CHED 6 |
| Organic chemistry is a common course for students from various academic programs and levels of academic development. Students that choose organic chemistry as a focus area will take organic courses at several undergraduate and graduate levels. As the subject is highly conceptual, students generally find the course difficult to follow. It also presents various new skills, symbolisms, and conventions that are unique to this domain. The most problematic of these conventions is often the arrow-pushing formalism used in describing reaction mechanisms. The research program described in this paper focuses on problem solving in organic chemistry; specifically, how students develop skills in solving organic chemistry reaction mechanisms and using these skills to predict the products of reactions. This paper will outline our current efforts to explore the approaches that students take when solving mechanism problems, how their skills develop, and what factors lead to success or failure. |
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Research in Chemical Education
8:30 AM-11:35 AM, Sunday, March 25, 2007 McCormick Place North -- Room N227A, Level 2, Oral
Division of Chemical Education |