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Despite a large body of work devoted to understanding why instructors struggle to implement reformed instructional practices, researchers only understand part of the variation in instructor learning and implementation of the practices. This narrative inquiry case study explored how a mechanical engineering department adopted and adapted Freeform (Ff), which is a pedagogical system, that includes instructional resources and instructional ethos. Findings show that the department adopted Ff with a vision to standardize its dynamics course. The three instructors of four sections of the course had some shared and unshared mental models of engineering teaching and learning that somewhat aligned with the vision. While one instructor adopted all five critical components of Ff in her teaching, the other two instructors did not leverage all the components. The instructors shared some resources for the course and discussed their teaching with others but not sufficient to come to a consensus on the final exam. Consequently, the department could standardize the course materials, homework, quizzes, and schedule, but not the final exam. Via eliciting different dimensions of organizational learning that occurred at the mechanical engineering department, the research suggests ways to improve adopting reformed instructional practices. Moreover, our study contributes to the body of literature by revealing the complexity of instructors’ decision-making to adopt and adapt Ff and the relationship and interaction among disciplines of organizational learning in the context of teaching the dynamics course. 

This article explores science teachers’ implementation of science and engineering practices (SEPs) under different instructional settings. We compared the number of SEPs science teachers reported using in face-to-face instruction (traditional), online-only instruction (virtual), or HyFlex instruction (synchronously online and in-person) from August 2020 to May 2021. Records and artefacts of the teachers’ instructional practices were collected over three one-week periods. Interview data were used to validate teachers’ instructional activities, the context of SEP implementation, and their challenges when navigating the different instructional settings. Through a lens of consequential transition perspective, our findings revealed that science teachers implemented significantly more SEPs in a HyFlex or traditional setting than in a virtual setting. The results also showed that regardless of the instructional setting, elementary and secondary teachers generally implemented few investigating SEPs. Among elementary teachers, developing explanations and solutions were the most frequently used SEPs across all instructional settings. Among secondary teachers, the developing explanations and solutions SEPs and evaluating SEPs were prevalent but varied across the different instructional settings. Our findings suggest that science teachers need to continue to build their knowledge and practice of the SEPs, and have different supports to facilitate their SEP implementation in different instructional environments. 

Polymer-infiltrated nanoparticle films (PINFs) are a new class of nanocomposites that offer synergistic properties and functionality derived from unusually high fractions of nanomaterials. Recently, two versatile techniques,capillary rise infiltration (CaRI) and solvent-driven infiltration of polymer (SIP), have been introduced that exploit capillary forces in films of densely packed nanoparticles. In CaRI, a highly loaded PINF is produced by thermally induced wicking of polymer melt into the nanoparticle packing pores. In SIP, exposure of a polymer–nanoparticle bilayer to solvent vapor atmosphere induces capillary condensation of solvent in the pores of nanoparticle packing, leading to infiltration of polymer into the solvent-filled pores. CaRI/SIP PINFs show superior properties compared with polymer nanocomposite films made using traditional methods, including superb mechanical properties, thermal stability, heat transfer, and optical properties. This review discusses fundamental aspects of the infiltration process and highlights potential applications in separations, structural coatings, and polymer upcycling—a process to convert polymer wastes into useful chemicals.