Practice makes perfect in organic chemistry: The WE_LEARN System for Organic Chemistry

ORGN 490

John H. Penn, jpenn2@wvu.edu, Department of Chemistry, West Virginia University, P.O. Box 6045, Morgantown, WV 26506-6045
Athletes practice. Musicians practice. Why don't we have students practice their homework to get better results? Strategies to build a CAI mastery-based learning system that allows for random delivery of questions, computer-grading for instant feedback and explanations for wrong answers, and appropriate instructor control will be discussed and described. In the author's classroom, improved learning as evidenced by higher class averages and a variety of other qualitative data, enhanced flexibility for student-centered teaching, and data collection capabilities for both educational research and classroom administration highlight this novel method for teaching organic chemistry.