CHED 1703 |
| The advent of programs like Writing Across the Curriculum has placed greater focus on writing in all courses, including the sciences. Research on the impacts of these programs has shown that writing assignments can produce gains in student motivation and understanding. Most literature accounts regarding the use of writing assignments has been derived from general chemistry courses for non-science majors in liberal arts settings. This study was undertaken to solicit the opinions of chemistry majors and honors students who took an organic chemistry sequence in which writing assignments were used. Participants were asked to evaluate the topics of the assignments, the impacts on motivation for learning the material and applying it, and whether critical thinking was enhanced by writing papers. Results indicated that students' learning and motivation varied based on the topic of each paper, but most indicated an enhanced understanding of how organic chemistry applies to real-world situations. |
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Communicating Chemistry
8:30 AM-11:55 AM, Wednesday, March 28, 2007 McCormick Place North -- Room N227B, Level 2, Oral
Division of Chemical Education |