In this presentation, we will share the results of analysis of five years worth of student performance data in General Chemistry. Specifically, we will compare the performance of General Chemistry 2 students who took General Chemistry 1 in two distinct sequences. Students at the University of Central Florida who enroll in General Chemistry take a placement exam and are either placed in a traditional General Chemistry course or a slower-paced series of the course that takes place over two semesters rather than one. This design was originally intended to help decrease DFW rates in this gateway STEM course. However, students from both sequences who are required to continue in the chemistry curriculum are enrolled directly in the General Chemistry 2 course, which is paced similarly to the single-semester General Chemistry 1 course. Both the breadth and depth of coverage of concepts is considerable.<br/>There has been some disagreement about how well prepared students from the two semester series are to enroll in the fast-paced General Chemistry 2 course compared to those who took the single-semester course. We obtained student performance data on these courses for the past five years and analyzed differences in performance between the two groups. Our results reveal the significant differences in performance in General Chemistry 2 for students who are coming from the one- and two-semester General Chemistry 1 sequences.<br/>This type of practice is not uncommon across the country. However, these results show that placing students in a slower-paced version of the course may set them up for poor performance in future Chemistry courses. During this session, we will discuss the results of the analysis of our data and discuss alternative ways to decrease DFW rates in the General Chemistry 1 course that still support student success in General Chemistry 2.

Comparison of the performance of General Chemistry 2 students who have taken the Chemistry 1A/1B series and the accelerated General Chemistry 1 course

2019 Spring National Meeting

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