This course attempts to model the way science is done.  We will utilize the collective experiences and abilities of our "Community of Scholars" to learn about the subject area generally identified as organic chemistry.  Thus, this course is likely to be quite different from any science course you have yet experienced.  This will be a group effort.  Each of you is expected to provide the "Community of Scholars" with your insights into the problems that we will encounter.  You will also be expected to consider and respect the ideas presented by other members of the "Community".  No one is always right, or as Big Bird says, "Everyone makes mistakes.  So why can't you?"  In fact, if you don’t make any mistakes, you are not pushing yourself hard enough to test your understanding.  One of the least publicized aspects of scientific endeavor is the value of mistakes in learning.  It is the experiment that yields results different from original predictions that identifies the key point of misunderstanding in a theory.  Throughout your life you have experienced many things and developed many personal theories. Recent research in cognitive psychology has demonstrated that even babies develop theories.

 

The two most successful examples of human learning turn out to be quite similar.  Children and scientists are the best learners in the world, and they both seem to operate in a very similar, even identical ways, ways that are unlike even our best computers.  They never start from scratch; instead, they modify and change what they already know to gain new knowledge.  But they are also never permanently dogmatic—the things they know (or think they know) are always open to further revision.1

Some of these personal theories are very solid and useful, however, many are also flawed in some way. These flaws may not have become apparent yet because the flawed theories have not been explored sufficiently. However, such flaws can cause you to overlook important ways of understanding new experiences. Consequently, it is important for you to express your personal theories and see what others think of them. Often your theories will work well, and we will all adopt them. However, when there are flaws, others can help you discover the problems and thus vastly improve your understanding. So, the key to the success of this course is for everyone to participate in the learning process, to view others in the class with the respect due to a "Community of Scholars", and to remember that none of us knows everything. Consequently, no matter how sure we may be of the correctness of our understanding, there is always the possibility that we could learn something more from others in the "Community." I do every year!!

To facilitate the sharing of ideas, research scientists generally work in groups. Group efforts provide the variety of perspectives that is critical in dealing with the problems that invariably arise when dealing with the unknown. So that you can experience the advantages of multiple perspectives and of group efforts, you have been assigned to a work group in class and A research team the lab. Initially, you will share ideas within your group and then share your group's insights with the class as a whole (See Course Organization and Classroom Activities).

The structure of the course is based upon the constructivist model of learning from cognitive psychology. The diagram below illustrates the basic elements of the model.

Note that the emphasis is on your initiative and involvement in the learning process. Learning is not a spectator sport. Thus, the activities provided for you in this course should encourage you and assist you in getting involved in learning the concepts of organic chemistry.

You may note that the constructivist model for learning is a modern day explanation for the age old experience expressed in an ancient Chinese Proverb:

Hopefully we will be in the business of doing and understanding.

We are for Knowledge at Level three of Bloom's Taxonomy of Cognitive Educational Objectives.