What Is in a Prerequisite? An Observational Study on the Effect of General Chemistry on Organic Chemistry Performance

Autor/in	Sveinbjornsson, Benjamin Ragnar
Titel	What Is in a Prerequisite? An Observational Study on the Effect of General Chemistry on Organic Chemistry Performance
Quelle	In: Journal of Chemical Education, 98 (2021) 2, S.368-373 (6 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Sveinbjornsson, Benjamin Ragnar)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0021-9584
Schlagwörter	Organic Chemistry; Science Instruction; Lecture Method; Prerequisites; Required Courses; Program Effectiveness; College Science; Undergraduate Students + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Organische Chemie; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Voraussetzung; Pflichtkurs
Abstract	This study explores the importance of general chemistry as a prerequisite for organic chemistry lecture courses. The students taking organic chemistry were categorized into three groups: (1) those who had finished the prerequisite before starting organic chemistry, (2) those who had not finished the prerequisite before starting organic chemistry, and (3) those who were repeating the course. Most students in group 2, however, took general chemistry during the same semester. The general chemistry prerequisite was found to have a positive but minimal impact on student performance, yielding a slightly improved average and pass rate. However, the difference between groups 1 and 2 was not statistically significant. These results raise the question of whether or not general chemistry should be viewed as a required prerequisite. A few more responses to the implications of these results are offered including using placement exams and AP/IB scores to evaluate whether students require the prerequisite and using intended learning outcomes strategically when designing curricula. Lastly, these results can remind us, as instructors, of being aware of the assumptions we make about our students' knowledge and academic preparedness. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01