools, scaffolds, and different test formats guide reasoning. I triangulate learning outcomes with process data (e.g. eye-movements) as indicators of attention or cognitive load.
- Professional development. I examine how instructors apply mechanistic explanations and integrate interactive learning practices. I also study pre-service teacher training focused on diagnosing student errors, assessing heterogeneous learner prerequisites, and planning differentiated instruction.

Teaching
I bring my research straight into the classroom: interactive, evidence informed, and student-centered. I foster a classroom environment where all ideas are welcome and examined together, and where misunderstandings become shared opportunities to deepen reasoning and build scientific literacy. My courses include frequent formative feedback, opportunities to revise, and structured reflection. My aim is to help them become proficient chemistry teachers who help learners do chemistry, not just learn about it.