College chemistry I and II are freshman-level chemistry courses offered by the Department of Chemistry at the University of Central Arkansas. College Chemistry I is offered as part of the UCA Core and College Chemistry I and II are required by many science majors in the College of Natural Science and Mathematics. According to the literature, Chemistry is frequently considered to be a gate-keeper course for many students. Additionally, the literature, as well as research performed in our group, has shown that there is a direct correlation between mathematical skill and student success in chemistry. Therefore, we believe that the lack of basic mathematical knowledge makes it difficult for students to pass these classes.<br/> <br/>The goal of the research is to improve student success on mathematical problems presented in College Chemistry courses through the development of a chemistry/mathematical tutorial. The research presented identifies specific mathematical concepts that students struggle with in College Chemistry I, describes the development of a Chemistry/Mathematical tutorial implemented in this course in the Fall of 2015, and shows the results of the implementation on student success on the mathematical concepts identified. Evaluation of chemistry examination questions from College Chemistry I indicate that students struggle with the inverse relationship and distributive properties. After identifying the specific mathematical concepts, a Chemistry/Mathematical tutorial was developed and implemented in College Chemistry I in the Fall of 2015. Early signs demonstrate improved student performances on the concepts identified.

Research toward the development and implementation of an online chemistry/mathematical tutorial

251st National Meeting (2016)

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