Personalized System of Instruction for the Foundational Knowledge of Organic Chemistry

Abstract

The topics of general chemistry review, molecular representations, acids and bases, alkanes, stereoisomerism, chemical reactivity, and general mechanistic arrow pushing were presented through a personalized system of instruction (PSI) at the beginning of the first semester of organic chemistry. Students were required to demonstrate proficiency of the material by passing an assessment that could be taken multiple times, before moving on to the next concept. They were allowed to advance at their own pace and take the time they needed to understand a topic before proceeding on to the next concept. Students reported that the PSI encouraged the development of better study habits. Students enrolled in the PSI course had higher pass rates for the first semester of organic chemistry. Greater positive results were seen long-term when tracking student progress to the end of the year-long organic chemistry sequence. Specifically, in the second semester of organic chemistry, pass rates increased (100% vs 83%), and end-of-term grades were higher. Average scores on the cumulative ACS 2020 Organic Chemistry Exam were also 46% higher than the preliminary national norms.