Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

5-1-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Chemistry

First Advisor

Kenneth Smith

Second Advisor

Hassan Ahmad

Third Advisor

Shizue Mito

Abstract

The tertiary-level first-semester general chemistry course has a large range of material with different complexities that can be difficult for students to master within one semester. In the general chemistry I course under study here, students were provided with a variety of resources to help with their learning and understanding, with various components of the course, including the lecture, online textbook, Peer-Led-Team-Learning (PLTL) study sessions, and exams, having associated resources. This study aims to analyze students’ experiences with these various resources. Students were given semi-structured interviews where they talked about their experiences with the resources and provided insight into more and less helpful aspects of the resources. The students’ responses were also analyzed within the context of the students’ cognitive, affective, behavioral, and social engagement. Overall, the most helpful resource reported by the students and utilized across all dimensions of engagement was the practice exams for exam review. Students also found the PLTL study sessions to be very engaging and helpful across all dimensions of engagement. These results, and additional results, are presented and discussed in this study. By analyzing which resources were reported to be helpful and engaging to students, other instructors can gain insight into these resources and potentially consider implementing such resources.

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Copyright 2026 Jennifer Scoggin Cortez. All Rights Reserved. https://proquest.com/docview/3371254561

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