About

Renee Link is a Professor of Teaching at the University of California, Irvine, within the Department of Chemistry. Her research interests focus on Chemical Education. She is based at UC Irvine's School of Physical Sciences and is involved in teaching and educational initiatives related to chemistry.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Mathematics education
• Psychology
• Chemistry
• Engineering
• Medicine
• Pedagogy
• Engineering ethics
• Medical education
• Organic chemistry
• Multimedia

Selected publications

• AI-Assisted Grading Increases Quality Feedback and Grading Efficiency in Undergraduate Chemistry Courses

  Journal of Chemical Education · 2025-10-17 · 4 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Online grading platforms constantly evolve to meet the needs of educational institutions. Current grading systems require significant involvement from instructors and graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) to provide feedback to the students, especially for laboratory-based courses. Here, we report our initial efforts using artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted grading through Stemble. Stemble is a grading platform designed for chemistry courses that provides AI-generated feedback to students. Our initial efforts in implementing this platform for more than 2000 students and 50+ GTAs have demonstrated that AI assisted grading provides more-detailed feedback to students while decreasing the grading time needed for GTAs to review students’ work.

  PublisherDOI

• Delving into the Design and Implementation of Specifications Grading Systems in Higher Education

  Education Sciences · 2025-01-14 · 13 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Specifications grading is an alternative grading system that has been used with increasing frequency in higher education. Since first introduced by Linda Nilson in 2014, more than 90 publications on the design and implementation of specifications grading systems have been published. This work presents a systematic review of the current literature to analyze the variety of ways specifications grading systems are executed, including the diverse design and implementation considerations, as well as to present and discuss emergent themes. We analyzed 90 publications and present their relevant findings in the results. The following databases were last searched on 5 October 2024 for publications: IEEE Xplore, ACS Publications, ASEE PEER, PER, Scopus, ERIC, ACM, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science. All peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, and book chapters that implemented at least two structural features of specifications grading in an undergraduate or graduate course were included in this review. Theses, dissertations, conference abstracts, posters, workshops, blogs, opinion pieces, social media exchanges, and content provided on websites were not included. Additionally, reports of specifications grading systems in K-12 courses or those that only presented the design and/or implementation of less than two structural features of the grading system were similarly excluded. Our findings from the literature reveal that the following themes emerge from educators who use specifications grading: instructor commentary on time investment, academic performance, and student reactions to specifications grading. This review provides a resource for those interested in exploring this alternative grading system, and the emergent themes indicate that there are ripe opportunities for future study.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• AI Assisted Grading Increases Quality Feedback and Grading Efficiency in Undergraduate Chemistry Courses

  ChemRxiv · 2025-06-06

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Online grading platforms constantly evolve to fit the needs of educational institutions. Current grading systems require significant involvement from instructors and graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) to provide feedback to the students, especially for laboratory-based courses. Here, we report our initial efforts using artificial intelligence (AI) assisted grading through StembleTM. Stemble is a grading platform designed for chemistry courses which provides AI-generated feedback to students. Our initial efforts in implementing this platform for more than 2000 students and 50+ GTAs have demonstrated that AI assisted grading provides more detailed feedback to students while decreasing grading time needed for GTAs to review students’ work.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• TokenATM Enables Automation of Token Economy for Large-Enrollment Courses

  Journal of Chemical Education · 2025-11-18

  article

  Tokens are an artificial currency that can be exchanged for a limited number of opportunities in a course to meet the desired grading criteria for specific assignments, including deadline extensions and revisions, without instructor penalty. The TokenATM is a Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) cognizant, cross-platform desktop application that automates students’ token transactions via direct integration with the Canvas learning management system (LMS). We describe the development and implementation of the TokenATM in large-enrollment laboratory courses including General Chemistry, Introduction to Biology Research, and Organic Chemistry. Previous token economy management systems, including Google Forms, gated Canvas quizzes, and other online survey tools for each course are described along with relevant technological sustainability challenges. Since the implementation of the TokenATM, manual administrative processing time has transitioned to computer processing time. Statistics on token transactions are provided, and specific use cases for each course type are detailed to demonstrate the flexibility of the application with differing token options and course design. By making the TokenATM code open-access, we aim to provide a foundation for other institutions to individualize their own TokenATM applications for their courses’ needs.

  PublisherDOI

• Leveraging Undergraduate Learning Assistants When Implementing New Laboratory Curricula

  ChemRxiv · 2024-01-08 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  At a large-enrollment research university, undergraduate chemistry courses for non-chemistry majors were delivered remotely during the 2020–2021 academic year, with a return to in-person instruction planned for January 2022. Because this return to in-person instruction coincided with the transition of second-year students from general chemistry labs to organic chemistry labs, the instructional staff recognized a need for remedial laboratory curricula for students with no prior in-person laboratory experience. Simultaneously, we desired to implement undergraduate Learning Assistants (LAs) in non-chemistry major organic chemistry laboratories for the first time at our university. In this paper, we describe our approach for leveraging undergraduate LAs to (1) test new laboratory curriculum and (2) address feelings of comfort and safety for students with no prior in-person laboratory experience. Benefits of our LA program perceived by students include increased laboratory efficiency and improved student learning from near-peer instructors; benefits perceived by LAs include the development of professional skills and teamwork with graduate student teaching assistants. We provide an outline of resources and strategies to enable instructors to simultaneously implement undergraduate LAs and new laboratory curriculum.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Leveraging undergraduate learning assistants when implementing new laboratory curricula

  Frontiers in Education · 2024-03-26 · 4 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  At University of California, Irvine, a large-enrollment research university, undergraduate chemistry courses for non-chemistry majors were delivered remotely during the 2020–2021 academic year, with a return to in-person instruction planned for January 2022. Because this return to in-person instruction coincided with the transition of second-year students from general chemistry to organic chemistry laboratory courses, the instructional staff recognized a need for remedial laboratory curricula for students with no prior in-person laboratory experience. Simultaneously, we desired to implement undergraduate Learning Assistants (LAs) in non-chemistry major organic chemistry laboratories for the first time at our university. In this paper, we describe our approach for leveraging undergraduate LAs to (1) test new laboratory curricula and (2) address feelings of comfort and safety for students with no prior in-person laboratory experience. Benefits of our LA program perceived by students include increased laboratory efficiency and improved student learning from near-peer instructors; benefits perceived by LAs include the development of professional skills and teamwork with graduate student teaching assistants. We provide an outline of resources and strategies to enable instructors to simultaneously implement undergraduate LAs and new laboratory curricula.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Quick Reference (QR) Instructional Videos for Common Organic Chemistry Laboratory Equipment and Techniques

  ChemRxiv · 2024-05-27 · 3 citations

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Multimedia approaches, including short instructional videos, are complementary to traditional modes of instruction such as in-person lecture and written procedures. We describe the creation and implementation of Quick Reference (QR) instructional videos in an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory (OCL) setting for non-chemistry majors. The QR videos were designed to address specific, recurring questions about equipment, procedure, and concepts that students in our OCL courses find continually challenging. Quick-response barcodes for each video were located close to related glassware, equipment, and chemicals during the teaching laboratory, which could be scanned by a mobile device. Students indicated that the QR videos were easily accessible, increased their confidence in the chosen technique, and answered questions that they would otherwise have asked their TA. With respect to student engagement, we found that students engaged the most with video sections relating directly to hands-on procedure ("how"), but disengaged during conceptual explanations ("why"). A specific template for outlining, scripting, recording, and editing QR videos is included so that similar QR videos can be prepared at other institutions.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Delving Into the Design and Implementation of Specifications Grading Systems in Higher Education: A Systematic Review

  ChemRxiv · 2024-11-03

  reviewOpen accessSenior author

  Specifications grading is an alternative grading system that has been used with increasing frequency in higher education. Since first introduced by Linda Nilson in 2014, more than 91 publications on the design and implementation of specifications grading systems have been published. This work presents a systematic review of the current literature to analyze the variety of ways specifications grading systems are executed, including the diverse design and implementation considerations, as well as to present and discuss emergent themes. We analyzed 91 publications and present their relevant findings in the results. The following databases were last searched on October 5, 2024, for publications: IEEE Xplore, ACS Publications, ASEE PEER, PER, Scopus, ERIC, ACM, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science. All peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, and book chapters that implemented at least two structural features of specifications grading in an undergraduate or graduate course were included in this review. Theses, dissertations, conference abstracts, posters, workshops, blogs, opinion pieces, social media exchanges, and content provided on websites were not included. Additionally, reports of specifications grading systems in K-12 courses or those that only presented the design and/or implementation of less than two structural features of the grading system were similarly excluded. Our findings from the literature reveal that the following themes emerge from educators who use specifications grading: time investment, academic performance, and student reactions. This review provides a resource for those interested in exploring this alternative grading system, and the emergent themes indicate that there are ripe opportunities for future study.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Delving Into the Design and Implementation of Specifications Grading Systems in Higher Education: A Systematic Review

  ChemRxiv · 2024-11-08 · 2 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior author

  Specifications grading is an alternative grading system that has been used with increasing frequency in higher education. Since first introduced by Linda Nilson in 2014, more than 91 publications on the design and implementation of specifications grading systems have been published. This work presents a systematic review of the current literature to analyze the variety of ways specifications grading systems are executed, including the diverse design and implementation considerations, as well as to present and discuss emergent themes. We analyzed 91 publications and present their relevant findings in the results. The following databases were last searched on October 5, 2024, for publications: IEEE Xplore, ACS Publications, ASEE PEER, PER, Scopus, ERIC, ACM, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science. All peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, and book chapters that implemented at least two structural features of specifications grading in an undergraduate or graduate course were included in this review. Theses, dissertations, conference abstracts, posters, workshops, blogs, opinion pieces, social media exchanges, and content provided on websites were not included. Additionally, reports of specifications grading systems in K-12 courses or those that only presented the design and/or implementation of less than two structural features of the grading system were similarly excluded. Our findings from the literature reveal that the following themes emerge from educators who use specifications grading: time investment, academic performance, and student reactions. This review provides a resource for those interested in exploring this alternative grading system, and the emergent themes indicate that there are ripe opportunities for future study.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluating Student Engagement with Quick Reference Videos for Common Organic Chemistry Laboratory Techniques

  Journal of Chemical Education · 2024-11-18 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Multimedia approaches, including short instructional videos, are complementary to traditional modes of instruction such as in-person lecture and written procedures. We describe the creation, implementation, and evaluation of Quick Reference (QR) instructional videos in an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory (OCL) setting for nonchemistry majors. The QR videos were designed to address specific, recurring questions about equipment, procedure, and concepts that students in our OCL courses find continually challenging. Quick-response barcodes for each video were located close to related glassware, equipment, and chemicals during the teaching laboratory, which could be scanned by a mobile device. Students indicated in survey responses that the QR videos were easily accessible, increased their confidence in the chosen technique, and answered questions that they would otherwise have asked their TA. We found that students engaged the most with video sections relating directly to hands-on procedures (“how”) but disengaged during conceptual explanations (“why”). This study offers useful insights into how chemistry students utilize instructional videos in a laboratory setting.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• William J. Howitz

  University of Minnesota System

  22 shared

• Kate J. McKnelly

  Emory University

  21 shared

• Taylor A. Thane

  California State Polytechnic University

  12 shared

• Simon Lam

  University of Toronto

  7 shared

• Zachary Thammavongsy

  Chapman University

  7 shared

• Lynn C. Reimer

  University of California, Merced

  6 shared

• Daniel D. Seith

  University of California, Irvine

  6 shared

• Wenliang He

  Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering

  5 shared

Education

• BS, Chemistry

  University of California San Diego

• PhD, Chemistry

  University of California Irvine