<br/>Organic chemistry is notorious for its history as a weed out course for science based majors.It is a class in which some students do well, some do poor and some are absymal.. The question then becomes: “What can be done to help to the majority of students who will struggle with organic chemistry?” At the University of Findlay, Dr. Jeffrey Jenson, one of the two organic chemistry professors, believed that a student-taught program could help bridge the gap and thus improve performance in the course. In the fall of 2016, and continued into the current academic year, this program, formally known as Supplemental Instruction, was launched with Rachel Claus as the student instructor. Currently another student Taylor Cornett is taking a lead role.Supplemental Instruction is essentially an extension of academic tutoring. Students are allowed to attend the program at their own discretion. Each session of Supplemental Instruction includes instructor-led discussion, guided practice, and peer collaboration. After the completion of its first two years at the University of Findlay, the efficacy of Supplemental Instruction needed to be determined in order to assess the value of continuing the program. To measure the long-term effect of the program, data was collected from three years and compared to one another. The results indicated improvement in overall cumulative grades as well as a decrease in failing grades.

Does supplemental instruction help students learn organic chemistry?

2019 Spring National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.