Session Type

Presentation

Room

P&A Rm 150

Start Date

8-7-2015 12:00 AM

Keywords

Organic chemistry, real-world applications, relevance of course content, generating student interest

Primary Threads

Teaching and Learning Science

Abstract

One of the most challenging objectives within large undergraduate science courses is highlighting the relevance of course content to real-world applications. However, when students recognize the role of course material in the world around them, it generates both interest and enthusiasm for the topic. This talk will focus on a new “Chemistry Connections Challenge” assignment that was recently introduced into a large second-year organic chemistry course (600+ students) at the University of Toronto, where students were invited to create a PowerPoint slide to share with the class that featured an interesting application of the lecture material. This optional assignment gave students a chance to explore exciting applications of organic chemistry while sharing that knowledge with their peers. The process of developing this new assignment, the workload requirements for instructors/TAs, and select student examples will be discussed. The impact of this unique assignment towards student learning and engagement will also be presented by sharing the data collected from student evaluations. This session will include a short active learning component that will encourage attendees to create a “Connections Challenge” slide in their own field of study to demonstrate the versatility of the assignment across all Science disciplines.

Elements of Engagement

This session will include a short active learning component that will encourage attendees to create a “Connections Challenge” slide in their own field of study to demonstrate the versatility of the assignment across all Science disciplines.

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Jul 8th, 12:00 AM

Encouraging Students to Make Connections between Course Concepts and Real-World Applications

P&A Rm 150

One of the most challenging objectives within large undergraduate science courses is highlighting the relevance of course content to real-world applications. However, when students recognize the role of course material in the world around them, it generates both interest and enthusiasm for the topic. This talk will focus on a new “Chemistry Connections Challenge” assignment that was recently introduced into a large second-year organic chemistry course (600+ students) at the University of Toronto, where students were invited to create a PowerPoint slide to share with the class that featured an interesting application of the lecture material. This optional assignment gave students a chance to explore exciting applications of organic chemistry while sharing that knowledge with their peers. The process of developing this new assignment, the workload requirements for instructors/TAs, and select student examples will be discussed. The impact of this unique assignment towards student learning and engagement will also be presented by sharing the data collected from student evaluations. This session will include a short active learning component that will encourage attendees to create a “Connections Challenge” slide in their own field of study to demonstrate the versatility of the assignment across all Science disciplines.