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Description
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Many students have described organic chemistry as a "killer course" - its purpose to prevent only but the most worthy students from continuing to professional school. To decrease high attrition rates, an innovative, spiral curriculum was implemented for use in the yearlong organic chemistry course for pre- professional students. This work sought to better understand the difficulties students encountered in this environment. A qualitative, case-study approach using interviews and reflective essays documented the experiences of 18 students as they progressed through the updated curriculum. The results of this inquiry revealed that many students made the decision not to utilize meaningful learning techniques and instead used rote techniques as a proxy for learning. The factors that influenced these decisions were complex, but included such concerns as time- management problems, the perceived lack of relevance of organic chemistry, and decreased motivation. Furthermore, this inquiry discovered a dramatic gap between the level of cognitive development most students brought to the organic chemistry classroom and the level the subject required them to utilize.
(Author portrait)
Grove, NathanielNathaniel Grove graduated from Miami University with a PhD in chemistry in May of 2008. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Clemson University where he teaches organic chemistry. He is broadly interested in examining factors that influence meaningful learning in organic chemistry and in the use of technology to teach the subject.
