Catalyst Award: Revamping the Delivery Method and Environment for Organic Chemistry Courses at Hampton University Through the SCALE-UP Active Learning Method

催化剂项目支持历史悠久的黑人学院和大学致力于建立教职员工的研究能力，以加强科学、技术、工程和数学本科教育和研究。预计该奖项将进一步提高教职员工的研究能力，改善该机构的研究和教学。并让本科生参与研究体验。汉普顿大学的这个项目将使用主动学习和同伴引导学习来提高有机化学序列的成功率。有机化学成功率的提高预计会增加获得STEM学位的学生的数量。汉普顿大学的有机化学课程CHE 301和CHE 302(普通有机化学)是入门级的化学课程，影响着汉普顿的每一名STEM学生。学生有机化学成绩不理想，及格率低。成绩低的部分原因是教学方法严重依赖于传统的方法和环境，涉及圆形剧场教室，学生之间以及学生与教师之间的互动很少。针对这种情况，本文提出了一种积极的学习方法。该项目的目标是：通过巩固、调整和实施技术和以学生为中心的倒置教学法(Scale-Up)的主动学习环境，改进有机化学的教学方法和教育参与；通过对等和学生与教师的讨论来提高学生的承诺和学习。基于这种方法在其他院校取得的成功，预计这种扩大规模的方法将提高学生在有机化学方面的表现，降低不及格率，提高学生对基本化学原理的理解，从而提高化学和STEM专业的整体保留率。该项目将作为未来在其他化学和STEM课程中实施的试点。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Catalyst Projects provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities to work towards establishing research capacity of faculty to strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics undergraduate education and research. It is expected that the award will further the faculty member's research capability, improve research and teaching at the institution. and involve undergraduate students in research experiences. This project at Hampton University will use active learning and peer led learning to increase success rates in the Organic Chemistry sequence. Increased success rates in Organic Chemistry is expected to increase the number of students earning STEM degrees.Organic Chemistry classes CHE 301 and CHE 302 (General Organic Chemistry) at Hampton University are entry-level Chemistry courses which influence every STEM student at Hampton. Students’ performance in Organic chemistry is unsatisfactory with low passing rates. This low performance is in part due to the teaching methodology which is heavily based on traditional methods and settings involving amphitheater classrooms that permit little interaction amongst the students and between the students and the instructor. An active learning approach is hereby suggested as a remedy to this situation. The goal of this project is to: amend the teaching method and educational involvement in Organic Chemistry by consolidating, adapting and implementing technology and Student-Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies (SCALE-UP) method; improve students commitment and learning through peer to peer and student to instructor discussion. Base on the success of this approach in other institutions, it is expected that the SCALE-UP method will boost students’ performance in organic chemistry, cutdown failure rates, improve students’ understanding of basic chemical principles which will lead to an increase in the retention rate of chemistry and STEM majors as a whole. This project will serve as a pilot for future implementation in other Chemistry and STEM courses.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.