What did my students learn?

Finally, I’m done grading! Overall the students did well with a solid B average. This, after all, was a small Honors class. When I’ve taught the regular section, the average is somewhat lower.

On the Final Exam of my class, I had the following 1-point question (on a 50-point exam) at the end of the exam: “What was the most important thing you learned from this class?”

The answers can be grouped in three categories and I had roughly equal numbers of responses in all three.

One group of students talked about specific topics from class. The majority of responses were about energy, entropy and thermodynamics although a few other topics were mentioned. Here are my two favorite ones:

·      Entropy and energy in general is a lot more complicated than it sounds.

·      The most important thing I learned in this class came from the lectures and readings on fuel sources and renewable energy sources.

Another group of students enjoyed the connections made between what we learning in class with their life outside of class. In particular, I was gratified that the blog posts were credited with helping them see this. Here is a selection:

·      How to observe the surroundings and to formulate ideas about science (blog posts).

·      How to connect what we learning in class to the outside world. This was one of the first times where I could see how what I learn can have an impact on the world.

·      How to apply what I’ve learned so far this semester to real world problems (in order to come up with possible solutions to those problems?)

·      In order to be great at anything, you really need to be interested in it. I think the blog posts really created a better sense of chemistry and made it a lot more interesting.

·      I have learned how to articulate my thoughts better, especially through writing due to the blogs. I am very grateful for this because it is an important life skill.

·      To try and apply the concepts we’ve learned to our every day lives (encouraged by the blog requirement) because it makes what we learn more interesting.

The final group talked about learning how to learn, and I’m glad that some of the metacognitive aspects and reflection I had been emphasizing seems to have borne some fruit. Here’s a selection:

·      Study technique: I learned that you have to study a little every day and quiz yourself on material.

·      How to prepare and study prior to lectures on my own.

·      Besides all the chemistry and the real life applications of chemistry, the most important thing I learned in this class is that I always know more than I think I do. You just have to sit and think about the problem.

·      I learned how to get my grade up. I worked really hard on getting my grade to a B+ after I found that I had a C in the beginning of the semester.

·      The most important thing I learned is to never give up. I also liked galvanic cells.

·      I learned that it is very important not only to know the concepts, but to know how to apply them to problems quickly and efficiently by practicing.

And my favorite comment which was short and to the point:

·      I learned that in a strenuous course, sleep is extremely important.

Amazingly, I am already looking forward to the classes I will be teaching in the Fall semester. I’ve already started thinking about some of the activities. Over the summer I will continue reflecting on what worked well in my “experiment” this semester and what didn’t go so well. After all, that’s how we learn to improve. I’d like to thank my students for sticking through this semester with me