Dear Instructors, To help you get the most out of the new third edition, we’ve enlisted the help of some incredible instructors from around the country to provide you with updated sample syllabi. We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Andrew Morehead at East Carolina University, Vandana Bindra and Nanette Wachter at Hofstra University, … Continue reading New Sample Syllabi Available
When I was an undergraduate student, I hated reading my chemistry textbooks. Like many science faculty, my professors would assign sections of the textbook to read before class with little to no explanation or guidance. As a first-year college student who took my coursework seriously, I tried to do as I was told. Unfortunately, the … Continue reading Using a Previewing Strategy to Help Students Get the Most Out of Reading
How to Make the Most of Practice Exams Practice exams can be a valuable learning tool if they’re used correctly by students. They have the potential to give students access to exam-level questions that ask them to synthesize ideas across multiple topics, provide an example for the exam length and question styles, and offer students … Continue reading “The Right Answer Always Looks Right”
When students ask me why learning organic chemistry is such hard work, I often begin by telling them that it’s just so different from general chemistry. At the beginning of the course, there’s plenty of overlap since students in organic chemistry must have a strong foundation in the structure, bonding, and properties of molecules. Eventually, … Continue reading An Active Learning Exercise for Conformational Analysis
“I hated that class!” That’s what nearly every doctor and dentist I’ve ever had has said when I tell them that I teach organic chemistry. It’s no surprise that I was afraid to declare my undergraduate major at Mount Holyoke College until I had passed organic chemistry, given its notorious difficulty. Was I smart enough? … Continue reading Cultivating a Growth Mindset in Organic Chemistry Using Online Assessment and Group Exams
Teach the Mechanism is a platform for Joel Karty and organic chemistry educators to share their experiences and discuss the benefits of a mechanistically organized course. By inviting professors from a wide variety of schools to be guest bloggers, we accomplish an array of topics and unique perspectives. Please get to know Joel Karty and … Continue reading About
One of my most common refrains in my organic chemistry classes is that students should strive to understand and apply the foundational principles, as opposed to trying to memorize each example reaction that they’ve encountered. I strongly believe that a mechanistic organization discourages the memorization behaviors that students are almost forced to adopt in a … Continue reading How to Help Students See Patterns of Reactivity: My Experience with Karty’s Text
Topics taught in the order they appear in the textbook: Elon University Joel Karty’s 3e syllabus OChem I Joel Karty’s 3e syllabus OChem II East Carolina University Andrew Morehead’s 3e syllabus OChem I Andrew Morehead’s 3e syllabus OChem II Lesley University Grace Ferris’ 3e syllabus Grace Ferris’ Introduction to Previewing Grace Ferris’ Reading Journal Examples … Continue reading Adopter Syllabi and Class Strategies