CHED 519 |
| Our research seeks to investigate the issue of minority student attrition in organic chemistry. Attrition and grade data for the five years prior to introduction of POGIL at one institution under study show that students entering chemistry classes who self-identify as “Black/of African decent” are about twice as likely, as compared to White or Asian students, to fail or withdraw prior to the completion of the freshman-sophomore sequence. Furthermore, a White or Asian student is seven times more likely to get an A in Organic II than a Black student. The literature suggests that a key feature that many minority students are missing is a sense of belonging to a community of scientific scholars (e.g. Treisman, 1992). Data collected in POGIL classrooms are consistent with the hypothesis that the method attenuates some race-related barriers, and gives students of all backgrounds an opportunity to participate in a learning community. |
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Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL)
1:00 PM-4:25 PM, Thursday, August 23, 2007 Seaport -- Plaza B, Oral
Division of Chemical Education |