In-lecture guided inquiry for large organic chemistry classes

CHED 838

Angela L. Sauers, sauers@uga.edu, Department of Chemistry, The University of Georgia, 505 Chemistry Building, Athens, GA 30602 and Richard W. Morrison, Department of Chemistry, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602.
In the most technical sense, the current buzz-word “guided inquiry” simply means getting students interested enough in subject matter to inquire about it (versus merely lecturing at them) and then guiding their thought process through appropriate pathways. Currently in chemistry, implementation of guided inquiry seems limited to demonstrations, usually in General Chemistry courses. However, demonstrations may not be effective in large classes, where those in the back of lecture halls have limited visibility. Moreover, guided inquiry as defined above is even more essential for organic chemistry since it is an application course where mere “rote memory” learning will not suffice. This paper describes an in-lecture guided inquiry pedagogy for organic chemistry courses with large class sections (300+ students), specifically using Class Response Systems to: promote inquiry from the students, probe for common misconceptions regarding class material, and increase interaction between the lecturer and students.
 

Research in Chemical Education
1:30 PM-4:05 PM, Monday, March 26, 2007 McCormick Place North -- Room N227A, Level 2, Oral

Division of Chemical Education

The 233rd ACS National Meeting, Chicago, IL, March 25-29, 2007