Activity Cite This: J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
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The Chemistry Connections Challenge: Encouraging Students To Connect Course Concepts with Real-World Applications Barbora Morra* Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
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S Supporting Information *
ABSTRACT: A thought-provoking activity called the “Chemistry Connections Challenge” (CCC) has been introduced to an introductory organic chemistry course as a method of highlighting the real-world applications of course content. Identifying how course material can be utilized in the world around them may be difficult for students in introductory organic chemistry courses, particularly those geared toward life science disciplines. This activity was created as a means to improve student attitudes toward organic chemistry by encouraging them to explore how course content is applied to nature, research, and everyday life. In preparation for the activity, students are exposed to several instructor-generated “Chemistry Connections” slides shown in class during the first 4 weeks of the semester. Then, students are invited to create their own slide as part of the “Chemistry Connections Challenge” activity. As students complete the activity they engage with the course material in a meaningful way which can stimulate new ways of thinking about organic chemistry, identify the value of course content, and improve the overall learning process. This simple activity can be a valuable part of any chemistry course, as it can easily be applied in a variety of class sizes, and is suitable for students with diverse educational backgrounds and goals. KEYWORDS: Second-Year Undergraduate, Organic Chemistry, Communication/Writing, Hands-On Learning/Manipulatives, Applications of Chemistry
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the instructor first highlighted several “Chemistry Connections” slides in class during the first 4 weeks of the semester. These instructor-generated slides and how they prepare students for the “Chemistry Connections Challenge” activity is described below.
INTRODUCTION Real-world examples of course material are routinely highlighted by authors in introductory chemistry textbooks.1 Exposing students to the ubiquitous nature of chemistry in their everyday lives, research, and industry can enhance student learning by demonstrating the relevancy and purpose of course content.2 While real-world applications of organic chemistry are frequently incorporated in laboratory activities, there are fewer examples employed in the classroom. Several instructors have implemented in-class discussions where they address realworld applications of lecture material that are either instructordriven,3 or student-inspired through a suggestion box4 or written questions.5 Similarly, another instructor held weekly 10−20 min in-class discussions and demonstrations to showcase practical applications of the course material.6 Instructors have also implemented writing exercises in their classrooms where students incorporate real-world applications into essays,7 grant proposals,8 or informal letters to nonscientists.9 In addition, literature-based problems10 and case studies11 have also been used as creative methods of testing student knowledge using research examples. The positive impact that real-world examples have on student attitudes toward learning course content has inspired the development of the activity described in this paper. This “Chemistry Connections Challenge” encourages students to highlight lecture material in an application that interests them and share it with their peers. As an introduction to the activity, © XXXX American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
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THE COURSE AND IN-CLASS “CHEMISTRY CONNECTIONS” SLIDES The CCC activity was implemented into a second-year organic chemistry course geared toward life science students. This course is offered in three academic semesters (Fall, Winter, and Summer) and accommodates approximately 900 students each year. The course curriculum is covered in 36 lecture hours and includes nomenclature, introductory spectroscopy (infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy), and a thorough examination of the chemical reactivity and synthetic applications of simple organic molecules. Outside of class, students perform a biweekly 4 h laboratory session, attend a weekly tutorial, and are evaluated through written laboratory reports, two midterm tests, and a final examination. Given the considerable amount of content in the curriculum and large class sizes (varying from 100−500+ students depending on the semester), it can be difficult to provide students with a creative avenue to Received: February 23, 2018 Revised: September 11, 2018
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DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00137 J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
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Activity
THE “CHEMISTRY CONNECTIONS CHALLENGE” ACTIVITY In response to overwhelmingly positive student feedback on course evaluations toward the inclusion of instructor-generated “Chemistry Connections” slides during lecture, the CCC activity was created as a method for students to create their own slide and share it with their peers. This activity gave students the opportunity to highlight real-world applications of course content and was intended to be a fun and engaging way to demonstrate their chemical knowledge. Since the course already had a substantial workload, participation was optional. In this activity, students were invited to design and submit one original slide with the guidelines described below.
apply their knowledge outside of conventional evaluation methods such as test taking. In an attempt to engage students in the classroom, realworld applications of course material were incorporated into each lecture through instructor-generated “Chemistry Connections” slides.12 This nontestable material was designed to provide an entertaining snapshot of various chemical applications, where the instructor included at least one “Chemistry Connections” slide per 1 h lecture to maintain student interest. For example, when introducing carboxylic acid derivatives, the function of penicillin antibiotics, a well-known β-lactam, was described (Figure 1).12b Then, when carbonyl chemistry is
Topic Selection
Students were encouraged to select their topics with the following criteria in mind: • Topics must highlight course content in a real-world application. The slide should be able to fit seamlessly into one of the lectures presented in the course, similar to the “Chemistry Connections” slides presented by the instructor. • Topics may discuss a molecule or family of molecules, chemical reaction, or mechanism. • Topics should be intriguing and thought-provoking. The activity is meant to spark interest in organic chemistry after all! • Topics may cover the application of course content in whatever discipline that interests the student. Note: Instructors may decide to prohibit certain topics (e.g., illicit drugs). • Students had the option to have their topics approved by the instructor prior to submission. • Subject matter must be of appropriate difficulty without requiring additional information to understand the content being presented.
Figure 1. β-Lactam antibiotics “Chemistry Connections” slide.
discussed, the synthesis of several barbiturates was shown using simple enolate alkylation and acyl substitution reactions (Figure 2).1b
Submission Schedule and Protocol
The activity was implemented using the timeline described: • The activity was introduced during the fourth week of a 12 week semester. This provided students with the opportunity to see the instructor present at least 10 “Chemistry Connections” slides in class. • Students were given 6 weeks to complete the activity. • Students submitted their work and received their evaluation via email correspondence with the course instructor. Evaluation
Students were evaluated using the following criteria: • Submissions were evaluated on topic relevance (50%), originality (25%), appearance (15%), and proper referencing (10%). A detailed grading rubric can be found in the Supporting Information. • All slides were evaluated on a pass/fail grading system.
Figure 2. Barbiturate synthesis “Chemistry Connections” slide.
Student Incentives
Since students in the course were enrolled in a variety of life science disciplines, the topics selected by the instructor in the “Chemistry Connections” slides were equally diverse. Some of the topics included molecules and chemical transformations from natural product chemistry, the pharmaceutical industry, medical applications, biological processes, materials, zoology, and botany (additional examples can be found in the Supporting Information).
Students with a successful submission • earned a bonus 1% on their final grade, • had the opportunity to post their work on the course Web site as a method of sharing their findings with their peers, and • were considered as in-class presenters. Each semester, the authors of the top four submissions were invited to B
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00137 J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
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be special “invited speakers” to present their work during the final lecture of the course. Detailed student instructions and a grading rubric can be found in the Supporting Information.
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When students were asked if the activity inspired them to learn more about organic chemistry, an impressive 84% of students answered “5−a great deal” or “4−mostly”, with one particular student commenting: “The Chemistry Connections made me realize how important chemistry is to our society. I didn’t realize how much chemistry surrounds us. Thank you for sparking my interest in chemistry again!” Students were asked to describe how much they thought they learned from the activity, and a large proportion (79%) answered either “5−a great deal” or “4−quite a bit”. One student statement included the following: “through the process of finding a molecule to do my chemistry connections on, I came across a lot of interesting topics that taught me a lot and really solidified the concepts we have learned thus far” As an added benefit of the activity, students shared their interesting findings with their peers which sparked insightful discussion. One student stated: “the Chemistry Connections Challenge was a great way for students to connect organic chemistry to other courses and other areas of interest. They were also great conversation starters outside of class” This student feedback is very encouraging since a majority of students confirm that the activity helped them to recognize the role of organic chemistry in their everyday lives, which improved their motivation in the course and overall learning experience. See the Supporting Information for a copy of the survey, complete survey results, and an author reflection describing the process by which students select their activity topics and course impact of the activity.
DISCUSSION
Participation Results and Student Submissions
The CCC activity has been implemented across five semesters (Fall 2015, Winter 2015, Summer 2016, Winter 2016, and Winter 2018) with approximately 1500 students invited to participate. The response to this optional activity was overwhelmingly positive each term, with student participation ranging from 50% to 70% of the class with over 880 total submissions to date. Student participation was consistently high despite the fact that participation was optional and the most significant incentive was a bonus of 1% on the students’ final grade. Despite the minor grade stimulus, students who participated often spent hours (and in cases days) completing their submissions. This speaks to the thought-provoking nature of the activity, where students can become captivated with researching an application topic that interests them. The Chemistry Connections Challenge slides submitted by students were generally excellent, with a success rate of >95%, demonstrating that students were able to successfully highlight relevant and interesting real-world applications of course content. The submissions featured an astounding range of topics including zoology, botany, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, natural products, materials, biological processes, medical applications, gastronomy, and chemical warfare. This demonstrated that the activity encouraged creative thinking and engaged students in a personal connection with the subject matter. For example, one student described how a variety of electron-rich aromatic coupling agents undergo electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions to synthesize colorful hair dyes. Another student featured fluocinonide (a prodrug to treat eczema) as an example of how acetal/ketal chemistry can be used to facilitate drug delivery. The student described how the diol found in the active drug is masked as a ketal to enable absorption through the skin, which then undergoes hydrolysis to reveal the active drug. Both student submissions can be found in the Supporting Information.
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CONCLUSION In order for students to fully engage in thoughtful learning, they must recognize the utility of their subject matter. The CCC is a simple yet thought-provoking activity that exposes students to a wide array of chemical applications. The greatest benefit of this activity is the positive effect that it has on student attitudes toward organic chemistry, which can enhance the student learning process by highlighting the relevancy of the subject matter.2 Students use the activity to learn and apply course content in a creative way, discuss topics with their peers, and enjoy sharing their findings with the class. Students report broad satisfaction with the activity, which could be easily adapted to courses in other institutions with varying class sizes, education levels, and areas of chemistry.
Activity Impact and Student Feedback
Participation in the CCC was generally a very positive experience for students. A total of 578 students over four semesters completed an anonymous and optional survey to gauge their attitude toward learning about organic chemistry after completing the activity. The survey consisted of several questions with 5 point Likert scale rankings. When students were asked if they thought the activity stimulated new ways for them to think about organic chemistry and how it is applied in nature, research, and/or everyday life, 92% of students answered “5−a great deal” or “4−mostly”. Some student comments included the following: “the Chemistry Connections assignment encouraged me to think more deeply about how organic chemistry is used in the world around me” “This assignment was super fun and important because it highlights why we are studying organic chem. Without these connections, it can feel like you’re just memorizing a bunch of reactions to pass a test. But with the extra information you feel like you’re learning something useful, a skill, that can be applied in our lives”
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ASSOCIATED CONTENT
S Supporting Information *
The Supporting Information is available on the ACS Publications website at DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00137. Instructor reflection, instructor guidelines (including a description of the instructor’s involvement, challenges, and tips), instructor resources (including student instructions, grading rubric, and postactivity survey), and complete student survey results (PDF, DOCX) Examples of instructor-made and student-generated Chemistry Connections slides (PPTX)
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AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*E-mail:
[email protected]. C
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00137 J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
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ORCID
Engage Students in the Chemistry of Daily Life. J. Chem. Educ. 2013, 90 (7), 866−872. (12) Application topics and information was taken from a variety of resources including the text books listed in ref 1 and the following books: (a) Nicolaou, K. C.; Montagnon, T. Molecules That Changed The World; Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co.: KGaA: Weinheim, 2008. (b) May, P.; Cotton, S. Molecules That Amaze Us; Taylor and Francis Group, LLC: Boca Raton, FL, 2015. (c) Lowe, D. B. The Chemistry Book: From Gunpowder to Graphene, 250 Milestones in the History of Chemistry; Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.: New York, NY, 2016.
Barbora Morra: 0000-0002-0103-2819 Notes
The author declares no competing financial interest.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author thanks all of the CHM247H students who participated in this activity. REFERENCES
(1) A sample of text titles includes: (a) Carey, F. A.; Giuliano, R. M. Organic Chemistry, 8th ed.; McGraw-Hill: New York, NY, 2011. (b) McMurry, J. Organic Chemistry, 9th ed.; Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning: Boston, MA, 2016. (c) Bruice, P. Y. Organic Chemistry, 8th ed.; Pearson Education: Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2015. (d) Klein, D. Organic Chemistry, 2nd ed.; John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ, 2012. (e) Karty, J. Organic Chemistry Principles and Mechanisms, 1st ed.; W. W. Norton & Company: New York, NY, 2014. (f) Smith, J. G. Organic Chemistry, 5th ed.; McGraw-Hill Education: New York, NY, 2017. (g) McMurry, J. Organic Chemistry with Biological Applications, 3rd ed.; Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning: Boston, MA, 2014. (2) (a) Gutwill-Wise, J. P. The Impact of Active and Context-Based Learning in Introductory Chemistry Courses: An Early Evaluation of the Modular Approach. J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78 (5), 684−690. (b) Gilbert, J. K. On the Nature of ‘Context’ in Chemical Education. Int. J. Sci. Educ. 2006, 28 (9), 957−976. (c) Mahaffy, P. G.; Holme, T. A.; Martin-Visscher, L.; Martin, B. E.; Versprille, A.; Kirchhoff, M.; McKenzie, L.; Towns, M. Beyond “Inert” Ideas to Teaching General Chemistry from Rich Contexts: Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change (VC3). J. Chem. Educ. 2017, 94 (8), 1027−1035. (d) Ramsden, J. M. How Does a Context-Based Approach Influence Understanding of Key Chemical Ideas at 16+? Int. J. Sci. Educ. 1997, 19 (6), 697−710. (3) White, R. C.; White, J. H. Incorporating the History of Chemistry as a Helpful Tool in Non-Majors’ Chemistry and Applied Sciences Courses. Chem. Educator 2007, 22, 80−82. (4) Stein, A. The Suggestion Box − An Old Idea Brings the “RealWorld” Back To Freshman Chemistry Students (and Professors). J. Chem. Educ. 1997, 74 (7), 788−790. (5) White, M. A. What Interests Introductory Chemistry Students? A Mid-Term “Energizer. J. Chem. Educ. 1995, 72 (12), 1064. (6) Jones, M. B.; Miller, C. R. Chemistry in the Real World. J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78 (4), 484−487. (7) Grossman, R. B. An Essay Assignment For Organic Chemistry Courses. Chem. Educ. 1997, 2 (2), 1−10. (8) Cole, K. E.; Inada, M.; Smith, A. M.; Haaf, M. P. Implementing a Grant Proposal Writing Exercise in Undergraduate Science Courses To Incorporate Real-World Applications and Critical Analysis of Current Literature. J. Chem. Educ. 2013, 90 (10), 1316−1319. (9) Ritter, M. Bringing Science To The People. J. Chem. Educ. 1988, 65 (12), 1054. (10) (a) Shea, K. M.; Gorin, D. J.; Buck, M. E. Literature-Based Problems for Introductory Organic Chemistry Quizzes and Exams. J. Chem. Educ. 2016, 93 (5), 886−890. (b) Schaller, C. P.; Graham, K. J.; Jones, T. N. Synthesis Road Map Problems in Organic Chemistry. J. Chem. Educ. 2014, 91 (12), 2142−2145. (c) Raker, J. R.; Towns, M. H. Designing Undergraduate-Level Organic Chemistry Instructional Problems: Seven Ideas from a Problem-Solving Study of Practicing Synthetic Organic Chemists. Chem. Educ. Res. Pract. 2012, 13 (6), 277−285. (11) (a) Glaser, R. E.; Carson, K. M. Chemistry Is In The News: Taxonomy of Authentic New Media-Based Learning Activities. Int. J. Sci. Educ. 2005, 27 (9), 1083−1098. (b) Brink, C. P.; Goodney, D. E.; Hudak, N. J.; Silverstein, T. P. A Novel Spiral Approach to Introductory Chemistry Using Case Studies of Chemistry in the Real World. J. Chem. Educ. 1995, 72 (6), 530−532. (c) Chowdhury, M. A. Incorporating a Soap Industry Case Study to Motivate and D
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00137 J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
