Pedagogy/Teaching & Learning

The undergraduate organic chemistry curriculum requires levels of analysis, synthesis, and critical thinking for which most students are under-prepared. As instructors it is our responsibility to provide the optimal environment for students to achieve these important learning goals. The “flipped classroom” is an effective model to achieve the higher order learning goals inherent in organic chemistry. The flipped classroom described here was implemented in conjunction with Just-In-Time Teaching (JiTT). The initial class contained fifty-one students at a small liberal arts college. Students prepared for class by following detailed reading guides, completing online homework, and commenting on the material with which they struggled using the course management system. Class was approximately half answers to their direct questions and half group problem solving. Students worked in groups of 3-4 to create both visual (pen strokes on the iPad) and auditory solutions using the Explain Everything app. Challenges and successes of this approach will be discussed including a four-fold reduction in students obtaining a D, F, or W in Organic I.

Students are expected to learn numerous reactions and develop problem solving skills in order to succeed in organic chemistry courses. I have created an interactive website with problems for students to practice as they learn reactions. The website is freely accessible (no login required) and gives immediate feedback to student users. The only requirement for the application to work is that JavaScript must be enabled on the user’s browser.

The continued use of the traditional lecture format for university classes of all sizes has been increasingly questioned from a variety of sources. The “flipping the classroom” model has been touted as improving student learning and performance, persistence at universities, graduation rates, and engagement with the course material. This talk will chronicle the mechanics used, attempts at assessment, student attitudes towards the flipped classroom, and address whether the desired improvements were observed for a typical year long organic chemistry sequence of 90 – 100 students. Other potential benefits and future adjustments to flipped chemistry classroom will be discussed.