From Lab to Language: A Student’s Role in Building a Chemistry Glossary for All

This blog is written by Gemma Hackman, a member of the Digital Education Team in the Learning and Teaching Academy.

Over the summer, something quietly brilliant happened in the School of Chemistry. David Miller (School of Chemistry, Director of Postgraduate Taught studies), Ria Koshi (summer placement student), David Harries (Programme Manager for Academic English Skills for International Students), and I came together with a shared goal: to make chemistry terminology more accessible to students who don’t speak English as their first language. The result? A multilingual, searchable glossary hosted on Padlet, complete with pronunciation guides and contextual examples.

But this wasn’t just a quick fix or a tick-box exercise. It was student-led, thoughtful, and designed with real empathy.

Ria, our summer placement student took the lead in curating the glossary entries, working closely with David Miller our academic to identify terms that often trip students up. They didn’t just define the words, they added pronunciation help and examples that show how the term is used in context. That extra layer of support can make all the difference when you’re trying to decode dense scientific language in a second (or third!) language.

Here’s what Ria had to say about the process:

I had a wonderful time working on this project and was super lucky to have so many awesome people helping me! Talking to the other students, I got to see a whole new perspective which was really interesting to learn about. Aside from this though, I had never done this sort of thing before, so I had a great time learning more about all the different softwares I could use. Overall, I hope the glossary is helpful, and am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute.

The Padlet itself is intuitive and inclusive. It supports multiple languages and scripts, making it searchable for students from a wide range of linguistic backgrounds. Whether you’re looking for “stoichiometry” in Arabic or “entropy” in Mandarin, the glossary has you covered.

Better still, it’s designed to be flexible. The Padlet can be easily shared across multiple Learning Central (Blackboard Ultra) modules, making it a reusable resource for any course where chemistry terminology might be a barrier to understanding.

This project is a great example of what can happen when we bring together student insight, academic expertise, and digital tools. It’s not just about translating words, it’s about translating understanding.

You can explore the glossary here: Chemistry Glossary Padlet

And if you’re thinking about how to support multilingual learners in your own discipline, this might be a great place to start.

Want to explore how Padlet can support your teaching or collaboration?

Cardiff University staff have access to a Padlet licence, find out how to get started and make the most of it by following this link.

Got a fun idea for teaching or student support?

The Learning & Teaching Academy are here to help make it happen, just get in touch! ltacademy@cardiff.ac.uk