A Tale of Two Pedagogical Strategies: Investigating Student Experience through a Three-Pillared General Chemistry Course Redesign

Abstract

To understand student experiences in chemistry courses, it is vital to measure student attitudes and beliefs, as they relate to learning and the course. In recent General Chemistry courses, the University of Chicago embarked upon a course redesign initiative guided by three evidence-backed pillars: Active Learning, Accessibility, and Transparency. Updates to the existing sequence included reordering the course content, adoption of open-access materials and interactive online platforms, and standardization processes to add structure to assignments and grading. In an effort to investigate this implementation in relation to student course experience, a set of surveys focused on student motivational and affective factors were developed and administered to students in the academic years immediately pre- and post-redesign. In the year following course updates, students reported significantly higher self-efficacy in learning chemistry, value of learning chemistry in the classroom and beyond, and higher satisfaction with the skills and content learned in General Chemistry, compared to the cohort of students in the previous year who did not experience the redesigned course. The frequency of students’ reported changes to their major and/or career plans as a result of General Chemistry did not differ significantly between cohorts. Combining multiple pedagogical strategies that aim to increase the approachability of content, clarity of communication, and engagement in the learning process may be a promising approach related to strengthening student beliefs about their own abilities and the value of the content they are learning in their chemistry courses.