Improving College Student Success in Organic Chemistry: Impact of an Online Preparatory Course

This quantitative study examines the impact of a three-week online organic preparatory course for chemistry undergraduates that is designed to improve student performance in the subsequent organic chemistry course series (N = 1,289). Organic chemistry often serves as a gatekeeper for students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM). Because many students are underprepared for the rigorous organic chemistry series, and consequently are at greater risk of failing it, an online preparatory course was offered that emphasized topics that students frequently struggle with when they enter organic chemistry. The average treatment effects of participation in the online preparatory course on students’ subsequent organic chemistry course grades were analyzed utilizing inverse-probability weights with regression adjustment. The analyses indicate that participation in the online preparatory course led to an improvement in subsequent organic chemistry course performance of approximately one-third of a letter grade (e.g., C+ to B−). Notably, students typically at-risk in college environments (i.e., low-income students, first-generation college students, underrepresented minorities) showed commensurate gains when compared to their non-at-risk counterparts. Consequently, this study provides an example of a low-cost intervention that can increase student learning and achievement in organic chemistry. In addition, this study contributes to the nascent research base that examines more distal effects of online course participation.