Surveying user experiences in an inclusive online green chemistry education community of practice

Abstract

The Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC)—launched in October 2023—is an online platform dedicated to fostering a global community of practice (CoP) that supports the integration and advancement of green and sustainable chemistry in chemical education systems worldwide. Consistent with the platform's mission and vision, the success of such a CoP requires an understanding of how well it can create and support a communal sense of belonging amongst users and how effectively the platform encourages and facilitates behavior change in teaching practice. To assess this, we present herein the findings from the first annual survey of GCTLC members, administered in 2024. The results demonstrate that not only has the platform helped create a strong sense of belonging among users in its first year of operation, but that it has also increased the confidence of those users to teach green chemistry. The ability to access and download curriculum materials and resources from the site was rated as one of the most useful features, and comments from respondents suggest they are actively incorporating (or plan to incorporate) those resources into existing courses they teach. The results lend strong evidence to the power of collaborative online platforms and how virtual CoPs can effect change at a global level.