Skip to main content

Alena Moon

Associate Professor

University of North Texas

Department of Chemistry

(940) 565-3548

Email: Alena.Moon@unt.edu

Education

  • PhD, Purdue University, 2016
    Major: Chemistry
    Specialization: Chemical and Engineering Education
    Dissertation: Analysis of Scientific Argumentation in Two Physical Chemistry Classrooms Using the Pogil Approach

Teaching

Teaching Experience

    University of North Texas

  • CHEM 1410 - General Chemistry for Science Majors, 2 courses.
  • CHEM 6940 - Individual Research, 2 courses.

Teaching at Other Institutions

  • University of Nebraska Lincoln, Spring 2024.
  • University of Nebraska Lincoln, Fall 2023.
  • University of Nebraska Lincoln, Spring 2023.
  • University of Nebraska Lincoln, Fall 2022.
  • University of Nebraska Lincoln, Spring 2022.
  • University of Nebraska Lincoln, Fall 2021.
  • University of Nebraska Lincoln, Spring 2021.
  • University of Nebraska Lincoln, Fall 2020.
  • University of Nebraska Lincoln, Spring 2020.
  • University of Nebraska Lincoln, Fall 2019.
  • University of Nebraska Lincoln, Spring 2019.
  • University of Michigan, Fall 2016.

Directed Student Learning

  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis Chair, Chemistry. (January 2024).
  • Dissertation Committee Chair, Chemistry. (January 2023).
  • Dissertation Committee Co-Chair, Chemistry. (January 2023).
  • Dissertation Committee Co-Chair, Chemistry. (August 2021).
  • Dissertation Committee Chair, Chemistry. (June 2021).
  • Dissertation Committee Chair, Chemistry. (June 2021).
  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Chemistry. (January 2022 - May 2024).
  • Dissertation Committee Chair, Chemistry. (August 2019 - May 2024).
  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Chemistry. (August 2022 - May 2023).
  • Master's Thesis Committee Member, Chemistry. (June 2019 - May 2023).
  • Master's Thesis Committee Chair, Chemistry. (August 2018 - May 2023).
  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Chemistry. (January 2019 - May 2022).
  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Chemistry. (August 2020 - December 2021).
  • Postdoctoral Research Supervision, Chemistry. (August 2018 - November 2021).
  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Chemistry. (June 2021 - August 2021).
  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Chemistry. (January 2020 - May 2021).
  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Chemistry. (August 2018 - May 2021).
  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Chemistry. (August 2020 - December 2020).
  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Chemistry. (June 2020 - August 2020).
  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Chemistry. (June 2020 - August 2020).
  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Chemistry. (January 2020 - May 2020).
  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Chemistry. (August 2019 - May 2020).
  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis Chair, Chemistry. (August 2018 - May 2020).
  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Chemistry. (June 2019 - December 2019).
  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Chemistry. (June 2019 - August 2019).

Research

Published Intellectual Contributions

    Book Chapter

  • Towns, M., Cole, R., Moon, A., Stanford, C. (2019). Argumentation in Physical Chemistry. Argumentation in Chemistry Education. Royal Society of Chemistry. https://books.rsc.org/books/edited-volume/766/chapter-abstract/492585/Argumentation-in-Physical-Chemistry?redirectedFrom=fulltext
  • Bain, K., Rodriguez, J., Moon, A., Towns, M. (2019). Mathematics in Chemical Kinetics: Which Is the Cart, and Which Is the Horse?. 1316 25-46. ACS Symposium Series. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/bk-2019-1316.ch003

    • Conference Proceeding

  • Winograd, B., Dood, A., Moeller, R., Moon, A., Gere, A., Shultz, G. (2022). Detecting High Orders of Cognitive Complexity in Students’ Reasoning in Argumentative Writing About Ocean Acidification.. 11th International Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3448139.3448202
  • Stanford, C., Moon, A., Towns, M., Cole, R. (2018). The impact of guided inquiry materials on student representational level understanding of thermodynamics. Engaging Students in Physical Chemistry. ACS Symposium series. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/bk-2018-1279.ch010

    • Journal Article

  • Al Fulaiti, H., Cole, A., Balabanoff, m., Moon, A. (2024). Toward a Model of Cognition for UV/Vis Spectroscopy. Journal of Chemical Education. 101 (8) 3062-3071. American Chemical Society. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c00120
  • Berg, S., Moon, A. (2023). A characterization of chemistry learners’ engagement in data analysis and interpretation.. Chemistry Education Research and Practice. 24 36-49. Royal Society of Chemistry. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2023/rp/d2rp00154c
  • Urbanek, M., Moritz, B., Moon, A. (2023). Exploring students’ dominant approaches to managing epistemic uncertainty when engaging in argument from evidence.. Chemistry Education Research and Practice. 24 1142-1152. Royal Society of Chemistry. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2023/rp/d3rp00035d
  • Balabanoff, M., Harrold, A., Moon, A. (2023). Knowledge analysis of chemistry students’ reasoning about the double-slit experiment.. Electronic Journal for Research in Science & Mathematics Education. 27 (1) https://ejrsme.icrsme.com/article/view/22117
  • Zhou, J., Moon, A. (2023). “To be honest, I didn’t even use the data”: Organic chemistry students’ engagement in data analysis and interpretation.. Journal of Chemical Education. 100 (1) 80-90. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jchemed.2c00840
  • Balabanoff, M., Kaur, S., Barbera, J., Moon, A. (2022). A construct modeling approach to characterizing students’ understanding of wave-particle duality. International Journal of Science Education. 44 (6) 873-895. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09500693.2022.2055190?casa_token=bqG7nUfPcUEAAAAA%3AM8i-N8eHoYjKeAMzEYjHrdePWwy-Fx_vyw-ZreDguaV8nK0ecycgIeknkL-R9dZXPcQD-skcjHxgDg
  • Balabanoff, M., Alfulaiti, H., DeKorver, B., Mack, M., Moon, A. (2022). Development of the Water Instrument: A comprehensive measure of students’ conceptual knowledge of fundamental concepts in general chemistry.. Chemistry Education Research and Practice. 23 (2) 348-360. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/rp/d1rp00270h
  • Berg, S., Moon, A. (2022). Prompting hypothetical social comparisons to support chemistry students’ data analysis and interpretation.. Chemistry Education Research and Practice. 23 (1) 124-136. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/rp/d1rp00213a
  • Lazenby, K., Balabanoff, M., Becker, N., Moon, A., Barbera, J. (2021). From ideas to items: A primer on the development of ordered multiple-choice items for investigating the progression of learning in higher education STEM.. Journal of Chemical Education. 98 (3) 714–729. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c01121
  • Balabanoff, M., Alfulaiti, H., Bhusal, s., Harrold, A., Moon, A. (2020). An exploration of chemistry students’ conceptions of light and matter in the context of the photoelectric effect.. International Journal of Science Education. 42 (6) 861-881. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09500693.2020.1736358
  • Zotos, E., Moon, A., Shultz, G. (2020). Investigation of chemistry graduate teaching assistants' teacher knowledge and teacher identity. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 57 (6) 943-967. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/tea.21618
  • Moon, A., Moeller, R., Gere, A., Shultz, G. (2019). Application and testing of a framework for characterizing the quality of scientific reasoning in chemistry students’ writing on ocean acidification. Chemistry Education Research and Practice. 20 (3) https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2019/rp/c9rp00005d
  • Moon, A., Zotos, E., Finkenstaedt-Quinn, S., Gere, A., Shultz, G. (2018). Investigation of the role of writing-to-learn in promoting student understanding of light-matter interactions. Chemistry Education Research and Practice. 19 (3) https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2018/rp/c8rp00090e
  • Bain, K., Rodriguez, J., Moon, A., Towns, M. (2018). The characterization of cognitive processes involved in chemical kinetics using a blended processing framewor. Chemistry Education Research and Practice. 19 (2) https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2018/rp/c7rp00230k
  • Moon, A., Gere, A., Shultz, G. (2018). Writing in the STEM classroom: Faculty conceptions of writing and its role in the classroom. Science Education. 102 (5) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/sce.21454
  • Moon, A., Stanford, c., Cole, R., Towns, M. (2017). Analysis of inquiry materials to explain complexity of chemical reasoning in physical chemistry students’ argumentation. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 54 (10) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/tea.21407
  • Moon, A., Stanford, C., Cole, R., Towns, M. (2017). Decentering: A characteristic of effective student-student discourse in inquiry-oriented physical chemistry classrooms. Journal of Chemical Education. 94 (7) https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00856
  • Finkenstaedt-Quinn, S., Halim, A., Chambers, T., Moon, A., Goldman, R., Gere, A., Shultz, G. (2017). Investigation of the influence of a writing-to-learn assignment on student understanding of polymer properties. Journal of Chemical Education. 94 (11) https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00363#
  • Rodriguez, J., Bain, K., Moon, A., DeKorver, B., Mack, M., Towns, M. (2017). The Citation index of chemistry education research in the Journal of Chemical Education from 2008 to 2016: A closer look at the impact factor. Journal of Chemical Education. 94 (5) https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00062
  • Stanford, C., Moon, A., Towns, M., Cole, R. (2016). Analysis of instructor facilitation strategies and their influences on student argumentation: A case study of a POGIL physical chemistry classroom. Journal of Chemical Education. 93 (9) https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5b00993
  • Moon, A., Stanford, C., Cole, R., Towns, M. (2016). The nature of students’ chemical reasoning employed in scientific argumentation in physical chemistry.. Chemistry Education Research and Practice. 17 (2) https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2016/rp/c5rp00207a
  • Bain, K., Moon, A., Mack, m., Towns, M. (2014). Review of research on the teaching and learning of thermodynamics at the university level.. Chemistry Education Research and Practice. 15 (3) https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2014/rp/c4rp00011k

Presentations Given

    Invited Talk

  • Moon, A. (Author & Presenter), Chemistry Education Research and Practice, Peer Review: What happens when you give students epistemic agency?, Gordon Research Conference, Lewiston, ME, United States of America. (2023 - 2023).
  • Moon, A. (Author & Presenter), Department of Chemistry Seminar, An exploration of chemistry students’ conceptions of light and light-matter interactions in the context of fundamental experiments, University of Missouri Kansas City, Kansas City, United States of America. (2022 - 2022).
  • Moon, A. (Author & Presenter), Department of Chemistry Seminar, An exploration of chemistry students’ conceptions of light and light-matter interactions in the context of fundamental experimentsAn exploration of chemistry students’ conceptions of light and light-matter interactions in the context of fundamental experiments, University of Nebraska Omaha, Omaha, United States of America. (2022 - 2022).
  • Moon, A. (Author & Presenter), Chemistry Education Seminar, An exploration of chemistry students’ conceptions of light and light-matter interactions in the context of fundamental experiments, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America. (2022 - 2022).
  • Moon, A. (Author & Presenter), DBER Seminar, An exploration of chemistry students’ conceptions of light and light-matter interactions in the context of fundamental experiments, University of Nebraska Lincoln, United States of America. (2022 - 2022).

Contracts, Grants, Sponsored Research

    Grant - Research

  • Moon, A., "Collaborative research: supporting chemistry students' science practice self-efficacy," sponsored by National Science Foundation, Federal, $364595 Funded. (2023).
  • Moon, A., "Supporting students' critical evaluation of evidence in collaborative socioscientific argumentation," sponsored by National Science Foundation, Federal, $299983 Funded. (2022).
  • Moon, A., "Quantum business, arts, and science for society," sponsored by University of Nebraska Lincoln, Other, $629692 Funded. (2022 - 2024).
  • Moon, A., "Developing educational measurement competency to promote investigation of students' understanding of light," sponsored by National Science Foundation, Federal, $300000 Funded. (2019 - 2021).
  • Moon, A., "Undergraduate research scholarship," sponsored by UNL UCARE, Other, $7200 Funded. (2020 - 2021).
  • Moon, A., "Development of an instrument to comprehensively assess core concepts in a year-long chemistry sequence," sponsored by UNL Research Council, Other, $10000 Funded. (2019 - 2019).
  • Moon, A., "Focus group interviews: A novel approach to facilitating co-construction of scientific arguments in undergraduate chemistry," sponsored by UNL Research Council, Other, $9593 Funded. (2019 - 2019).
  • Moon, A., "Development of automated text analysis tools for characterizing quality of scientific arguments," Other, $1400 Funded. (2018 - 2018).

Service

University Service

  • Committee Member, Undergraduate Affairs Committee. (July 2024 - Present).

Professional Service

  • Chairperson, Gordon Research Conference Chemistry Education Research and Practice. (July 2023 - Present).
  • Committee Member, American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Education Chemistry Education Research Committee. (January 2024 - December 2024).
  • Committee Chair, American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Education Chemistry Education Research Committee. (January 2023 - December 2023).