Activity

Cite This: J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc

The Chemistry Connections Challenge: Encouraging Students To

Connect Course Concepts with Real-World Applications
Barbora Morra*
Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
*
S Supporting Information

ABSTRACT: A thought-provoking activity called the

“Chemistry Connections Challenge” (CCC) has been
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introduced to an introductory organic chemistry course as a

method of highlighting the real-world applications of course
content. Identifying how course material can be utilized in the
world around them may be difficult for students in intro-
ductory organic chemistry courses, particularly those geared
toward life science disciplines. This activity was created as a
means to improve student attitudes toward organic chemistry
by encouraging them to explore how course content is applied
to nature, research, and everyday life. In preparation for the activity, students are exposed to several instructor-generated
“Chemistry Connections” slides shown in class during the first 4 weeks of the semester. Then, students are invited to create
their own slide as part of the “Chemistry Connections Challenge” activity. As students complete the activity they engage with
the course material in a meaningful way which can stimulate new ways of thinking about organic chemistry, identify the value of
course content, and improve the overall learning process. This simple activity can be a valuable part of any chemistry course, as
it can easily be applied in a variety of class sizes, and is suitable for students with diverse educational backgrounds and goals.
KEYWORDS: Second-Year Undergraduate, Organic Chemistry, Communication/Writing, Hands-On Learning/Manipulatives,
Applications of Chemistry

■ INTRODUCTION
Real-world examples of course material are routinely high-
the instructor first highlighted several “Chemistry Connec-
tions” slides in class during the first 4 weeks of the semester.
These instructor-generated slides and how they prepare
lighted by authors in introductory chemistry textbooks.1 Expos-
students for the “Chemistry Connections Challenge” activity
ing students to the ubiquitous nature of chemistry in their
is described below.

everyday lives, research, and industry can enhance student
learning by demonstrating the relevancy and purpose of course
content.2 While real-world applications of organic chemistry
are frequently incorporated in laboratory activities, there are
fewer examples employed in the classroom. Several instructors
have implemented in-class discussions where they address real-
world applications of lecture material that are either instructor-
driven,3 or student-inspired through a suggestion box4 or
written questions.5 Similarly, another instructor held weekly
10−20 min in-class discussions and demonstrations to
showcase practical applications of the course material.6
Instructors have also implemented writing exercises in their
classrooms where students incorporate real-world applications
into essays,7 grant proposals,8 or informal letters to non-
scientists.9 In addition, literature-based problems10 and case
studies11 have also been used as creative methods of testing
student knowledge using research examples.
The positive impact that real-world examples have on
student attitudes toward learning course content has inspired
the development of the activity described in this paper. This
“Chemistry Connections Challenge” encourages students to
highlight lecture material in an application that interests them
and share it with their peers. As an introduction to the activity,
© XXXX American Chemical Society and
Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
■
THE COURSE AND IN-CLASS “CHEMISTRY
CONNECTIONS” SLIDES
The CCC activity was implemented into a second-year organic
chemistry course geared toward life science students. This
course is offered in three academic semesters (Fall, Winter, and
Summer) and accommodates approximately 900 students each
year. The course curriculum is covered in 36 lecture hours and
includes nomenclature, introductory spectroscopy (infrared
and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy), and a thorough
examination of the chemical reactivity and synthetic applica-
tions of simple organic molecules. Outside of class, students
perform a biweekly 4 h laboratory session, attend a weekly
tutorial, and are evaluated through written laboratory reports,
two midterm tests, and a final examination. Given the consid-
erable amount of content in the curriculum and large class sizes
(varying from 100−500+ students depending on the semester),
it can be difficult to provide students with a creative avenue to
Received: February 23, 2018
Revised: September 11, 2018
A DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00137
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education
apply their knowledge outside of conventional evaluation
methods such as test taking.
In an attempt to engage students in the classroom, real-
world applications of course material were incorporated into
each lecture through instructor-generated “Chemistry Con-
nections” slides.12 This nontestable material was designed to
provide an entertaining snapshot of various chemical applica-
tions, where the instructor included at least one “Chemistry
Connections” slide per 1 h lecture to maintain student interest.
For example, when introducing carboxylic acid derivatives, the
function of penicillin antibiotics, a well-known β-lactam, was
described (Figure 1).12b Then, when carbonyl chemistry is
Figure 1. β-Lactam antibiotics “Chemistry Connections” slide.
discussed, the synthesis of several barbiturates was shown using
simple enolate alkylation and acyl substitution reactions
(Figure 2).1b
Figure 2. Barbiturate synthesis “Chemistry Connections” slide.
Since students in the course were enrolled in a variety of life
science disciplines, the topics selected by the instructor in the
“Chemistry Connections” slides were equally diverse. Some of
the topics included molecules and chemical transformations
from natural product chemistry, the pharmaceutical industry,
medical applications, biological processes, materials, zoology,
and botany (additional examples can be found in the
Supporting Information).
B DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00137
■
Activity
THE “CHEMISTRY CONNECTIONS CHALLENGE”
ACTIVITY
In response to overwhelmingly positive student feedback on
course evaluations toward the inclusion of instructor-generated
“Chemistry Connections” slides during lecture, the CCC
activity was created as a method for students to create their
own slide and share it with their peers. This activity gave
students the opportunity to highlight real-world applications of
course content and was intended to be a fun and engaging way
to demonstrate their chemical knowledge. Since the course
already had a substantial workload, participation was optional.
In this activity, students were invited to design and submit one
original slide with the guidelines described below.
Topic Selection
Students were encouraged to select their topics with the
following criteria in mind:
• Topics must highlight course content in a real-world appli-
cation. The slide should be able to fit seamlessly into one
of the lectures presented in the course, similar to the
“Chemistry Connections” slides presented by the instructor.
• Topics may discuss a molecule or family of molecules,
chemical reaction, or mechanism.
• Topics should be intriguing and thought-provoking. The
activity is meant to spark interest in organic chemistry
after all!
• Topics may cover the application of course content in
whatever discipline that interests the student. Note:
Instructors may decide to prohibit certain topics (e.g.,
illicit drugs).
• Students had the option to have their topics approved by
the instructor prior to submission.
• Subject matter must be of appropriate difficulty without
requiring additional information to understand the
content being presented.
Submission Schedule and Protocol
The activity was implemented using the timeline described:
• The activity was introduced during the fourth week of a
12 week semester. This provided students with the
opportunity to see the instructor present at least 10
“Chemistry Connections” slides in class.
• Students were given 6 weeks to complete the activity.
• Students submitted their work and received their evalu-
ation via email correspondence with the course instructor.
Evaluation
Students were evaluated using the following criteria:
• Submissions were evaluated on topic relevance (50%),
originality (25%), appearance (15%), and proper
referencing (10%). A detailed grading rubric can be
found in the Supporting Information.
• All slides were evaluated on a pass/fail grading system.
Student Incentives
Students with a successful submission
• earned a bonus 1% on their final grade,
• had the opportunity to post their work on the course
Web site as a method of sharing their findings with their
peers, and
• were considered as in-class presenters. Each semester,
the authors of the top four submissions were invited to
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education
be special “invited speakers” to present their work during
the final lecture of the course.
Detailed student instructions and a grading rubric can be
found in the Supporting Information.
■
DISCUSSION
Participation Results and Student Submissions
The CCC activity has been implemented across five semesters
(Fall 2015, Winter 2015, Summer 2016, Winter 2016, and
Winter 2018) with approximately 1500 students invited to
participate. The response to this optional activity was
overwhelmingly positive each term, with student participation
ranging from 50% to 70% of the class with over 880 total
submissions to date. Student participation was consistently
high despite the fact that participation was optional and the
most significant incentive was a bonus of 1% on the students’
final grade. Despite the minor grade stimulus, students who
participated often spent hours (and in cases days) completing
their submissions. This speaks to the thought-provoking nature
of the activity, where students can become captivated with
researching an application topic that interests them.
The Chemistry Connections Challenge slides submitted by
students were generally excellent, with a success rate of >95%,
demonstrating that students were able to successfully highlight
relevant and interesting real-world applications of course content.
The submissions featured an astounding range of topics includ-
ing zoology, botany, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, natural products,
materials, biological processes, medical applications, gastronomy,
and chemical warfare. This demonstrated that the activity
encouraged creative thinking and engaged students in a personal
connection with the subject matter. For example, one student
described how a variety of electron-rich aromatic coupling agents
undergo electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions to synthe-
size colorful hair dyes. Another student featured fluocinonide
(a prodrug to treat eczema) as an example of how acetal/ketal
chemistry can be used to facilitate drug delivery. The student
described how the diol found in the active drug is masked as a
ketal to enable absorption through the skin, which then
undergoes hydrolysis to reveal the active drug. Both student
submissions can be found in the Supporting Information.
Activity Impact and Student Feedback
Participation in the CCC was generally a very positive expe-
rience for students. A total of 578 students over four semesters
completed an anonymous and optional survey to gauge their
attitude toward learning about organic chemistry after com-
pleting the activity. The survey consisted of several questions
with 5 point Likert scale rankings.
When students were asked if they thought the activity
stimulated new ways for them to think about organic chemistry
and how it is applied in nature, research, and/or everyday life,
92% of students answered “5−a great deal” or “4−mostly”.
Some student comments included the following:
“the Chemistry Connections assignment encouraged me to
think more deeply about how organic chemistry is used in
the world around me”
“This assignment was super fun and important because it
highlights why we are studying organic chem. Without these
connections, it can feel like you’re just memorizing a bunch
of reactions to pass a test. But with the extra information
you feel like you’re learning something useful, a skill, that
can be applied in our lives”
C DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00137
Activity
When students were asked if the activity inspired them to
learn more about organic chemistry, an impressive 84% of
students answered “5−a great deal” or “4−mostly”, with one
particular student commenting:
“The Chemistry Connections made me realize how
important chemistry is to our society. I didn’t realize how
much chemistry surrounds us. Thank you for sparking my
interest in chemistry again!”
Students were asked to describe how much they thought
they learned from the activity, and a large proportion (79%)
answered either “5−a great deal” or “4−quite a bit”. One
student statement included the following:
“through the process of finding a molecule to do my
chemistry connections on, I came across a lot of interesting
topics that taught me a lot and really solidified the concepts
we have learned thus far”
As an added benefit of the activity, students shared their
interesting findings with their peers which sparked insightful
discussion. One student stated:
“the Chemistry Connections Challenge was a great way for
students to connect organic chemistry to other courses and
other areas of interest. They were also great conversation
starters outside of class”
This student feedback is very encouraging since a majority of
students confirm that the activity helped them to recognize the
role of organic chemistry in their everyday lives, which improved
their motivation in the course and overall learning experience.
See the Supporting Information for a copy of the survey, com-
plete survey results, and an author reflection describing the
process by which students select their activity topics and course
impact of the activity.
■ CONCLUSION
In order for students to fully engage in thoughtful learning,
they must recognize the utility of their subject matter. The
CCC is a simple yet thought-provoking activity that exposes
students to a wide array of chemical applications. The greatest
benefit of this activity is the positive effect that it has on
student attitudes toward organic chemistry, which can enhance
the student learning process by highlighting the relevancy of
the subject matter.2 Students use the activity to learn and apply
course content in a creative way, discuss topics with their
peers, and enjoy sharing their findings with the class. Students
report broad satisfaction with the activity, which could be
easily adapted to courses in other institutions with varying class
sizes, education levels, and areas of chemistry.
■
ASSOCIATED CONTENT
*
S Supporting Information
The Supporting Information is available on the ACS
Publications website at DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00137.
Instructor reflection, instructor guidelines (including a
description of the instructor’s involvement, challenges,
and tips), instructor resources (including student
instructions, grading rubric, and postactivity survey),
and complete student survey results (PDF, DOCX)
Examples of instructor-made and student-generated
Chemistry Connections slides (PPTX)
■
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*E-mail: bmorra@chem.utoronto.ca.
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education Activity

ORCID Engage Students in the Chemistry of Daily Life. J. Chem. Educ. 2013,
90 (7), 866−872.
Barbora Morra: 0000-0002-0103-2819 (12) Application topics and information was taken from a variety of
Notes resources including the text books listed in ref 1 and the following
The author declares no competing financial interest. books: (a) Nicolaou, K. C.; Montagnon, T. Molecules That Changed

■
The World; Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co.: KGaA: Weinheim,
2008. (b) May, P.; Cotton, S. Molecules That Amaze Us; Taylor and
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Francis Group, LLC: Boca Raton, FL, 2015. (c) Lowe, D. B. The
The author thanks all of the CHM247H students who Chemistry Book: From Gunpowder to Graphene, 250 Milestones in the
participated in this activity. History of Chemistry; Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.: New York, NY,

■
2016.
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D DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00137
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX