Effect of a Concurrent Enrollment Preparatory Course on Student Achievement and Persistence in General Chemistry

Abstract

A concurrent preparatory course was developed for a university-level general chemistry course to replace prerequisite classes and online exercises implemented in previous years. The concurrent preparatory course was structured with 3 h of active learning class time. Lecture content was delivered asynchronously online. Topics were chosen on the basis of fundamental topics needed to succeed in general chemistry. Topics included both those typically found in a preparatory chemistry class as well as some simpler topics being taught in the first course of general chemistry. Two cohorts of students in a program designed to facilitate minoritized student achievement in biological sciences were compared. In the initial year of this study, a prerequisite online homework module was required. In the following year, the concurrent preparatory course was required. Students who took concurrent preparatory course did significantly better on the common final exam than those who did not.