Tara Carpenter

Tara Carpenter serves as a Teaching Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where she teaches foundational courses including CHEM 101: Principles of Chemistry I and CHEM 102: Principles of Chemistry II. Her role focuses on undergraduate education within the Meyerhoff Chemistry/Biochemistry Building, with administrative office space in Room 100 and direct contact via phone (410-455-3085) or email (carpent@umbc.edu).

Dr. Carpenter earned her Ph.D. from Duquesne University in 2005 and her B.A. from Thiel College in 1999, establishing her academic foundation for chemistry education research. Her scholarly work centers on innovative pedagogical strategies for large STEM courses, emphasizing metacognitive development, assessment design, and technology-enhanced learning. She investigates how tools like exam wrappers, clickers, and automated email systems can improve student engagement and academic outcomes in introductory science education.

Analysis of her 2015-2021 publications reveals a concentrated research trajectory in evidence-based teaching methodologies, particularly examining the efficacy of structured reflection tools (e.g., exam wrappers) across multiple STEM disciplines. Her collaborative projects with colleagues like Hodges, Bass, and Gierasch demonstrate cross-departmental efforts to standardize active learning interventions in high-enrollment courses while addressing challenges unique to chemistry education.

Dr. Carpenter actively participates in UMBC's STEM education research collective, contributing to campus-wide initiatives for improving undergraduate science instruction. Her work integrates classroom-based experimentation with data-driven assessment, focusing on scalable solutions for student success in gateway chemistry courses through deliberate practice frameworks and metacognitive scaffolding techniques.