ERIC Number: EJ1046234
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Nov
Pages: 4
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Using Structure-Based Organic Chemistry Online Tutorials with Automated Correction for Student Practice and Review
O'Sullivan, Timothy P.; Hargaden, Gra´inne C.
Journal of Chemical Education, v91 n11 p1851-1854 Nov 2014
This article describes the development and implementation of an open-access organic chemistry question bank for online tutorials and assessments at University College Cork and Dublin Institute of Technology. SOCOT (structure-based organic chemistry online tutorials) may be used to supplement traditional small-group tutorials, thereby allowing students to develop essential problem solving skills in organic chemistry. This online approach may be used for both formative and summative assessment. Students complete one problem set weekly or fortnightly, which consists of a number of questions of varying difficulty. A wide range of question types is possible; for example, prediction of reaction products, identification of reaction intermediates or reagents, and retrosynthetic analyses. Questions involving stereochemistry may be also be incorporated. The implementation is described, along with several sample questions and advice for creating questions. This approach is suitable for all levels of undergraduates, from introductory nonmajors to final-year chemistry students. Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and in particular, students found SOCOT to be a quite useful tool for review purposes. Our approach uses MarvinSketch, which is free for academic purposes, and the SMILES algorithm, which converts chemical structures into a text string and is compatible with any learning management system.
Descriptors: Organic Chemistry, Tutorial Programs, Online Courses, Error Correction, Open Source Technology, Item Banks, Test Items, Program Descriptions, Program Development, Program Implementation, Problem Solving, Skill Development, Formative Evaluation, Summative Evaluation, Problem Sets, Difficulty Level, Undergraduate Students, Participant Satisfaction, Student Surveys, Student Attitudes, Web Based Instruction, Computer Assisted Testing, Foreign Countries, Teaching Methods
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
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ireland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A