International Organic Chemistry Competition: A Thrilling, Unique Experience

Khalil, Lana I.; Chahine, Khalil; Kaafarani, Bilal R.

doi:10.1021/ed500574s

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The authors had experiences trying several replacement strategies and found the following options that faculty might explore if e-learning persists as the default mode of teaching from the Fall of 2020. First, we substituted large-class review sessions by prerecording video presentations using video recording software and uploaded on LumiNUS. − For synchronous learning, we tried live streaming via online platforms such as YouTube and Facebook. − For small-group discussions, we used the breakout rooms on Zoom. This is especially important for flipped courses such as CM1121 .…”

Section: Substitutes For F2f Teaching Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

How COVID-19 Disrupted Our “Flipped” Freshman Organic Chemistry Course: Insights Gained from Singapore

Fung

Lam

2020

J. Chem. Educ.

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COVID-19 has besieged academic institutions worldwide. As countries closed their international borders and imposed lockdowns, faculty have faced unprecedented challenges in finding alternative modes of teaching and assessment as replacements for the traditional face-to-face classes. In this piece, we describe the journey of the chemistry instructors in managing and overcoming the disruptions we faced teaching a freshman organic course in the time of tight safety measures. We describe the change in assessment modes in our course and the impacts of such changes to our students’ academic performance and to our faculty’s teaching feedback ratings.

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Section: Substitutes For F2f Teaching Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

How COVID-19 Disrupted Our “Flipped” Freshman Organic Chemistry Course: Insights Gained from Singapore

Fung

Lam

2020

J. Chem. Educ.

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“…The OC ( Figure 1) has now become a platform of higher education, where students from all over the globe can showcase their skills by solving challenging organic chemistry problems in a dynamic and enthusiastic manner. Following its significant success, a manuscript highlighting the inception, rules, and triumph of the competition was published [12]. Furthermore, in inspiration of the OC and in coordination with the AUB Regional External Programs, the "Across Borders Organic Competition" was organized by the PI at the Afhad University for Women in Sudan (Figure 1).…”

Section: Figure 1 Top Left: Group Photo During the Fourth Internatiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Transformative Education: Students in the Spotlight - A Holistic Pedagogical Approach

Achi¹,

Halabi²,

Kaafarani³

2019

SJEDU

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Inspired by the shortcomings of traditional pedagogical approaches to post-secondary education, the Primary Investigator created from first principles a new educational initiative termed Transformative Education. Rejection of conventional teacher-student dynamics and classroom-centric learning stand at the core of this new modus operandi, which began at the American University of Beirut (AUB). In its place, the PI proposed Transformative Education to widen the breadth of learning to occur mainly outside of the classroom and to shift the locus of control into the hands of the students. The new teaching style is explored through several subsidiary initiatives, beginning first with the establishment of the Organic Chemistry Club (OCC). The OCC initially brought together students of the discipline to administer student-lead tutoring clinics but soon began to incorporate pupils of diverse majors to work on larger scale projects. The series of Organic Chemistry Competitions (OC) were the pioneering event, which utilized the Personal Response System to bring together undergraduates in an international competition. The model set forth by these series of competitions, one of local organization by the student body to host a large scale event with international participants, was proven to be generalizable to any discipline, as evidenced by the subsequent Medical Competitions. Following in line with the staple of students being at the epicenter of Transformative Education, the PI crafted the undergraduate Medical Research Volunteer Program (MRVP), a platform of experiential learning whose establishment has resulted in multiple publications and awards. Another series of events aimed at students are the Mentoring, Makhlouf Haddadin, and IgNobel Lectureships, which consistently see significant student turnout seeking career/life counseling, chemical innovation and scientific curiosities, respectively. Another initiative lies in the annual ChemCarnival. Said celebration of chemistry through visual demonstrations of extravagant experiments summarizes the entire Transformative Education drive by demonstrating both core tenants of extra-curricular involvement and student engagement. It is the opinion of the PI that the success of this new approach be taken together and not by viewing each event individually; the Gestalt of this new pedagogical approach is more than the arithmetic sum of its parts. Through experimentation with several initiatives, it is clear to see that the results demonstrate a sustained and tangible impact on the careers of students, advocating the further use and development of Transformative Education.

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“…Incorporating competitions into chemistry education is another well-studied method for increasing both classroom engagement and morale. − Furthermore, competitions are successful in the context of organic chemistry theory and nomenclature. − Given the advantages of classroom competitions and the recent development of chemistry-themed serious educational games, ,,,− implementing a class competition that teaches organic chemistry skills is a promising avenue toward improving the wellness and chemistry knowledge of social-distancing, distance-learning, organic chemistry students.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gamification of ChemDraw during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Investigating How a Serious, Educational-Game Tournament (Molecule Madness) Impacts Student Wellness and Organic Chemistry Skills while Distance Learning

Fontana

2020

J. Chem. Educ.

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Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic presents mental health and academic obstacles for students. As mental health can strongly influence academic performance, addressing the loss of community by transitioning to distance education, midsemester, is imperative. This work draws upon the community and wellness benefits associated with online gaming and applies it to ChemDraw. The goal is to improve the class’ wellness and social community while teaching valuable organic chemistry skills. In this paper, a molecule, speed-drawing tournament (Molecule Madness) is presented along with reflections describing the impacts on student wellness and organic chemistry skills. Gamification of ChemDraw is achieved by (1) treating at-home practice as video-game training and (2) using video-conferencing software as a medium for multiplayer gameplay. As the primary focus is placed on education rather than entertainment, ChemDraw is subclassified as a serious educational game. Community is developed by in-game, online chat: observers, announcers, and competitors all interact with each other in real time. The tournament provided students an event to look forward to, helped maintain/improve class community, and developed organic chemistry skills (molecular drawing, history of molecules, and conversational IUPAC) in addition to increased appreciation for IUPAC nomenclature. Although an online community cannot substitute for in-person classroom experiences, this activity supplements the loss of community associated with social distancing and could be extended to enhance community within a face-to-face environment. Additionally, ideas are presented that illustrate how other chemistry classes and topics can be gamified in computer environments (both single- and multiplayer) by drawing upon well-established gaming modes (story mode, maker mode, and speed runs). Overall, this work highlights the supplemental role that chemistry video games can play in learning chemistry: by engaging students in an alternative, yet familiar to many format, classroom community and student confidence are maintained/strengthened.

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International Organic Chemistry Competition: A Thrilling, Unique Experience

Cited by 8 publications

References 9 publications

How COVID-19 Disrupted Our “Flipped” Freshman Organic Chemistry Course: Insights Gained from Singapore

How COVID-19 Disrupted Our “Flipped” Freshman Organic Chemistry Course: Insights Gained from Singapore

Transformative Education: Students in the Spotlight - A Holistic Pedagogical Approach

Gamification of ChemDraw during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Investigating How a Serious, Educational-Game Tournament (Molecule Madness) Impacts Student Wellness and Organic Chemistry Skills while Distance Learning

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