Organic Chemistry Course Research Articles

Development of Electronics Student Worksheets Based on the Nature of Science in the Organic Chemistry on Polymer Materials Course

This research is motivated by the need to provide teaching materials that can help students understand organic chemistry, especially polymer materials. Based on findings in the field, Organic Chemistry is one of the subjects whose material is difficult to understand. The development of the times and technology has brought developments in teaching materials in learning, namely technology-based. The purpose of this study is to produce E-LKM based on Nature of Science in the Organic Chemistry Course on Polymer Materials that can help students understand polymer materials more easily.The method used is the Research and Development (R&D) method, with the ADDIE model, which consists of 5 phases, namely the analysis phase, design phase, development phase, implementation phase and evaluation phase. The Nature of Science-based Electronics Student Worksheets developed on Polymer material was declared valid based on material and media validation with values ​​of 93% and 97% respectively. The Nature of Science-based Electronics Student Worksheets on polymer material that was developed received a very good response from lecturers and students with scores of 92% and 90% respectively. Electronic Student Worksheet was declared valid and received a positive response from users and can be used in classroom learning.

Development of Multiple Representation Learning Videos on Hydrocarbon Nomenclature

This research focuses on the development of learning media based on multiple representations in organic chemistry courses. Multiple representation-based learning media has the potential to improve students understanding of the concepts of chemical materials that are often considered difficult. However, the lack of learning media used by lecturers to discuss the three aspects of representation is a problem that needs to be addressed. This research aims to produce a nomenclature of hydrocarbon compounds learning video based on multiple representations and to find the eligibility and response for the developed learning video. The research methods are research and development using the 4d development model. The instruments used were the eligibility sheet and response questionnaire using a Likert scale. The eligibility for learning video is included as very feasible, with an average eligibility percentage of 95,03%. The eligibility of learning video was viewed in three aspects, namely, the lesson aspect (94.67%), the language aspect (95.56%), and the media aspect (94.87%). The responses given by students were included as a good category, as shown by the percentage of response results on the small-scale trial of 83,79% and large-scale trial of 83,31%. Based on the outcome of eligibility assessment and field trials, the nomenclature of hydrocarbon compounds learning video based on multiple representations is very feasible for learning media in the organic chemistry of monofunctional compounds course.

Feelings of Shame in a First Semester Organic Chemistry Course: Associations between Shame and Examination Performance for Multiple Learner Groups

Feelings of Shame in a First Semester Organic Chemistry Course: Associations between Shame and Examination Performance for Multiple Learner Groups

"Synthetic Map": A Graphic Organizer Inspired by Artificial Neural Network Paradigms for Learning Organic Synthesis.

Organic Chemistry is widely recognized as a challenging subject, with the design of syntheses and retrosyntheses identified as particularly difficult tasks. Inspired by the success of artificial neural networks in machine learning, we propose a framework that leverages similar principles to enhance the teaching and learning of organic synthesis. In this paper, we introduce a novel teaching tool, the "Synthetic Map", that attempts to visually recreate an expert's mental map and conceptual understanding of organic synthesis built over years of experience. The educational benefits of the Synthetic Map were evaluated through its implementation in an Organic Chemistry course of a Pharmacy degree over two years. The new tool promoted students' learning by providing a mental organizer fostering a deeper understanding of the subject and empowering students to design and execute effective synthetic strategies.

On the Content of the Organic Chemistry Course at the Basic Level of Secondary Education

On the Content of the Organic Chemistry Course at the Basic Level of Secondary Education

Student Experiences With Peer Review and Revision for Writing-to-Learn in a Chemistry Course Context

Peer review is useful for providing students with formative feedback, yet it is used less frequently in STEM classrooms and for supporting writing-to-learn (WTL). While research indicates the benefits of incorporating peer review into classrooms, less research is focused on students’ perceptions thereof. Such research is important as it speaks to the mechanisms whereby peer review can support learning. This study examines students’ self-reported approaches to and perceptions of peer review and revision associated with WTL assignments implemented in an organic chemistry course. Students responded to a survey covering how they approached peer review and revision and the benefits they perceived from participating in each. Findings indicate that the assignment materials guided students’ approaches during both peer review and revision. Furthermore, students described various ways both receiving feedback from their peers and reading their peers’ drafts were beneficial, but primarily connected their revisions to receiving feedback.

Teaching abductive reasoning for use as a problem-solving tool in organic chemistry and beyond

The second-year undergraduate Organic Chemistry course sequence is often cited as one of the most, if not the most, challenging for students in the US. Thus, a persistent question remains: What is it about Organic Chemistry that makes the course so difficult for students? Herein, we put forward the hypothesis that a new mode of thinking and problem solving is expected of the students; these skills have not yet been developed in their prior scientific coursework and are often not deliberately taught in Organic Chemistry. This form of reasoning and problem solving, known as abductive reasoning, is highlighted for its connection to medical diagnosis and scientific thinking. We provide examples to showcase how instructors could explicitly foreground the reasoning process in their classroom. Ultimately, we argue that teaching how to reason using abduction may benefit students in both the short term (in the course) and the long term (in their careers as scientists and medical practitioners).

Systematic Literature Review: A Fun Organic Chemistry Learning Experience with Educational Games

This article examines organic chemistry educational games developed between 2017-2023. The purpose of this study is to find out the types of educational games that are most developed, organic chemistry materials that have been developed in the form of educational games, and the positive impact of educational games in studying organic chemistry. The method used in this study is a systematic literature review. The systematic literature review is carried out in three stages, namely the planning stage, the implementation stage, and the reporting stage. Based on the results of the study, 38 articles were obtained by the criteria and further analysis was carried out. The results of the analysis show that organic chemistry educational games are developed with various types of games both in digital and non-digital forms. The most developed organic chemistry educational games are strategy video games and card games. The most developed material in the form of educational games is the molecular structure of organic compounds which is shown to deepen students' understanding in organic chemistry courses.

Analysis of Understanding the Concept of Alkenes through the Three-tier Multiple Choice Diagnostic Test Instrument

The ability of prospective teacher students to master chemistry material will influence the achievement of learning objectives. Alkenes are an important sub material in organic chemistry courses because alkenes are often used as basic ingredients in chemical reactions. This research aims to analyze Untan chemistry education students' understanding of alkene sub materials. The research method used is quantitative descriptive. The research sample consisted of 50 students. The instrument used was Three-Tier Multiple Choice with a total of 10 questions and a semi-structured interview. Before using the instrument, a validity and reliability test was carried out first. The analysis results of students who understand the concept well are only 28.06%, and 6.06% of students understand but are not sure, while the percentage of students who do not understand the concept is 40.21%, and 29.95% of students experience misconceptions.

Development of a metacognition co-curriculum for a university course in introductory organic chemistry

Metacognition is a fundamental skill that allows advanced learners to adapt to diverse learning environments. Metacognition, however, can be domain specific and students may fail to generalize metacognitive skills across domains. Thus, students in higher education may require specific training to acquire relevant metacognitive skills in differing domains or may need cueing to engage their metacognitive skills and knowledge in new domains. The present report describes the development of a co-curricular metacognitive program for chemistry students and suggests how this program could be adopted by other chemistry courses or adapted for other domains in higher education. Several supports were introduced in this program including self-assessment of competence with learning task inventories (LTIs; i.e., detailed lists of learning tasks), self-assessments of confidence regarding in-class content questions, and performance predictions and postdictions on tests. In general, exposure to these supports resulted in overall performance and confidence gains. However, individual differences were evident with some students demonstrating greater learning gains than others. Initial Dunning-Kruger effects associated with pre-and postdictions, with low-performing students overestimating grades and high-performing students underestimating grades, decreased over exposure. A summary of the evolution of this metacognitive co-curricular program, the educational literature that steered it, and the differential impact on students is explained.

Alternative grading strategies in organic chemistry: a journey

The global pandemic forced educators at all levels to re-evaluate how they would engage content, generate relevance, and assess the development of their students. While alternative grading strategies were not necessarily new to the world of chemical education research (CER) in 2020, the pandemic accelerated the examination of such principles for instructors who wished to prioritize learning over compliance with course policies and eschew points for grading. This article describes the transformation of a traditional lecture organic chemistry course under new, standards-based principles. Working from a discrete set of grouped learning outcomes, these courses aim to clearly define standards, give helpful feedback, indicate semester-long student progress, and allow for reattempts without penalty using a token system. Students explore both core (all of which must be passed in order to show progress) and non-core (students can choose a majority of these to pass) learning outcomes in a variety of formative and summative assessment approaches. Unique to the reformatting of these courses is the use of collaborative, take-home assessments, integration of multiple-choice questions, ungrading of student-submitted summary notes, live solving of select problems with peer feedback, and a learning check system that reinforces the flipped nature of content delivery. Another distinctive feature of the courses is the requirement for students who reach a certain threshold of repeating learning outcomes to perform in-person problem solving for the instructor. Overall, students report that the structure of the courses reduces their general and specific anxiety, lowers the temptations to challenge their academic integrity, and increases their own learning self-monitoring, reflecting known pedagogies of metacognition. The instructor reports that alternative grading strategies take far less time, generates more meaningful feedback, and shifts student attitudes away from final grading and toward genuine learning.

Authoring a TopHat E-Book from Existing Videos: An Explanation and Results from Two Years of Flipping an Organic Chemistry Course

Authoring a TopHat E-Book from Existing Videos: An Explanation and Results from Two Years of Flipping an Organic Chemistry Course

Tweaking Instructional Practices Was Not the Answer: How Increasing the Interactivity of a Model-Centered Organic Chemistry Course Affected Student Outcomes

Tweaking Instructional Practices Was Not the Answer: How Increasing the Interactivity of a Model-Centered Organic Chemistry Course Affected Student Outcomes

Examining How Supplemental Instruction Impacts Students’ Motivation in Organic Chemistry

This study investigates the effect of Supplemental Instruction (SI) on students’ motivation and learning outcomes in an introductory Organic Chemistry course for non-majors. SI, conducted by experienced facilitators, offers a range of academic support for students that may include reviewing challenging concepts, working through practice problems, and answering student questions. To assess the impact of SI in this Organic Chemistry course, we measured several parameters: student engagement during SI sessions, exam scores and final course grades, as well as self-reported motivation levels at both the beginning and end of the semester. We performed a linear regression analysis and observed a positive correlation between SI participation and improved performance on certain exams for SI participants. Further analysis showed that student motivation alone could be driving these improvements. These results suggest that while SI may be beneficial for some students, greater emphasis should be placed on ensuring that students are motivated to learn difficult concepts.

Use of specifications-based grading in an online, asynchronous graduate organic chemistry course

Specifications-based grading is an alternative grading scheme that emphasizes student proficiency of learning objectives. Course grades are determined by the number of objectives completed rather than the number of points accumulated. At the University of Saint Joseph, CHEM 510 Intermediate Organic Chemistry is the foundation course that all incoming graduate students take in their first semester of the fully online, asynchronous MS programs in Chemistry and Biochemistry. Students in CHEM 510 complete the entire course online and at their own pace within the structured due dates, which presents unique challenges compared with synchronous learning modalities. With these considerations in mind, CHEM 510 was revised to use a specifications-based grading scheme with an a la carte assessment menu and token system. Generally, students found the alternative grading scheme helpful, but they needed additional instructions and time to adjust to the new grading system. By the end of the semester, students expressed their appreciation for the ability to choose their assessment method, work at their own pace, and use the token system for extensions/retakes. The instructor found that implementation of specifications grading took greater time for the initial course setup, but did not require more time than points-based grading once the course began. One large positive outcome was that student-instructor interactions were more frequently about the content of the course rather than grades. Overall, there was a slight increase in the course’s pass rate compared to the pass rate prior to the change in grading modality. We believe that the implementation of the a la carte assessment menu accommodates a more diverse population of learners without sacrificing the integrity of student learning. Additionally, we believe that the diverse assessment opportunities were critical for the successful implementation of specifications-based learning in the online classroom environment, though further extension of the menu in synchronous, in-person classroom settings may be challenging.

Misconceptions of Intermolecular Forces in General Chemistry Courses

The misconception is the most topic in chemistry learning that is important to analyze. There are many advantages for lecturers and students to know about misconceptions. This research aims to describe misconceptions in general chemistry courses, especially intermolecular forces (IMFs) topic. The two-tier multiple-choice tests have played an important role in helping researchers determine students’ level of understanding and in identifying specific misconceptions. The project used a convenience sample of 88 students (76 female and 12 male) chemistry education program that studied IMFs as participants. Misconception knew from the test’s second tier, which is the student’s reason for the answer. Surprisingly, 29 misconceptions were acquired from the test about IMFs concepts. This needs to be a special concern for lecturers of basic chemistry courses in order to evaluate the learning process that has been carried out. Students misconceptions in basic chemistry courses will have an impact on organic chemistry courses because the concept of intermolecular forces will be studied in depth in organic chemistry courses. The success of students in organic chemistry courses is highly dependent on the initial knowledge of students, especially in basic chemistry courses

The Impact of Emotions on Students’ Learning in a General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry Course

The Impact of Emotions on Students’ Learning in a General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry Course

Oral Examinations of Structure and Function in General and Organic Chemistry Courses

Oral Examinations of Structure and Function in General and Organic Chemistry Courses

Assessing conceptual difficulties experienced by pre-service chemistry teachers in organic chemistry

Organic chemistry is a mandatory component of chemistry II and chemistry III within the curriculum for pre-service chemistry teachers (PSCTs) pursuing a degree in chemistry teaching. The organic chemistry course sequence is well recognized as challenging and unapproachable for students, despite its significant relevance and impact across several sectors. While efforts have been made to recognize and deal with challenges faced by students in the cognitive and psychomotor aspects, there has been less attention given to identifying PSCTs’ conceptual difficulties and misconceptions of organic chemistry. This includes the subsequent strategies to design instructions to enhance students’ learning experiences, which are crucial elements in addressing their achievements in organic chemistry. The study aimed to identify the conceptual difficulties and misconceptions encountered by PSCTs in organohalides and stereochemistry. Furthermore, the study aimed to suggest strategies to enhance PSCTs’ understanding of the course. The study was situated within the theoretical framework of constructivism and employed an interpretivist qualitative case study design. The population under study consisted of all individuals who were enrolled in the Bachelor of Education program within the faculty of educational sciences. A cohort of 33 whole-class PSCTs who had registered for the chemistry III course, where organohalides and stereochemistry were taught as units, were purposefully selected to participate in the study. The main instruments were document analysis, formal written tests, and interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The study revealed that PSCTs encountered difficulties when attempting to solve problems related to organohalides and stereochemistry. In addition, PSCTs had misconceptions about these concepts. The study, therefore, recommends the implementation of suitable and appropriate instructional strategies to enhance PSCTs’ conceptual understanding and reduce misconceptions.

Capturing students' identification of the relevance of organic chemistry in writing

Appealing to students' affect in academic settings, such as demonstrating chemistry's relevance to their life, is one strategy instructors may use to support students’ in learning. This study investigates the types of connections that students make to organic chemistry when responding to an open-ended writing assignment. Students enrolled in an introductory level organic chemistry course were asked to choose and write about an organic molecule they felt was important to their life, in doing so students wrote about the molecule's relevance to their life. Analysis of the writing was supported by semi-structured interviews with a subset of the students in which they discussed their approach to completing the assigment. Conclusions from this study suggest that students successfully made connections between their chosen moleucle and their life. Considered through the lens of relevance, students can both seek and find relevance in organic chemistry topics on a personal, societal, or vocational level; and therefore may reinforce their comprehension and appreciation of chemistry.