Team

Deborah Herrington

Ryan Sweeder

Deborah Herrington is a professor of Chemistry and the Director of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) Center for Experiential Learning (CCEL) at Grand Valley State University (GVSU). Her work focuses on improving the teaching and learning of chemistry and supporting experiential learning opportunities for students from middle school through college.

As a Chemistry Education Researcher, Deborah, in collaboration with Dr. Ellen Yezierski, developed and directed Target Inquiry, an award-winning professional development program for middle and high school science teachers.

At the college level, she has focused her efforts on providing support for academically talented, high-need students in STEM degrees as the Director of the National Science Foundation funded RISE (Retaining and Inspiring students in Science and Engineering) scholarship program.

She also works on the incorporation of 3-Dimensional Learning in college-level science instruction and assessment and, in collaboration with Dr. Ryan Sweeder, develops and evaluates technology-supported curricular innovations to support student learning in general chemistry.

Beyond her efforts supporting the teaching and learning of chemistry, Deborah is the co-leader, with Dr. Janet Vigna, of GVSU’s collaboration with the Gardner Institute to revise gateway courses. Programs in CCEL aim to support the talent pipeline by connecting students from middle school through college with course-based and extracurricular career exploration opportunities.

Ryan Sweeder is a Professor of Chemistry and the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs in Lyman Briggs College at Michigan State University (MSU). His work focuses on improving undergraduate STEM education to enhance student learning and retention. A strong advocate for 3-Dimensional (3D) learning at the university level, Prof. Sweeder seeks to identify and mitigate systemic barriers that contribute to inequitable outcomes in introductory STEM courses.

As a Chemistry Education Researcher, Prof. Sweeder has partnered with Prof. Herrington to explore curriculum innovations that support student success in general chemistry. Their research has included integrating simulations into coursework, utilizing texting systems for enhanced learning, and analyzing the educational practices in highly viewed YouTube videos on general chemistry concepts.

They are both part of the 3DL4US research team which seeks to bring 3D learning at the university level. 3D-Learning requires students to engage with real-world phenomena through disciplinary core ideas, participate in authentic science practices, and employ cross-cutting concepts.

Beyond chemistry, Prof. Sweeder's broader STEM education efforts focus on student success. Since 2020, he has been actively involved in the SEISMIC project, a collaboration among 10 large, research-intensive institutions aimed at promoting equity in introductory STEM courses.

At MSU, he has contributed to developing course reports that use institutional data to inform faculty and administrators and allow for data-informed decision making around policies or curriculum reforms. His work also includes examining the role of support structures, such as learning communities, in fostering student success and retention.